Cheers!

There's a series on T-Nation called "Consumer Reports" where we explore and rate different fitness-related products. We've reviewed everything from thick-bar dumbbells to vegetable steamers and the articles are always entertaining and informative.

So like any good employee, I stole the idea for my own personal use. (Hey, at least I didn't still any ballpoint pens.)

I present to you "5 Things to Make Life Better."

I'll wait while you admire the clever title.

Done? Good. Moving on.


1. Fresh Craft Beer

I've been a fan of craft beers for a while simply because the good ones use only fresh, natural, quality ingredients and really care about the entire process and not just the final product.

So my fridge is usually stocked with great beers from Dogfish Head, Rogue Ales, New Belgium, Lagunitas, and Deschutes.

But I think I need to start making more room.

Maybe it's because I recently visited the Rogue Ale brewpub in Portland, Oregon, where I got to sample some amazing beers straight from the source, but I'm starting to swing by my local Big Sky Brewery for growlers of fresh Moose Drool.

If you're not familiar with growlers, here's a brief explanation from the good folks at Beer Advocate:

"In the late 1800s and early 1900s, fresh beer was carried from the local pub to one's home by means of a small-galvanized pail. Rumor has it that when the beer sloshed around the pail, it created a rumbling sound as the CO2 escaped through the lid, thus the term "growler" was coined."

Essentially, it's a cheaper and much cooler alternative to buying bottles and cans all the damn time. Most microbreweries have growlers for sale where you can buy one, have it filled with beer straight from the tap, take it home, drink it, and then return back to have it refilled again for a cheaper price (usually).

So while I still have my fair share of non-local craft brews in my fridge, I'm now making a habit of visiting one of my three local microbreweries to sample their fresh beer and share it with friends over a Bar-B-Q and some touch football.

2. Top-Level Trainer Program

As I said in my last post, I'm usually skeptical of products and only recommend stuff I've tried and used myself or have absolute faith in. And believe me, I get sent random shit all the time. Most get deleted about of my inbox or thrown in the trash. But every once in a while something will show up to my door that's absolutely fantastic.

That's exactly what happened when Kaiser, a trainer from New York, sent me his Top-Level Trainer program. In fact, I think my exact words were "Why the hell didn't I have this four years ago?"

As a former personal trainer and studio owner, I know how rewarding - but mostly how difficult - being a fitness professional can be. Everything depends on two things: reaching your clients and getting them results.

Some trainers are great at marketing. (Most aren't.) And some are great at getting actual results with their clients. But rarely are people great at both. So the marketing guys get shit-tons of clients woho they end up losing because of their horrible training methods, and the guys who can actually make a difference in people's lives have no freakin' clue how to make their mark and get people in the door.

It's pathetic.

It took me a few years, but I eventually learned the ropes after a lot of trial and error and spending a lot of money fixing my mistakes.

Thinking back, if someone were to offer me a program that taught me how to bring in a six-figure income right when I started, I would have sold my left nut. (The right one is special.)

Lucky for you, Kaiser's program can put you on right path to success right away. And lucky for me, now that I'm a writer, I can keep both my testicles.

Check out the Top-Level Trainer program, follow what it says, get the results, and let me know what you think.


3. Calvin and Hobbes complete set

Ten years of the world's greatest comic in one complete, badass set. Need I say more?

4. Training Outside

It's finally hovering around 75 degrees every day in Missoula and I'm getting outside more often for Bar-B-Q's, ultimate Frisbee, basketball, handstand push-up contests, skateboarding, and tossing the football around.

In fact, I think I'm going to transition two of my training days to exclusive outdoor workouts. Sure, I'll still be in the gym three days per week hitting the iron, but I think more people need to head outside for some fresh air and sun even if it's heading to the local park to get a workout in. Just push the kids off the slide and take over the monkey bars! Their parents won't mind. Besides, you're teaching their kids valuable lessons like patience and fortitude. They should thank you.

Training outside is also a perfect time to try out your gymnastic and handstand skills.

Just for fun, here's a circuit I did earlier today at the park:

Warm-up:

Run some football patterns and play catch with friends

Workout: 3 sets of 12 reps with 30 seconds rest between each exercise:

A1 Wall split squats (check out this article to figure out just what the hell they are)
A2 Ring pull-ups
A3 Clapping push-ups
A4 Pistol squats
A5 Box jumps onto picnic table

Cool down:

Try to kill myself by jumping into handstands and trying to walk.

Feel free to mix and match your own exercises. The point is to try and get a full-body conditioning session in while having some fun, and possibly throwing sand in little kids' faces.

5. SOTSOG Returns?

A couple of years ago I released Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, a collection of professional, instantly downloadable audio interviews I did with some of the fitness industry's elite. It was an amazing resource for anyone interested in making a career out of training or writing. In fact, here's what Eric Cressey said about it:

"With Standing on the Shoulders of Giants, Nate Green has pulled together some fantastic minds from the industry to create an outstanding resource for anyone interested in making their mark in the fitness industry.

Whether you're a trainer, coach, writer, gym owner, or combination of the four, you'll walk away from this resource with a ton of excellent information to take you to the next level and get a leg up on the competition.

Don't look at this audio collection as an expense; look at it as an investment. It will save you thousands of dollars and countless hours of misdirected efforts."

It sold for $97.00 and was hugely successful, but because I was in the mix of writing for magazines, training clients, and launching a new blog, I only left it up for a couple of months before I got too busy and took it down.

But over the past year I've received quite a few emails begging me reintroduce it. So I'm thinking about it.

If I decide to put it back up for sale, I'll probably reduce the price to $49 and save anyone who's interested some money.

Anyway, like I said, I'm not sure if I'm going to put it up again, but I wanted to know if any of you up-and-coming or in-the-trenches trainers or writers could use a blueprint to success like that.

In the series I have hour-long interviews with:

Ryan Lee
Jim Labadie
Alwyn Cosgrove
Mike Boyle
Lou Schuler
Susan Hill
Pat Rigsby and Nick Berry
Craig Ballantyne
Bill Hartman
Chris Shugart

Here's another e-mail I received from trainer Keith Scott:

"For people starting out in the fitness industry or even professionals who have been in the business for years, Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is a must have.

You would have to pay thousands of dollars to hear half of what you are giving in this audio series. You somehow got the best of the best and grilled them all on every single topic possible about the personal training and coaching business.

Avoid mistakes, and learn everything is takes to make it big in the biz with this collection. It's truly a must have for all fitness professionals. I will be listening over and over again. Thanks!"

So what do you guys think? Anyone interested in skipping the school of hard knocks and getting straight to graduation?

Let me know in the comments below!

Posted Apr 21, 2009 by Nate Green.
This entry is filed under lists.