Journey, Not A Destination

Hey man, sorry I haven't Congratulated you yet on the house.

I hope you and Krista are very happy and healthy there.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend as well.
 
brunettegoddess said:
I'm pretty sure Ryan went to Reading High School and now he lives within a few blocks of Reading High, and teaches at Wilson Middle. So yeah... small world:)
Click to expand...

I'm wondering what will happen to the barber shop. People would hang out there constantly, he pretty much welcomed any and everyone.
 
Darth Pooh said:
Hey man, sorry I haven't Congratulated you yet on the house.

I hope you and Krista are very happy and healthy there.

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks man. We are definitely happy at the new place, I still have to get some pictures posted up.
 
Wow, what a tragic story. I am trying to put myself in his shoes and would have probably reached for my gun as well. What kind of person robs a hair salon? It must really be a bad area....again, I'm sorry to hear about your loss.
 
LovelyLadyHumps said:
Wow, what a tragic story. I am trying to put myself in his shoes and would have probably reached for my gun as well. What kind of person robs a hair salon? It must really be a bad area....again, I'm sorry to hear about your loss.
Click to expand...

I did the same thing and I don't think I would have reached for a gun. No way. Doing so is signing a death wish, obviously. I would've banked on the idea that more than likely they want money and not to murder me. Give them what they want and adios.

Hair salons like his are probably a cash business. I know they were very successful and in low income areas... when low lifes need money, they'll kill someone over 5 dollars.
 
Steve, I'm so sorry to hear that :cry: As a gun-lover, it saddens me to hear that this happened at all. It's tragic he was seen reaching for his piece. If in his position I would NOT make a fast move, either--then again, in a quick, desperate situation like that it's hard to stay calm and make the absolute best decisions, let alone know what those may be. Having your business robbed is, in my opinion, different from defending your family in your own home--but that's just my opinion. His poor famlily! :(

Hope you're doing OK :grouphug:
 
Thanks Val.

In that situation my sole thought process would revolve around surviving the event. Pull a gun out in that moment, regardless of my state of mind, most certainly would go against that thought process.

I'm not saying I wouldn't blast the guy when he turned away.

But to reach for a gun when he has me down on my knees, face to the ground....

Just a really poor decision that cost him his life, sadly.
 
Quotes and randomness

I believe half the unhappiness in life comes from people being afraid to go straight at things.


People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.

***

Life simply won't settle down. I feel as is I'm being drug along, which isn't a pleasant feeling. I'm not going to sit here and list out what's bothering me at the moment. I'd rather take action to aleviate the 'pain' rather than harp on it. That's why I haven't been around as much lately.

I just started my serious push in the gym last night. It sucked b/c I'm actually shopping around for a new facility since I moved. The one I trialed yesterday was pitiful. They had no olympic bars, everyone was gossiping more than they were lifting, it was loaded with highschool kids flexing in the mirrors, and worse... they actually charged me for a one day trial. Fifteen bucks.

I've trialed a lot of gyms in my time and I've never been charged for it. And the front desk worker was rude as all hell. It went something like this:

Me: I'd like to trial your gym today if that's possible.

Her: Well, are you going to join?

Me: Haha, well isn't that the point of a trial. I just moved into the area and I'd like to try out all the gyms I can to get a feel for which is the best fit for me.

Her: Well if you're not going to join we charge 15 bucks for a 1 day guest pass.

Me: On your webpage it says you can try out the gym for free.

Her: No, that's a web special.

Me: I've been in this industry for a long time and I've never heard of a gym charging for a trial.

Her: That's what we do.

***

I later called the gym b/c it really irritated me for some reason. This woman who answered the phone said they absolutely allow people to trial the gym for free. She asked if I minded calling back tomorrow (now today) and speaking with the owner.

She said, "I'm sure he'll refund you."

I told her it's not about the money... I just think it's bad business if you're interested at all in attracting new members to your gym.

I'm not sure if I'll call him today or not.
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
Just curious but did you ever check out that planet fitness in your area?

Matt
Click to expand...

Nope. Going over there on Wednesday. I highly doubt I'll stay long at all. I'm walking in and asking, "Do you have squat racks here?"

The length of my stay will depend on that answer.

I'm seriously contemplating building out a home gym now. However, funding is tight considering the new house and all the expenses that come along with that... so I could see myself staying at my current gym, which is a 30 minute drive each way, for a while yet until I'm ready to start building out my home gym.

Then I could get back to training people on my own turf, which would be nice.
 
Sorry to bother you but i do have another question. Maybe the answer is in front of me but i cant find it.

Do you have a list of good books to read? Something that might contain a review or area the book specializes in? It's just that there are 1000s of books out there on all different types of topics that where does one begin?

Thanks for your time.


Matt
 
No problem Matt...

I'm actually thinking about putting a book review page on my website but who knows when that will be done.

What exactly are you looking for?

There are generally two levels of books in this industry.

Foundational and Extrapolative.

Put differently, there's material that provides the basis for what all other books are written about and coaches talk about. The former is the foundational and the latter is the extrapolative.

What you see on the shelves of most book stores and what most people end up reading are of extrapolative nature. They're products of what the author/coach has read on the foundational front.

They're usually a snapshot or a cookie cutter 'take' the author/coach has regarding what he's read, how he understands and how he has applied the stuff from the foundational front.

As an example, we understand a lot of the sciences dealing with strength development. From the foundational level material you'll have an exercise physiologist/scientist who presents the science of strength from a physiological perspective and then provide you with some applicability. From the extrapolative level material you'll have a trainer, like me, write how he applies said ideas.

On the extrapolative side, you tend to miss the big picture. This is unbeknown to most readers but they never 'really get it.'

I'm not sure if I'm even making sense, lol.

But suffice it to say that the real data is provided to us in the foundational products. The problem is, said products are a) expensive and b) beyond most peoples comprehension since they don't have the prerequisite knowledge to decipher.

That said, what exactly are you looking to learn about and I might be able to get you started.
 
Last edited:
Checking In

Hey Steve,

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. Man is it hard to find a good gym. I really have grown to dislike things about the gym closest to my place, but fortunately its part of a franchise and there is a better run one a few miles away.
 
I guess i am looking probably for an introductary book on the sceince part. I saw you talking to Darth Pooh about one of Lyle's diets but i dont think i need a book on a specific diet. (maybe i do but i dont know)

I think i am looking for a book that tells me about weighloss, metobolism, macros, calories, body reaction and that sort of stuff. I once saw some posts about acid vs alkaline and how it relates to weightloss. It all stemed from a debate about how coffee can hinder weight loss. That is the stuff i would like to read about. Hopefully this makes sense.

Matt
 
usedtobefatmatt said:
I guess i am looking probably for an introductary book on the sceince part.
Click to expand...

Science part of what though?

There's a science for everything. Crap, you can find stuff on the science of fat cell metabolism.

How about this... are you looking for more of an intro to nutrition or training?

I saw you talking to Darth Pooh about one of Lyle's diets but i dont think i need a book on a specific diet. (maybe i do but i dont know)
Click to expand...

The nice thing about Lyle's books, due to his anal retentive personality, is he is extremely descriptive and is actually a good teacher. So while he's 'pitching' a particular dieting strategy with each of his books (and there are many, many strategies for various people in various situations), he always takes the time to teach you a thing or two.

I think i am looking for a book that tells me about weighloss, metobolism, macros, calories, body reaction and that sort of stuff.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I'm responding as I'm reading (bad habit of mine!).

I once saw some posts about acid vs alkaline and how it relates to weightloss. It all stemed from a debate about how coffee can hinder weight loss. That is the stuff i would like to read about. Hopefully this makes sense.
Click to expand...

It's such a complex field that no one book is going to give you the broad understanding of how the body reacts to various things. That said, a undergrad level nutrition book as well as something like Lyle's "A Guide to Flexible Dieting" would probably do you some good. The nutrition book would be foundational and Lyle's book would be extrapolative.

A good nutrition text is Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism by Gropper, Smith and Groff.

But it won't be an easy read without a background in this stuff.

FYI, I learned all that I know by being persistent and refusing to let my ignorance frustrate me. Instead it propelled me forward eagerly. Whenever I come across stuff I don't understand, I stop reading and research that particular topic. I won't move on until I have a full understanding and of not only the topic but context.

Another FYI is I learn something new pretty much daily and I read/research a ton. This field is more immense than you could ever imagine.
 
Yeah, there isn't a time I won't sit around with a college textbook without having a computer near me to research some of the metabolic processes they "take for granted" when it comes to the reader.

This is especially the case when it comes to research papers themselves with clinical trials, I always have statistic books to reference to, because believe it or not... most clinical research papers are crap when it comes to reporting and confounding factors.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top