Joey’s Gym Class

Just back in from the Perform Better Summit in Providence, RI and it was an amazing weekend! It was 3 days of lectures and hands-on seminars taught by the best coaches in the nation. All the information provided was cutting edge for the state of training and performance enhancement today. I feel as if I have just updated everything I have been doing!

First of all, Providence ROCKS! The food was great, the people were friendly, and it is a small good old slice of New England American culture. You could literally feel the history in the city itself. It was great to be able to see a beautiful place like that only a couple of hours from home. I would definitely go up for another weekend, just to try the lobster and shrimp again!

Special Thank You’s

Special thanks to Perform Better for putting on an awesome seminar weekend! It was very organized, the workers were very helpful with everything, and the entire weekend was smooth. It is hard to do a seminar of this caliber, and it is evident that to get all of the high-level speakers to attend this seminar under the same roof took quite an effort! You could tell that they put in a ton of work to make this happen. It was totally worth it!

Also a very special thanks to StrengthCoach.com for really bringing the trainers, coaches and the rest of the online-community together. A BIG, BIG THANKS to Mike Boyle and Anthony Renna for setting up and putting on the great social on Friday night at Trinity that really kicked the weekend off for everyone.

Thomas Plummer said that we as an industry are very isolated as workers, we work in our own world but do not get to interact very much with each other. Just because of the nature of this business, we have very little camaraderie. I felt as if after this weekend we are more tightly knit as a community than ever before. This was something that was truly needed in the industry, to get to know one another, to see each other face-to-face and share one, two . . a few drinks and laughs! You guys are awesome and thanks for the love! It was a pleasure to finally meet and chat with everyone!

Review of the Seminar

I almost filled up an entire notebook with notes, trying to write furiously fast in between sets of burpees and some new TRX exercises I have never seen. Just so you get an idea of the caliber of the coaches who were presenting and what they spoke about, here is a review of just a handful of what went on! -

1. Al Vermeil - “Speed: The Ultimate Weapon”- He did a killer presentation and hands-on segment about spoke about speed development. If you do not know who he is, he is the ONLY strength coach to have championship rings in BOTH the NBA and NFL.

2. Mike Boyle - “Preparing to Workout”- He is currently the strength coach to the Boston Bruins, and Boston University’s hockey team. It was an honor to have him there and see his lecture and hands-on about “Preparing to Workout”, he literally put us through the same warm up of his high level athletes - needless to say,but I took a lot away from this one!

3. Martin Rooney - “The Art of Exceptional Training” - excellent lecture, he is highly motivating and really makes you put in that extra effort. Rooney has over 20 NFL football players that have run under a 4.3 in the 40-yd dash for their combines. He knows how to get that level of effort out of the people he works with.

One thing I got from him was - “Are you in it? Or are you INTO it?” - In other words, stop with the BS and start giving your best at everything you do. The results will show at the end, but only if you put in your best effort always!

4. Todd Durkin - “3-D Approach to Program Design” - Todd has to be one of the greatest motivators I have ever seen! His hands on was Saturday morning, although everyone was tired, he really got us going and drove everyone to do their best. He mentioned how it is all mental, as he starts screaming to  “GET YOUR MIND RIGHT!” the group just lit up and went to town on the workout.

This workout was a tough 6 station circuit with 3-minute periods at each station. He literally put the 200 trainers and coaches in that room through the WALL! When we left he had us all fired up, I was ready to go to war and felt great the rest of the day!

5. Alwyn Cosgrove - “Designing Effective Semi-Private Programs”

Great stuff from Alwyn as always. He is a great presenter and smart as hell when it comes to designing programs and the set up of the workout. Alwyn writes for various magazines, including Men’s Health, and has various books out including “The New Rules of Lifting” for both men and women. His hands on wrecked us as well, and his lecture definitely gave me some exciting new insights on creating programs for my group classes.

I learned a ton of new concepts and ideas that has kicked up my game to the next level. After I spend some time digesting these thoughts, there will be an onslaught of new techniques for everyone!

Thanks again to all for the excellent experience!

My biggest take away from this weekend to all of you is - We should all be setting ourselves to a higher standard, expect more and be more everyday . . . and everyday be at least 1% better!

Stay strong,

Joey

Quick one today, I leave to Providence, Rhode Island soon to go to the Perform Better 3-Day Summit. I will be catching up with some coaches from all over the country, and I will be learning a ton more brand new, up to date information. As always, I try to keep myself on the cutting edge of things. This industry has been moving so fast and information has been changing rapidly. I promise I will bring back some brand new info for everyone! Needless to say I will be getting my education on!

Until then - I wrote this top 10 list for a radio show that wanted me to do a segment, but unfortunately I could not attend this week because of the Summit. SO, here is my first ever TOP 10 LIST!!!!

Top 10 Tips for Latinos Living Healthy

Saludos!,

1. Better Breakfasts – This is important, most latinos consider breakfast to be only “pan y café” y nada mas! That is not breakfast – to live a healthier lifestyle, to have more energy throughout the day you need to add more nutrition to your morning. “Pan y café” will only lead you to be hungrier later and leave you dragging by the end of the day.

a. SOLUTION – Try adding a fruit to your morning meal, any fruit will do I prefer apples or oranges for breakfast. For another quick breakfast option try 1-2 hard-boiled eggs seasoned with some adobo to eat with your “pan y café” – eggs are full of great nutrition, easy to make, and will add some energy to your morning!

2. Variety – Most latino households lack variety in their diet. We typically eat the same things for dinner from day to day – rice and beans, tortillas, platanos etc. Try different grains, like quinoa, or wild rice from time to time. Try skipping the rice and beans and using roasted vegetables as a side dish instead. You will survive, nothing bad will happen to you, you will not lose your “Latino Card” if you skip the rice and beans for a meal!

3. Frutas – All Latin American countries are known for their exotic fruits. They are delicious, juicy and full of vitamins and nutrients! Take advantage of the fruits when they are available and in season - Try to eat 2-4 pieces a day and see how much better you will look and feel!

4. Batidas - These are staples in many Hispanic cultures. Batidas con leche and fresh fruits are one of the healthiest options that latinos have as a culture. Use batidas in the morning for a quick breakfast, or as a snack later in the day. They are a great way to get in a good serving of fresh fruits and are a much better option than going to the vending machine for a snack!

(Translation - a batida is a milkshake - my favorite is a cup of strawberries and some sliced mango blended with milk cinammon, honey and ice! . . . you will thank me later!!!)

5. Eat a few times a day - This is important! Most latinos have “Pan y café” por la manana and then a huge meal later on and THAT IS IT for the day! To jumpstart your weight loss, or to improve your energy levels simply eat AT LEAST 3 meals a day. Have a breakfast, lunch and a dinner. Try to have smaller meals more frequently throughout the day and your energy will drastically improve.

6. Portion control - Rice is also a staple in most latino households – so are 4 cucharadas of rice on one plate! Watch your portions, 1-2 cucharadas of anything is OK. 3-4 cucharadas is overkill and it will add a ton of excess un-needed calories. Figure each cucharada of rice adds about 120 calories per scoop!

If you want to lose weight, then watch your portions for 4 weeks. Also, try cutting down on second helpings and it will go a long way. I know the food is delicious, but try it out and see what happens!

8. EXERCISE - You know what you have to do. Stop “thinking” about getting in shape and get out there and do SOMETHING! Go for a walk, join a gym, play ball with your kids, just get yourself moving. It is important for you and your health!

9. Bebidas/Refrescos - Watch drinks that have too many calories. Water is really the ONLY drink you ever need. All of your drinks should have 0 calories, any added calories just put more on top of what you are already eating. If you are at a party then have some juice or soda, but to keep yourself healthy 90% of the time your main drink should be water.

10. ITS NOT COMPLICATED – Do not make it harder than it is. You do not need to count calories, or stop eating after 5pm. Just eat fresh fruits and vegetables more often throughout the day and with meals. Add some variety to your diet and drink a lot of water more frequently.

I can guarantee that by following these tips, you will be one fit healthy latino and you will be energetic for your family and be absolutely ready for anything!

Stay strong,

Joey

P.S. Here is the link for the radio show, definitely check it out!

Event: Radio Capicu: Living A Healthier (Latino) Lifestyle
Start Time: Saturday, June 5 at 10:00pm
End Time: Sunday, June 6 at 12:00am
Where: http://www.facebook.com/l/27274;www.urbanlatinoradio.fm