Planet Fitness a "judgment free zone"....I THINK NOT

     Planet Fitness says they're a “Judgment free zone”. Yet it appears they are ruthless in their judgments of bodybuilders.

    

    I understand that Planet Fitness is trying to appeal to a mainstream audience. They believe that a gym is intimidating and want to show people that scary Bodybuilders won't be there. The way they are going about it is demeaning. They depict bodybuilders as dumb individuals that are not employed and cannot speak.

     

The latest in a series of anti-bodybuilder commercials is the worst one yet. The orientation guy (who looks like he's never touched a weight in his life) shows a big Bodybuilder to the workout floor. He is complete with spandex shorts, cut off flannel shirt, gallon water jug, leather pouch, all tanned and oiled up. The employee asks the bodybuilder what he does for a living (a question I don't think I have ever asked when signing a member up).  He repeats in an accent similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger "I lift things up and put them down", the employee then proceeds to throw him out.

     I brought up the Planet Fitness discriminatory practices to Attorney and Industry insider Rick Collins and I received this response:

"Unless and until bodybuilders are considered a protected class (like women, minorities, homosexuals or the disabled), state and federal anti-discrimination laws generally won’t shield them. Besides, if a health club wants to chase bodybuilders away, they can do it more indirectly but just as effectively by creating a facility that makes hardcore lifting impossible. That’s exactly what Planet Fitness has done"

    

     I have met many people in the Bodybuilding industry in the past 20 years. I've met doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, engineers etc. They have come from diverse ethnic backgrounds, different religions and various countries. The one thing shared is a passion for training and knowledge of what its like to suffer in favor of the ultimate goal to step on stage in peak condition.

   

     What Planet Fitness has done in their tirade has altogether tried to make a mockery of the sport I love, promote, compete in, and have been involved in for 20 years.

   

      I implore bodybuilders to tell their friends and family that support them in their choice to live the Bodybuilding lifestyle, to boycott Planet Fitness.

Post contest depression

Post Contest Depression

It is Sunday morning. The big show was last night. Your stomach is killing you because of all the food you ingested between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am. You instinctively think, what time are you getting to the gym for training & cardio. The show is over and you’re not going to the gym today. Then you look at the clock and wonder why it’s so late in the morning and how will you get your 5-6 meals in. The show is over so there is no need to eat 5-6 times today.

     Post show depression is very common.  No matter if I won or placed low , I’ve experience it .The mind set of a competitor is so focused and so regimented when the contest season is over it gets depressing. A factor that many don’t consider is the social interaction. When you share the same trainer or the same gym, a familiarity with others turn in to friendships. These friendships may remain through sporadic texts or facebook messages but the in-person meetings grow few and far between. A certain kinship develops between competitors that no one that's an outsider can share. The non-competitor friends and family may distance themselves, but your “gym friends” share your dedicated path.

     Another contributing factor is that you aren't in show shape any more. The desire to still eat totally clean is there but thoughts of how much you missed out can take over. This may be the Sunday dinners of sauce with the extended family (you Italians KNOW this) or the occasional drinks out with friends. You must still be a friend, spouse, parent and human being once the show is over and not a robot.

 

      How does a competitor combat this?  Write down your off season physique goals. Plan on how much you would like to improve the following year or season. Make sure every minute in the gym counts, get in and out. There most likely won't be the need to do extraordinary amounts of cardio, so sleep in. A competitor must love training not just love competing. Shows only come around every so often and if you just love to compete, the depression will be accentuated.

Deanna Ingison 6 months and -47 pounds! (with a lil of my help & alot of her hard work)

Pia LoRusso after 4 months with my training & diet help

Benefits of using a coach when preparing for a show

     I believe when entering a physique competition the use of a coach is becoming crucial.
   
     When I decided to compete in the summer of 2009 after a 7 year lay off I decided I wanted someone to help me with my pre contest diet.

     I had competed on my own and not used a coach for years, but when I think back to when I first started in bodybuilding I had one. As a 17 year old kid my father hired a personal trainer for my brother and I to prepare us for our first competition. He wrote our diets and trained us 1 on 1. That was tremendously beneficial and I believed helped set us ahead of other teens.

   I have personally been preparing clients for contest preparation for 15 years. So when some of my clients learned that I would also be hiring someone they were surprised.
 many  told me “Joe your crazy hiring someone” and “you have done all of our plans for years, why don't you just do your own"

     I  was in search of a second set of eyes. I then sought the opinion of a client that knew absolutely nothing about the bodybuilding world. My client is a retired successful business man and his words I believe made me make my decision clear. He said “Joe a good lawyer does not represent themselves” & “a doctor does not treat themselves as a patient” That day I hired Dave Palumbo as my coach for the show.

     When hiring a coach or trainer you must examine if they have prepared both men and woman and has it been for your chosen type of competition. Some coaches only prepare male bodybuilders, so when trying to prepare a female figure or bikini competitor they may not be as helpful as someone with more experience.

    When you decide on a coach listen to them word for word. Ask questions when you do not understand why certain things change or are added to your plan. Too many chef's spoil the soup. Put your faith in that person and do not mutate the plan and change it on your own.
     Your trainer or coach can not watch you 24/7 and monitor I implore physique athletes to examine their goals and remember a coach is starting to become a necessity to athletes that would like to reach their maximum potential. or every aspect of your life. The hard work is what you put in to it.  but the pre contest coach will guide, support and encourage you along the way. I implore physique athletes to examine their goals and remember a coach is starting to become a necessity to athletes that would like to reach their maximum potential.

BLOG #1

As Blog #1 ....I just wanted to introduce myself. I am a Certified Personal Trainer from Rochester, New York. I have been a trainer @ Boundaries Gym in Irondequoit since 1996. The majority of my clients are people just interested in a healthy lifestyle through exercise.
    
     I was a High School wrestler that always lifted weights and read every Bodybuilding magazine I could find. I did my first Bodybuilding show in 1993 and I was hooked. In 1998 I promoted my first show The Natural Northeast. Buffalo Bodybuilding promoter Jerry Marsala gave me this opportunity & helped guide me through the promotion process. I promoted this show at the age of 22. This April will be my 14th Annual Natural Northeast. I added another show for the fall, The Natural New York State

     I have trained people for physique contests for 15 years. I believe that I have an excellent idea of how a Drug Free Bodybuilder/figure competitor should prepare for their big day