by Henry Gould – Sept 20th, 2019

Positive thinking is more than just a catch phrase. Often times we doubt ourselves and our abilities, and we give up before we’ve really, truly pushed ourselves, or before we’ve exercised all potential options in front of us to achieve a goal. Whether this is at work, at home or at play, having a particular mindset established when you hope to complete a goal is a huge factor in whether you do it or not.

I’ll give a personal example: in the last 12 months I’ve been training every week with Ilan, Shawzo (and occasionally the godfather, Jeremy Martin @ Loaded Athletics) learning the ropes of olympic weightlifting. Outside of my 10+ years playing rugby, olympic weightlifting is the hardest physical activity I’ve ever done. Not only is it physically demanding, it is incredibly mentally demanding. For each lift (i.e. clean and jerk) you are working within a small threshold of the maximum weight you can physically lift, all the while thinking about correct form, posture, and above all else, trying not to drop 100kgs on your head.

Countless times Ilan or Shawzo has loaded the bar with a heavy amount of weight, and I fail. Usually, it’s because there was a creeping sense of doubt in my mind that I couldn’t do it. But, more often than not I will try again, and once I’ve taken a moment to regroup – perhaps also getting some encouraging words – I will eventually make the lift. I didn’t get stronger in between each lift, I just had to focus, think through everything, and trust that I could do it.

The power of positive thinking can transfer to any aspect of life, but is particularly interesting with physical pursuits. After all, professional athletes constantly rely on sports psychologists to help them get in a strong head space before a game or competition. Self doubt can be one of the most negative influences on an athlete, whereas positive thinking and visualization of winning can be the most powerful.

Below is an article about the Canadian World Junior Team, and the sport psychologist who worked with the team the entire tournament enroute to their Gold Medal win.

CBC: “How the mental skills needed to win hockey gold are used for all athletes”

We were also lucky enough to receive a great piece on the Power of Positive Belief (and the inspiration for this blog) by longtime Yard Athletics client and resident psychologist, Dr. Debbie Samsom. Debbie is running a marathon in a few weeks, and felt inspired to pen the below from her longtime hero, Terry Fox, whose annual run we celebrated on Sept 15th, 2019.

“The Terry Fox Run is happening all over the world this Sunday. This run has been an annual event since 1981, the year Terry died. That 1981 run was the first 10K I ever completed. I have been running ever since.

Terry is my hero. Every year as the Terry Fox Run approaches, I reflect upon his incredible fortitude, grit, and indomitable spirit. He ran a marathon a day for 143 days, with a prosthetic leg and in constant pain. He only stopped when cancer spread to his lungs, ultimately resulting in his death. How did he do it?  He achieved this because he believed he could. Simple as that. Belief is the most powerful tool that we have to help us accomplish our goals – physical or otherwise. 

I am running a marathon in a couple of weeks. I know it’s going to hurt (it always does). I know that with about 10K to go, negative thoughts will start entering my brain, telling me to stop running (Who cares if I walk? Why continue to suffer? ) I will fight these thoughts, and Terry will help me. It’s just one measly marathon. If Terry can do 143, I CAN DO THIS.  

So what do you believe you can achieve?  Not because it’s easy, or comes naturally to you, but because you are willing to dig deep and give it everything you’ve got.”  

“I just wish people would realize that anything is possible if you try; dreams are made possible if you try” – Terry Fox

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by Yard Athletics – Sept 6th, 2019

Yard Athletics is proud to announce the newest member of the team, Torin Nikiforuk, as Junior Strength & Conditioning Coach!

We couldn’t be happier to bring Torin into the fold, and look forward to him bringing a new energy and motivation to all sessions with the #YARDHARD squad.

Torin is now available on the MindBody app for all different sessions, and for a limited time all 1:1 sessions are 50% off! If you can, log onto the app and book a class with Torin to welcome him into the family.

We figured this would be a great chance to get to know Torin a little better, so we fired a couple questions at him to hear more about his fitness background on philosophy.

Hometown?

Fitness background?

What made you get into personal training?

Favorite sports growing up?

What is your fitness philosophy?

Favorite / worst exercise? 

What can people expect when they train with you at Yard Athletics?

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By Yard Athletics – Dec 7th, 2018

The 12 Days of Yard Athletics Christmas rolls on! Day 7 and we have what could arguably be the best deal of the whole event. On this beautiful Friday, if you buy any 10 pack of passes, receive a FREE 1:1 session!

This is a value of over $100 and gives you the chance to spend an hour with the trainer of your choice, getting the full private treatment.

Don’t delay!! Act now!! The Christmas spirit is in full swing!!!!

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Welcome to our latest installment of Transformations! Spotlighting the many #YardHard athletes who participated in the Yard vs. The People challenge, or who otherwise wanted to share their personal fitness journeys.

Although our next feature would prefer remain anonymous, that doesn’t mean his story is any less impressive. “Mr. ______” had wanted a program to help lean down, which Ilan Cumberbirch and Sam Shaw were able to provide over several weeks training at Yard Athletics. Since that time he is down over 26lbs and close to 5% body fat – a truly remarkable showing of dedication and hard work. Our hats are off to you!

Without further adieu, Mr. ______’s Transformation…

“I’ve always enjoyed working out, but like most people my motivation can fluctuate from time to time. When I started working out with the crew at Yard Athletics it was during a period of less than normal motivation, so I was looking to “get focused” again.

I wanted help with my form on certain exercises, as well as a program that I could follow on my own when not at the Yard. After a few months of working out at the Yard I found myself getting stronger, as well as getting the motivation back to exercise. I had it in my mind that I wanted to start a cutting program, so I approached Sam & Ilan about building one for me – that’s when they told me about The Yard vs The People contest.

I was excited because I knew the contest would hold me accountable for what I was already planning to do. Ilan and Sam created a cutting program for me that I started that day. I followed the program closely and would work out 1 – 2 days a week at The Yard, getting help on my form in addition to any questions I had about the program. Coupled to that, I was often running home from work (5.5km) making for a fairly intense 2-a-day program. I also used the My Fitness Pal app to track everything I ate. I had a total calorie goal for each day as well as a macro goal for Protein, Carbs and Fat.

  BEFORE    AFTER

From my experience, I never accomplish any goal for my fitness unless I track what I eat. It helps me for a number reasons, namely that I don’t eat a lot of junk when I do this, I tend not to over eat, but most importantly it allows me to view what I eat as fuel for exercise. I work harder in the gym knowing I’ve given my body what it needs to be successful, which then becomes a positive feedback loop: I stick to my eating plan because I’ve been working hard at the gym / I want to work hard at the gym because I’ve been eating well….

By the time of the official Yard vs The People weigh-in I was already down 9 lbs. Over the course of the next two months I lost an additional 17lbs for a total of 26lbs, as well hitting 5.3% body fat. The experience was great, and now that the contest is over they have me started on a strength program where I’ve been slowly adding more calories back into my diet. I’m the most motivated I’ve been in a long time, and am very pleased with the results. The crew at the Yard made it easy for me to accomplish this, and I couldn’t be happier with everything!

Mr. ___________ ”

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