Iron Guru

Over the years, I have witnessed health clubs morph into social clubs. These change has been precipitated by health club owners. This is neither a good or bad thing, just a transition. Unfortunately, for seasoned Personal Trainers like myself, it is a difficult to watch the decline of form, function, discipline, and gym etiquette.

I trained at home for four years before joining Roma Health Spa in Bohemia in 1974. The owner was in great shape, as was the gym trainer. They truly were an inspiration for me to join the club. It wasn’t long before I began making substantial progress towards my goal as a competitive bodybuilder. Over the years, I ventured out to other gyms, meeting new people and learning more about training and nutrition. The common denominator with all these health facilities was the gym management. Every person that worked there was either a bodybuilder, powerlifter, or Olympic lifter. Going into a gym in those days was like going to college; you were there to learn. Period. If you didn’t know what you were doing, you were taught or asked to leave. I quickly learned that before I walked into a gym, I had better be prepared mentally and physically, and ready to train hard! Today, I still prepare myself mentally and physically to train hard. I go into the gym knowing what body part(s) I am going to train, how to warm up and stretch properly, and then train to my full potential. But something is different…

As I walk through the gym, things seem quiet. Occasionally I’ll see some weights or machines being used, but for the most part, the members seem to be “resting”. Upon closer observation, I noticed that most are using mobile devices to text, listen to music, or just waste precious time. Training has taken a backseat to socializing, watching the TV, and using cellphones. It has been this way for years now, and it is not going back the way it was. As I said earlier, it’s not a good or bad thing, it’s just a transition. Most gym owners are now business people, and they run the businesses to cater to today’s generation. I just feel bad for some of the members who never seem to make any progress. As a personal trainer, I vow to continue teaching people how to achieve a healthy, quality of life, with good nutrition and daily training.

As you may have noticed, I don’t post articles on the Iron Guru site too often. I wait until I’m told (from a higher power), to post something. Otherwise, the ego may take over and say something that is not divine by nature. Here is what has been brought to my attention.

I believe it was President Trump who coined the phrase “fake news”. I first remember watching the News on TV with my family during the early sixties. The news, including TV, radio, and print media, was what we looked to for what was going on around us. As far as I remember, it was a trusted source of information. Yes, there was the conservative side and the liberal side, but they weren’t at opposite ends of the spectrum as they are today. There was a lot that both sides had in common. I also noticed a sense of reverence among the newscasters. When they said something, you took it as truth, nothing was taken out of context. This is not to say there wasn’t any media control or propaganda, but for the most part, it wasn’t “fake”.

Jumping ahead to the twenty first century, news reporting as we once knew it is gone. It has since turned into a source of lies, hatred, and self serving rhetoric, that has polarized all Americans. Today’s news reporting does not try to help clarify issues, but rather to place blame on a person, a political party, or a country, forcing you to take sides. They lead you to hate and discriminate against others through lies and false accusations. In my opinion, the news media is not looking to keep America strong, nor to maintain peace throughout the world, quite the contrary.

Allow me to close by saying this. The root of all this stems from our political parties. Both major parties lie, and neither side is better than the other. Instead of working together, they are tearing us apart. If you choose to watch the news, be ready to be manipulated to satisfy their political agenda. Be ready to feel hatred towards your fellow Americans. Be ready to weaken America and allow your hard earned freedoms to be taken away. Be ready to take sides and be blinded to what our only goal should be… Peace among ALL people.

For those of you who are guided by your divine spirit, then you know this is all an illusion, and fully understand what I’ve already said. For us, we can just sit back and watch the charade. It’s actually quite amusing to watch people take what they call life so seriously.

I have been on this planet for quite some time now, and I must say that 2020 contained some of the most life changing events that I have ever seen. Of course there have been many life changing events that have taken place prior to my existence, but this year will be in history books.

The year 2020 saw the culmination of social unrest and political polarization. It has been four years of fighting amongst ourselves which nearly destroyed our economy and placed a heavy financial burden on the general population. And then there was COVID. Instead of working together as Americans to contain and control the virus, we instead turned it into a political nightmare, making progress that much slower. Not one person or one political party came out ahead because of that. Lives were lost, businesses had to close, and families needed to totally restructure the way they lived. Politically speaking, no one party is better than the other, they are just different. And don’t rely on the news media for the truth about any party, it’s just not going to happen. 2020 certainly was a game changer, but it should not be viewed as anything other than a learning experience.

When you think back to the last few decades and how negligent we were in regards to health, it’s a little scary. No wonder why people were always catching a cold, a sore throat, and even the flu. Germ laden public telephone booths, packed subway cars, jet airliners, little or no enforcement of health codes for restaurant workers in kitchens, the list goes on. In my opinion, COVID was a wake up call to all of us. I believe that if we are a little more health conscious of what surrounds us, we may very well be able to eliminate the “common” cold, sore throat and probably a host of other health issues we’ve become accustomed to.

On the subject of politics, simply vote for who will best serve the country, not just what’s best for you. Whoever gets elected every fourth year, then that’s who you serve and honor as your President. As I said earlier, I’ve been an American for many years and I’ve seen many Presidents come and go. I have yet to be negatively effected in any way regardless of what political party was currently running the country. Be proud to be an American, but don’t think you’re above anyone else.

Only you can make 2021 a good year. Enjoy the 2020 holiday season!

IS aging gracefully possible?  Absolutely!  Then why are so many people finding it so difficult?  The answer is fear. Ultimately, they fear death, but before death something worse happens that has been going on for years.  Then begin to look old.  I know that I started to notice it when I was fifty.  Most of us can deal with a little arthritis, stiffness, and the daily aches and pains, but looking old… that is unacceptable.  But here is where the trouble starts.  As with all fears comes stress.  Stress stems from a misconception of something.  We don’t fear having a delicious meal; we don’t fear buying a brand new car; we don’t fear going on a vacation; so why is that? Simply because we associate those things with happiness, not sorrow.  It’s a fact that everyone gets older. It’s a fact that eventually everyone seems to die, at least in the physical sense.  Since it is inevitable that we will reach that point, why fight it?  Instead, let’s embrace it.

Science has shown us that stress on a daily basis results in the release of chemicals that contribute to all sorts of medical illnesses.  It also speeds up the aging process.  It took me years to accept that I’m not going to look, feel, or function the same way I did when I was in my thirties and forties.  Once you can truly say I am not worried about getting older, everything changes.  It’s like turning the page to a new and exciting chapter. What I do focus on now is how to be the best I can be at whatever the age.  It is really a learning experience that I reap the rewards from every day!  I’ve learned how to eat better, exercise smarter, and I try to learn something new whenever I can.  Enjoy Life!

 

 

Plain and simple… TRAIN HEAVY if you want muscle strength, separation, and shape.  Call it Old School or whatever you like, the human body has been working the same way from it’s beginnings.  It is the foundation on which everything else is built.  Real resistance training has been watered down to suit the desires of those who want the ‘real’ results but do not want to put the effort into getting those results.  As a personal trainer for over thirty years, I’ve seen a dramatic increase in the use of social media videos for those trying to learn how to weight train, instead of hiring a professional personal trainer.  Most of the videos you see are performed by athletes who already built their physiques from heavier training, or their genetics were such that they already had big Arms or high Glutes.  The exercises they are demonstrating, will simply maintain what you already have.  A good Core training program is a must, but it must be done along with a program of heavy resistance training, and cardio vascular training on a daily basis.

Retro Gym in Port Jefferson Station is now closed. What happens next remains to be seen. Ask ten people why it closed, and you’ll get ten different answers. What IS important is that those who are unemployed will find work, and the members who paid in advance are refunded.

For me, I have relocated with the majority of my clientele to World Gym in East Setauket. It’s what I call an “old school” gym. There are plenty of free weights, machines, and cables. The gym is professionally operated, and the employees take their jobs seriously. Unlike Retro, all the exercise and cardio machines work, all the weights are put where they belong, no one is slamming down weights, and the locker rooms are enormous and always clean.

Change is inevitable, and when changes happen that you did not facilitate, you KNOW the next door that opens is a step further into spiritual enlightenment. NOTHING in life is bad or not for a greater purpose. What makes things SEEM bad is when we expected something different to happen. It could be a quick change like Retro closing without notice, or the deterioration of a long term relationship.

What I have come to learn after many years, is to expect NOTHING. Getting married? Don’t expect it to last a lifetime, but do all you can to make each day together perfect. Starting a new job? Don’t think that, “This is it, I finally made it!”, but work as diligently and conscientiously as you can, every day.

Don’t be governed by time, its an illusion. At any moment in your state of what they call consciousness, you can do anything you can possibly imagine. At every moment, you have a clean slate to work from. Design your life to love, and to give to others. EVERY THING ELSE you could possibly want will follow automatically.

This is a slight departure from my normal Iron Guru postings on Spirituality and Training, but I think that Veteran’s Day deserves recognition.

I find it hard to grasp that in the year 2018, we are still at war, whether it be only words or actual combat.  To me it teaches me one thing; war has no value except to assure that there will be other wars. Does that make any sense? For all of the wars I’ve read about or that have happened during my lifetime, I have yet to see any real progress towards no wars, let alone peace.

At eighteen, I was sent to Brooklyn to be drafted, and shipped off to Vietnam. When I arrived, Army doctors told me I had two hernias from birth, and that I could not serve my country.  At the time, I was disappointed, as I wanted to serve in the Army as my Dad did.  I’ll never know how things would have turned out.  Unfortunately, many of my peers did go and many did not return.

A soldier dying for his or her country is the ultimate sacrifice. Nothing can ever replace a loved one, nothing.  All that have died while serving, served and returned home safely, or are currently serving, should be given the highest honor and respect by every American.  Always stand up and honor the American flag, and pledge allegiance to YOUR country, and always respect your current President, WHOEVER he or she is.

Exercise Peace, Love, and Understanding to everyone!