First Gym Characters Post

This is the First Gym Characters post

First Fitness and Sports Post

This is the first fitness and sports post

Rate The Gym Instructors, Personal Trainers and Members

We have initiated a new column at Absolute Intensity where we will rate the fitness class instructors, personal trainers, and members at your health club. If you are any of the above, please provide us with photos and feedback of all your accomplishments.

Your humble correspondent will be gathering all the data and traveling to gyms near and far to give my personal opinions and grades. Every month we will issue ratings on the instructors who reply, and Absolute Intensity will assemble the data base for world rankings. My qualifications are listed in my biography, and I will be using a meticulous, treasure trove of note-taking I compiled during my fifty years as a class instructor, amateur and pro athlete, gym teacher, coach, and health club member.

“Throw away the eight count.” That was my motto when I presented at the 1996 IDEA Fitness Expo at the Hilton in Las Vegas. With a sport like boxing, it was frivolous to use an eight count because of the continuous change in tempo the sport constitutes. For forty minutes, I led over four hundred instructors from all over the world in a workout they praised as the real deal. I received a 4.8 out of 5 ranking by the participants, which is all that really matters. If I can do this, anybody can!

Physical fitness is not rocket science. Most of your success will come from trial and error. If you are new to the game, it might be wise to hire a trainer for ten sessions maximum. By the end of ten workouts, you should be able to grasp what needs to be done. To follow someone around while they tell you how many repetitions to do is counterproductive, if not downright embarassing. A good trainer will insist you don’t need him or her anymore. The objective is for you to embrace the lifestyle and develop self-discipline.

However, if your client insists on your services for further inspiration, you would be foolish to turn down the extra money. It might be the individual wants companionship or enjoys having someone observe them while they torture themselves.

The fitness class instructor is a whole other genre. My boxing and body sculpt classes were featured on Fox Five News, Good Day New York, and the Today Show. I never used the musical eight count, but must admit, punching and lifting to the beat will please most students. You just don’t have to be so strict about such.

You never want to exclude individuals who may not be musically inclined. I always worked along with my class while keeping a watchful eye. The participants will appreciate the instructor going through the same pain they are experiencing, and you’ll receive a better feel as to how much you can push them. A must for a class instructor is to apply equal attention for all the students. Keep a wary eye for the male teachers who have the fish eye and advice for only the prettiest of the women, while blatantly ignoring the remainder of the participants. One thing I couldn’t stand was my high school football coach asking for more push-ups while we were in full gear in ninety degree heat. If the task was physiologically impossible, he would never know because he was standing over you doing nothing but screaming about what a hound dog you were.

This is my reasoning for working along with the multitude. Gym members that are wise ask questions in the gym when they want to learn something. If you read my article on the Met Rx Guy, you will understand what I mean. There is a right way to do things, but your body normally tells you if you are out of synch and might injure yourself. It is much easier for someone like me who has been involved with sports his entire life to put a routine together and stick with the fitness lifestyle. I’ve seen so many of my colleagues and former students develop into top notch specimens. I want to find the gym members who have accomplished similar the world over.

Please send in your videos, photos, and biographies about your fitness success and describe what and who, if any, motivated you to achieve your goals. Who will be number one on Absolute Intensity? We’ll keep you up to date.

Express Oil Change & Service Center – Apex

They’re the real deal!!

If you’re looking for a good, honest mechanic, we highly recommend Express Oil Change & Service Center – 901 E. Williams Street, Apex, NC. Phone: 919-387-8570.

Steve Shields – Manager

I recently lived in South Florida for six years and went back & forth with auto machanics and service centers. Like politicians, you can never believe a word they say. If you are unfamiliar with the machinations of autos, you are stymied because you can’t survive without a car. You bring your sick car in and they explain how they will take care of you and your car. They mean that in a bad way for you and some extra cash for them. In 2009, I moved to Cary, North Carolina and had the same problems with the first three repair centers I took my car to. One luxury I have is to confer with my brother, Pat, in N.Y.C. where he is a heavy equipment mechanic and car restoration provider. He is able to inform me if I have been ripped off and is privy to all the deception that goes on in this world. Most times I know it’s a scam, flim-flam, whatever else you may call it; but you are at the smiling station manager’s mercy.

This was my sad reality until we were referred to Matt of Express Oil Change and Service Center in Apex. They are friendly, courteous, and provide prompt response. There has been no wait time when my wife and I bring our vehicles in for an oil change and tune-up. However, this is not why we go there. The local bozo will be kind and courteous as he robs you blind, and an oil change is not that difficult. We might receive a smile, but not a phony political one. This station is out of our way. I must pass about ten between my home and their establishment, but I’ve found them to be honest, forthright, and their ace mechanic, Matt, is exceptional. The manager, Steve Shields, is sincere and forthright. Steve and his family moved from Utah to North Carolina a few years ago to pursue his dream of one day owning his own auto mechanic shop. Today he’s living that dream.

My wife told her cousin about Express Oil Change – Apex. She was having a hard time finding a good, honest mechanic in her area, so she drove to Apex. She was so impressed with the service she received, she now travels from Greenville, NC for her automobile maintenance.

Cindy will tell you, I’m hard to please. I’ve also entered the ring to spar with Evander Holyfield, so I know the “Real Deal” when I see it. Try Express Oil Change and Service Center – Apex. “If you don’t like their work, they’ll clean your house for a week.”

Dennis with Evander Holyfield

January 2011 Newsletter

January2011

Staten Island YMCA

In my recent visit to my hometown of Staten Island, New York, I worked out in the gym of my youth and beyond, the Staten Island Y.M.C.A. I noticed the young lady pictured and was impressed by the no-nonsense focused attitude she displayed throughout her exercise session. She pushed almost every set to failure and worked the larger muscle groups and stabilizers to perfection. Occasional male gawkers did not deter her from the plan burned into her mind. It was nice to observe a youngster get the most out of her time, rather than strut around for a social session.

As you might have guessed, I never grant slack to anybody, and I’m certain this girl will provide inspiration for Y patrons in the future.

Geneeeee, You Don’t Need Weights

Jean Henry was a regular at the local “Y.“ His workout gear consisted of baggy blue sweats, a blue headband, cutoff black sweat top, white wool socks, and black high top sneakers. At 6’3” and 215 pounds, his physique was impressive on paper, but not in person. He liked being called Gene, rather than Jean, and professed to be a boxing coach.

His workout consisted of hitting the bag. He would stand there and deliver a basic one two with no leg pivots. His fists made an impressive sound of “Ba Boom.” One day he was in the weight room simulating punches on the pulley machine. Two weight people were bantering about how George Forman, the boxer, lifts weights. Gene releases the pulleys in full extension. As they slam against the machine, he bellows to all the weight lifters, “You don’t need weights. I’ve got more punching power than anybody in here, and I don’t lift weights.”

Having spoken his words of wisdom, he proudly ambled his 44-year-old body out of the weight room and into the sauna. For all you weight fanatics that spend one quarter of your life pumping iron, remember Jean Henry’s advice, “You don’t need weights.” Then again, you may not want to look like Jean, either

It’s The Shoes

A real life professor who was an eager pupil in the academics of exercising, at 5’10” and 165 pounds, Tom Hakker possessed a semi fit physique to go with his dry demeanor. Refusing to use his necessary eyewear during activity, Tom was prone to squint excessively. His gym wear consisted of a black shirt with the words “Waterfront” emblazoned across the front. This was the gym where he had a silent investment, meaning, Tom was supposed to put up money and be quiet about everything relating to the operation. He topped off his mode of dress with Everlast boxing shorts and black boxing shoes containing a sizable hole in the bottom. Having a double Ph.D., he decided the logical solution of the hole was to color his white socks with a black marker after lacing the footwear. The puzzle to us all was that he used this method for two years. This would provide many socks with black dots roaming the earth. Why not buy a new pair of shoes? Who was I to wonder, I only had a Bachelor’s degree.

Mr. Hakker’s routine consisted of semi shadow boxing, since his punches never fully extended. They traveled maybe two inches. A typical boxing floor routine followed. Three rounds on the heavy bag, three rounds with the focus mitts, three rounds uppercut bag, three rounds speed bag — but without the speed — and three rounds of jumping rope. Push-ups, sit-ups, and tummy raises followed. His cool down consisted of spastic punching movements to separate himself from the locals.

One thing I promised myself was to never borrow socks from Tom Hakker. Check the soles of a gym member near you.