Hello! How’s it going? It’s Trevor here and I’ve gota great success story to share with you. This story is about Derek Retzloff, and he hasachieved some amazing results over the past 2 months with his training. Derek rocking his Seahawk Air Jordans. You know Derek, right? Or better known to you as Derek Scott, the radio guy from SunFM (now Virgin). He might not look familiar but if you heard his voice on the radio, I’m sure you’d recognize it.  Derek is usually in at 9:30 am Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He has done numerous works for SunFM and other radio businesses for over 20 years. For a person who has had to face numerous challenges throughout life, it makes what he’s achieved even more amazing. From a young age, Derek was at a physical disadvantage. His so called “condition”, which he’ll describe for you shortly, made certain tasks of daily living challenging. Tasks weren't necessarily impossible to complete, but hard to be efficient. It might be tough to relate but consider the things you’ve struggled with in your life and eventually overcame. Maybe you broke your leg, tore or pulled a muscle, hurt your back and had to sit out from a sporting event or even had to take time away from work. You were presented with new challenges in your daily life, but eventually you got better and were back to health. Remember how those challenges made you feel? Even better, how you felt when you accomplished them? Imagine if you had to live with them your whole life and each day there was something to accomplish. Sooner or later you work through those challenges more fluently and now you're looking for even more ways to challenge yourself. You won’t let anything stop you or get in your...

No one is perfect. Even in the areas where we see greatness there are still times when mistakes happen. But the average person may look at greatness and think it could never happen to them. For example: I could never be an expert in my field. I could never achieve financial freedom. I could never have a lean and pain-free physique. We assume those that have achieved success are blessed with talent and abilities that we don't. We got short-changed when God was doling out the gifts. And there's no point trying, failing and then proving to yourself and the rest of the world that this is true. Don't give talent too much credit for success. Sure you need to know to pull instead of push. But then it's work hard and persistence. Do you feel this way? Do you have self-limiting beliefs? Many people doubt what they're able to achieve. And this has less to do with talent and more to do with not meeting a minimum threshold of effort or not making the effort for long enough. Sometimes it could be both of these. In Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich, Hill tells the story of a prospector giving up on his quest for gold. Later when others resumed the dig they struck gold 3 feet from where the previous efforts had stopped. How frustrating would that be? To be so close to success and to quit. This is what happens to many with their health efforts. They haven't seen the outward sign of their sacrifice and so they pack it in. You can succeed in any area of your life. And here's how. If you read 10 pages per day that would be 3650 pages per year. This would be equivalent to 12 books a year or...

Have you ever been in a situation where looking back you realized there was an easier way? Maybe it wasn't even yourself but someone else you noticed putting in all the effort and simply spinning their wheels, making little forward progress. I know I'm guilty of that. For example, it was only at the end of 2017 that we switched all of our programming to a digital platform and started using an app. Before that it was manually creating each program by hand, on paper, which could tend to get lost, then entering the program onto the computer, usually using an excel spreadsheet, where different coaches would create different templates for programming, then searching to find the saved program on the computer in order print the program and then file it in a program binder. Not to mention programs can get lost or filed under the wrong name making it hard to coach a client without their program. Obviously our programming writing department was broken. And I owned that and fixed it by investing in the new app. But all the way along a friend and client, LM, would politely suggest and recommend I look into a digital platform for this function. And his background was tech. He knew better than anyone how much better this would make everything we do if we would simply make the switch. I'm so glad we did and feeling a little bit foolish for having taken so long. What about you? Are there areas of your health and fitness where you aren't be as smart or efficient as possible? Are you making things harder than they need to be? While you think about your answer I've got another one to share. And this one involves cycling. I've been told by cyclists much better than myself,...

Many years ago when I got started as a fitness coach I made a huge mistake. Now it wasn't anything related to technique where somebody got hurt. And it wasn't an inappropriate comment or action that I made. Instead it was more of a case of something I didn't do.I had been hired by a lady to help her get ready for a marathon she was going to compete in. And so I did all the relevant assessments and tests. I made sure she had the right nutritional approach to fuel her workouts and recovery. And I made sure her training was geared towards success in the marathon.I was proud of myself. I felt as though we had the best plan going forward to allow this client to achieve their goal in the most efficient and enjoyable way possible.And then I found out I was wrong. Here's what I mean.During one of our training sessions I engaged this client in some conversation related to the training. And it went something like this.Me: Have you run many marathons before?Client: No this will be my first one.Me: Are you doing the race with friends to make it more fun and enjoyable?Client: No it's just me.Me: Oh, so it this like a 'bucket-list' type of thing?Client: No, not really.Me: Well, do you just really love running and want to get and do what you really love for 26.2 miles?Client: No, actually I can't say that I love running.Me (after scratching my head for a while): Remind me again why you're training for a marathon then if you don't really enjoy this, you're not doing it others and it's not a big goal of yours.Client: Well I need to lose 20 lbs and everyone knows running is one of the best ways to lose weight.Me: (Speechless)...Once I felt...

Recently I was making my way through the interior of BC giving presentations at conferences and corporate functions. And there was a message that came through with all the presentations which  only seemed appropriate to include here as well. And this message had nothing to do nutrition. Or training. Or supplements. Or any of the obvious things that have to do with fitness or performance training. Instead the message had to do with mindset. And I used a couple of stories to make the point of how to set the proper mindset for training. Because often times we'll hear of people who get started on a fitness program and don't see results. Or they make a nutritional change but the pounds aren't coming off. They make a number of lifestyle changes which should help them achieve their goal yet they don't realize the success they had hoped for. And sometimes this is due to not having the proper mindset for success. What we normally ask people is if they believe they can achieve their goal and if they are motivated to do whatever it takes. Because it's not uncommon to find out people that don't achieve success didn't believe in themselves from the get-go. And further they weren't too excited to do whatever it takes. You can imagine if someone doesn't have their mindset oriented properly they may struggle to get to the gym for their early morning workouts. And they may find it difficult to adapt to a new nutritional plan. And getting to sleep on time may be less of a priority. But once they have the proper mindset great things can happen. And success inevitably follows. During the presentations I shared a couple of stories related to mindset. The first has to do with believing if someone else...

Hey! How’s it going? I hope you're doing well as I’ve got a great success story to share with you. This story is about Darlene Sunderland and she has realized some amazing results over the last bit with her training. You know Darlene, right?  She usually trains with group at 6am. If you can’t put a face to the name, she’s the one whose chanting AH CHA CHA CHA or dancing to the Black Eyed Peas in between sets. Besides that she is also very dedicated to her partner, her job and running ½ marathons.  Darlene is a great example of someone who is willing to put in the work to get what she wants. She’ll work a nightshift until 7 am and still meets us to run sand dunes at 730 am. She’s well deserving of the results she has achieved here with us. Now, before I get to telling you everything Darlene has achieved in a short amount of time I should back up and give you the background. I’ll let Darlene take over here for a bit. “I live a pretty boring life, but I love what I do and my life. I enjoy going for long hikes with my dogs, running, traveling, learning and spending time in the wild. I also have this newfound love for running up hills. Some may call me crazy because I also really enjoy cleaning my house. I find cleaning to be very therapeutic. I guess overall, I love to stay busy. Rock Your Jeans Got Her StartedIt was a chain reaction on how I rolled through the Okanagan Peak Performance Inc doors (no pun intended).  My partner is a member of OPP, and I kept noticing a change in her fitness level & health since she joined and wished that I...

Remember back when you were in school? Maybe you're still in school and this is very familiar. But for those of us that aren't going to school anymore we'll have particular memories.Sometimes they are good memories of teachers that helped us get to the next level and develop. We probably did better in their classes and worked a little harder. And maybe we had some smart friends to do some group study sessions with to help us along.The point is when we have success in school, or in many other things for that matter, there is often someone else we can look to who helped us. With school this would have been a teacher, a tutor or a friend.But the cool thing is that this applies to all areas of your life. Think about it.When I think back to when I made the best gains in the gym it was when I had a training partner. But not just any training partner. It had to be someone who was equally committed. Someone who shared similar goals. And most importantly someone who was a step ahead of where I was. Someone who could show me the ropes and help me get to where I wanted to be.This is very similar to the saying that your income is related to the five people closest to you. That's not the exact expression but it's something along those lines anyways.And it applies to your health and fitness as well.We could hang with these 5 guys...or...with these 6 people.Most likely the second group is going to be a better influence. They will probably get more sleep. They will probably train more frequently and more intensely. They will make better nutritional choices. And they probably won't smoke and drink.Of course these are all generalizations.Fit people stay up too late....

I like doing things that maximize my return on something.I like when I sit down with Ben and he points out an investment strategy that saves me money in one area and makes me more in another.I like when you are travelling somewhere foreign and a local gives you some inside knowledge to save time, beat the crowds and have an overall better experience.And when I'm training I like to find small tweaks and changes we can make that give me better results for my efforts on the gym floor.Basically I guess if you had to sum it up I really like efficiency and getting a great return on investment. And the opposite of this would be spinning your wheels or worse going backwards.And the best ways to increase your return and get better results is through finding modifications to the things you are doing already.Sure it's great to learn that working out another hour per day will allow you to burn an extra 500 calories. But wouldn't you be more excited to find ways to burn those extra calories without extra time or effort? I know I would.And that's what today's topic has to do with. Not burning calories in this case but spinal stabilization and core development.Here's how it works.When most people who go to the gym and workout, core training is one of the most popular elements included in their programs.And those who are well informed know that there more potential for core development by lifting a load with optimal technique than there is to do endless crunches on a stability ball.But here's where it gets interesting.Our core works harder at the ends of our range of motion. In other words when our extremities are further from our center we have to work harder to stabilize in order to...

I'm sure most of you have taken a plane before. And you've probably paid for that flight.Sometimes you time it right and book during a seat sale. And other times you need to get somewhere and end up paying more than you'd like. And definitely more than what others are paying for the same flight.Back when I was in grad school my brother was working off-shore off India. He became sick and I ended getting on a plane to help him back home to Canada.Since the amount of time from we when learned he was sick to the time time it was decided I would go get him no more than a few days passed.So I showed up at the airport and bought my ticket on the spot to leave on the next available flight. This is not the way to travel on a budget.Even though I was sitting beside someone travelling the exact same route as me we experienced vastly different financial 'pain' to make that trip. Even though the result was the same our investment in that trip was totally different.And this is very similar to the experiences many people have when they work out in the gym.Some people plan ahead and have a purpose in mind and get tremendous results from their efforts in the gym.Others do not plan anything out and are not sure of their purpose. These people get minimal, slow results from training.Below are 5 keys that account for achieving great or marginal results.Reason #1 Some Get Better Results - PlanIt's really hard to make effective use of your time in the gym when you don't have a very clear idea of what you're going to do that day in the gym.What exercises are you doing? How many sets? How many reps? What loads will you...

  And now here's the final installment in the 3 part series 10 Things to Avoid Doing During Your Workout.  8. Elevating your heels during  squats. Have you seen this done in the gym? Maybe you've done it before as well. You perform a squat and realize that your heels lift off the ground as you reach full depth. So you've got two options. One is to limit you range of motion to only go as low as your heels stay in contact with the ground. The other option is to put a shim under your heels so that they are always in contact with something as you lower yourself. And since you're not a wuss you opt for option #2. Because in order to get the best leg development you need to go full depth you need something under your heels to do so. But here's the problem. As you lower yourself into a squat your body is going into pronation and flexion. You are reducing the force of the lift through your joints and muscles. This energy is being loaded up to be released during the upwards phase of the motion. As you lower yourself the hips flex, the knees flex and the ankles flex. And as you stand up the hips and knees extend. During the upward motion the ankles plantar flex. And during the descent it dorsiflexes. When you put a plate or a shim under your heels you put the ankle into plantar flexion. As you start the descent of a squat you need the foot to go into dorsiflexion which is the opposite of the set up you've just established.And the body works as a series of chain reactions. So as one group of joints and muscles loads up under force this triggers the neighbouring joints and muscles to prepare...

LL said 'no tequila stories for you'Well I escaped from the last post with my dignity and reputation intact. We came close to the required number of posts for me to disclose an embarrassing story from my past. Thankfully some of you spared me the shame of having to broadcast this to the entire world. And I can tell you that I did in fact produce this less than flattering recollection of college days gone bad. Considering how the occasional rant or contraversial article gets a few more people riled up each time maybe it's best to leave that story buried in my memory where it shall stay.So that previous post had a couple of objectives. First of all it was to provide you with information and content regarding agave nectar.  Some of you mentioned seeing this product on the store shelf and a few others were brave enough to admit that you had in fact tried it. That's alright. The whole point of this blog is to provide you with content, information and resources to make tomorrow better than today. That might be related to fitness, performance or the rehab of an injury. And it could be related to your training, nutrition or recovery. I'm doing my best to seek out the simplest, safest, most effective ways to provide you with the best results for you efforts. Hence our motto 'always moving forward'.I've just got a couple more things to cover here before I sign off for the weekend. The first is a favour I'd like to ask of you. You see many of you email me and tell me how much what we're doing here has helped you. Or you might pass along your feedback in the comments section. Or at the hockey game, a movie or Costco. And I...

Hi there: If you've been following this blog for any period of time you're aware that I'm all about providing you with the best return on investment. I want you to realize the best results with minimal investment in time, finances, sweat or any other sacrifice you may have to make. But this isn't about seeking out the 'magic bullet' so no hard work has to be done ever again. Instead it's about finding ways to get in sync with your body and its environment so every effort results in forward momentum.And along the lines of forward effort and forward momentum there are times when we may slip back slightly. Think of the progress you make as the peaks you climb and the setbacks as being the valleys you fall into.Now here's the trick.You don't want your peaks to be too steep or your valleys too low. Notice I referred to the peaks in terms of steepness rather than height. I'll explain more about why height may be more crucial than steepness in a moment. But first consider the following.If you think of the expressions we have for when things are working well for us we refer to 'smooth sailing' or 'everything is on track'. On the other hand when we are having troubles we consider this a 'shipwreck' or 'off the tracks'.Let's look at how your rest, nutrition and training apply to the concept of peaks and valleys.Rest - We know that the body needs around 8 hours of sleep a night. And if we deviate up or down from this number significantly we run into problems. For example we can't stay in bed for days on end to make up a sleep debt. And we can't get by with 5 hours a night thinking we're fine. We need to...