We can help! We offer a number of classes that can help take the worry out of those pesky ninja attacks. For more information about our classes check out the rest of our website.

Note: Some of these are very hard to find and here in North America and you may end up needing to order them directly from the authors in th UK.

Real eye opening books and movies about the food industry, our eating habits and the general state of the foods we consume. These will make you think twice about what you are eating.

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http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2011/biggymripoff/

Here is another story about someone just trying to cancel their gym membership from one of these gyms. 

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2011/01/12/ottawa-gym-membership.html

From time to time some of my students find themselves looking around at websites from other clubs and send me a link to information posted on these websites. One such link was to a local karate club and a lovely video presentation containing with a series of videos which out the different benefits of martial arts for children.

Clubs posting videos highlighting their programs are nothing new, but what drew my attention was that each of these videos was pre-empted with a testimonial  by a gentlemen named ‘Dave Kovar’ who as he states is a ‘Professional Martial Arts instructor’ who wants to introduce us to that club ‘…one of the top martial arts academies in Canada.’.  That’s quite an endorsement.

Of course I have personally never heard of Mr. Kovar, and being the curious person that I am decided to learn a little more about him by looking him up online.  I found that Mr. Kovar is a martial arts instructor who owns a chain of clubs in California and New Jersey. But it seems that Mr. Kovacs appears to have also have a second career as a ‘Professional Spokesman’ as he can be found in dozens of similar video presentations at schools across America.

Here are a few:

http://www.selectmartialarts.com/alpha/selectmovie.aspx

http://www.selectmartialarts.com/atlantic/selectmovie.aspx

http://www.selectmartialarts.com/karatefit/selectmovie.aspx

http://www.selectmartialarts.com/Ridgewood/selectmovie.aspx

or view dozens more:
http://www.google.ca/search?q=http://www.selectmartialarts.com/+site:selectmartialarts.com&hl=en&filter=0

This kind of online video advertising is known by names such as Spokesperson Video, Virtual Spokesperson, Web Commercials, Video Salesperson, Internet Spokesperson and Web Spokesperson, with the idea being that you capture your visitor’s attention, and deliver a professional message. No different than any other commercial.

If you’re going to deliver a message about your products, services or in this case your club, shouldn’t it be an authentic one, and not some ‘canned’ or ‘cookie-cutter’ message that is used over and over again by dozens of clubs? How much is such an endorsement really worth?

I’m busy… I’m tired… I don’t have the time…

We know you’re busy, so busy that you probably don’t even have time to think of excuses not to do CrossFit. So we decided to make it easier for you, save you the time and trouble, and give you the excuses you’re looking for… We give you:

10 Reasons NOT to train at Point Blank CrossFit:

(And 10 reasons we don’t want you to come)

10. They make you try out – Just having a credit card and pulse does not get you a membership. You have to demonstrate your willingness and ability to train intensely enough to get results. Who wants to have to meet objective standards of performance?

9. They train too hard – You sweat and breathe hard in every workout. You train at the edge of the redline which makes it too hard to read a magazine while “working out.” They won’t let you be a part of the program if you just want to go through the motions.

8. They coach you – You can’t just sit and peddle on the bike, they make you learn and develop skills. They video workouts so people can see what they are doing and coach you on how to improve. You have to learn how to move better, so you can lift more weight faster – which means you get stronger, faster and lift properly. Who wants to be coached to be stronger or faster?

7. They don’t like whining or excuses – Complainers and criers are shunned, ridiculed, run off and are generally treated like lepers. They don’t consider the woe is me attitude to be a good thing or a badge of courage. It is the right of every human to paint himself or herself as a victim in everything so they can increase their popularity with their everything-is–wrong peer group. Who wants to go to a place where you can’t complain about everything under the sun?

6. They teach you new things – They make people learn new lifts, workouts and training methods – And expect you to master them. They teach and re-teach the fundamentals so you are good at them. Who wants to learn and perfect movements in constantly changing workouts?

5. They don’t have mirrors, treadmills, machines, TV’s Etc. – They don’t have a place to adjust your make up or to flex while you stand around figuring out your next bicep exercise. You can’t check how your new outfit looks when you work out. There is no TV with Jerry or Montel or any other car crash program to distract you from your workout. They actually make you run to do your “cardio.” Who really wants to actually focus on training?

4. They tell you the truth – They tell you when you are not moving right, or babying yourself or going through the motions. They are do not praise you when you look like a space monkey having a seizure. If you do something stupid in a workout they will have probably videoed it and put it on YouTube. Who wants to be held accountable to actually do things right?

3. They expect you to get better and actually expect you to train – They expect you to add weight, go faster and maintain excellent form as a regular part of the training. They expect you to try harder to overcome the weakest links in your performance. They expect everyone who has a membership to actually come to the gym to workout. Who wants that kind of stress to constantly improve or show up?

2. They measure performance – They keep score and track your results. They won’t let you just go through the motions – They keep score on the results of your training. If your scores, weights or times are not improving, they want to know why. Who wants their performance to improve all the time?

1. They charge too much – They charge enough where you may actually feel compelled to show up and train. They think that if they provide a top level, fully equipped training space and expert coaches to coach you, it is of value to their members. Who wants to pay for a fully equipped and professionally run training center that expects people to workout and requires people to get results?

Thanks to our friends at HyperFit – USA, Ann Arbor CrossFit

Body Building is about developing the body for the purposes of exhibition, not for functional use. The goal is the development of big and defined muscles for the purpose of esthetics (appearance). The problem with this is that bodybuilding has nothing to do with fitness. It is not at all about the development of the body for optimum human performance in our daily lives.

Body building routines breaks down natural, multiple muscle group movements into less-efficient and less-effective component parts. Our lives do not revolve around the isolated use of our muscles. In fact, you’ll find that many exercises that that are intended to maximize bodybuilding effectiveness have no basis on practical or functional movements whatsoever. When have you ever lifted anything as you would lift in a dumbbell or barbell curl? Well… other than a drink or putting food in your mouth? Of course, if you are planning on lifting one of those giant 6 foot submarine sandwiches to your mouth or drinking a 25lbs glass of wine with your arms firmly held to the sides of your body or over a preacher bench; a body builder workout may be the best way to go.

But our hectic lives require a wide variety of compound muscle movements, and for us to utilize both aerobic and anaerobic endurance in different amounts throughout our day.

Unfortunately, many fitness facilities and personal trainers use the visual, non-functional, ideal as the standard to which they train clients, instead of encouraging them to develop a broad based and inclusive spectrum of athletic fitness. These clubs and trainers are doing you a great disservice when they focus on the Body builder style workouts and claim that it is the key to healthy living.

Besides not everyone want to look like they are auditioning to star in a sequel to Pumping Iron.

Because I train a lot of people; some of whom include competitive athletes I often get asked my opinion concerning supplements. The people who I train are often surprised to hear that I am against taken them. This is based on having done what most people do not… research.

Most people take the word of Bob down at the local supplement store, who tells you the stuff they have is 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade, will bulk you up, trim you down, make you stronger, give you more energy, and perfectly safe. They know it works because they train, use to compete, are trainers, it worked for their customers, etc..

With a little research you’ll be quite surprised about supplements and the claims they make, and how little peer reviewed scientific evidence is involved, or safety standards are involved.

Here are some things that most people might be shocked to learn about supplements:

“Products classified as dietary supplements are not required to meet any Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. There are no regulations that guarantee the safety or purity of something sold as a supplement. Therefore, supplements are not:

• Required to meet the same safety requirements as over-the-counter or prescription drugs or food ingredients
• Held to specific manufacturing standards
• Guaranteed to meet product potency or purity ratings
• Required to prove the effectiveness of any health claim they make
• Required to meet safety or efficacy testing prior to going to the market

The FDA is prohibited from removing a product from the market unless it can prove that the product will cause a medical problem. Most health risks of supplements are discovered after the product is on the market. Supplements that are pulled from the market are usually linked to a reported serious health risk or death that is tied to the use of the product.

What are Ergogenic Aids and Performance Enhancing Substances?
Erogenic aids consist of substance, drugs, procedures and even devices that are intended to improve athletic performance. Some of these substances are naturally occurring, easily available and completely legal while others are manufactured, illegal, or banned by many sporting organizations.

Common Sports Supplements Used by Athletics

• B-Vitamins
  Vitamins are essential for the body to function properly, but there may be a link between the B-vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, B-12 and folate) and performance in high-level athletes.
• Caffeine
  Caffeine has been used by endurance athletes for years as a way to stay alert and improve endurance.
• Creatine
  For some athletes, creatine supplementation improves repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise, such as sprinting, weight lifting or power sports.
• Ephedrine
  Research hasn’t found any improvement in strength, endurance, reaction time, anaerobic capacity, or recovery time with ephedrine supplements.
• Glucosamine
  Glucosamine has been used to treat osteoarthritis and helps stimulates cartilage. But does it help athletic performance?
• Glutamine
  Glutamine (L- Glutamine) is a classified as a nutritional supplement and is not regulated or banned by most sports organization.
• Hydration and Sports Drinks
  Adequate fluid intake for athletes is essential to comfort, performance and safety. The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids.
• Protein Supplements
  Protein is a necessary nutrient that everyone needs to function properly. Both athletes and sedentary individuals need to get adequate protein.
• Ribose
  There is clear evidence that shows an athletic performance benefit of ribose supplements.
• How to Evaluate Supplement Health Claims
  It’s difficult to wade through the research regarding health or performance benefits of many nutritional supplements. These tips will help you make an informed decision about what actually works.”

Taken From: http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/aa030901a.htm

You might want to think twice before you start taking advice from Bob down at the local supplement store concerning taking supplements.

- Paul Oddi
Head Coach Point Blank CrossFit

Additional reading concerning supplements: