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jay. the boy behind the blog. most recent zygote of estelita and florencio. has been around the sun 26 times. likes hip hop, funk & jazz, lonely planet guidebooks, orwell novels, spike lee films, steamed jasmine rice, backpacking, mom's porkchops, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, independent film and music, sunshine and lime jello. has an affinity for jet-black haired asian girls with brown almond eyes and gleaming smiles, german dogs and old skool sneakers. rocks hard and fresh - day and night 'till kingdom come.
PLACEBO IS...all things concerning my 5 'o' clock shadows and daily jaunting. you need this in your life.


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Sunday, March 02, 2008

keep it simple
whatever you do in life, k.i.s.s.

that's:
keep it simple, stupid.

the vocab
in writing or speaking, i often see and hear people use a vocabulary that would put webster's dictionary to shame. if you know big words, fine. if you know complex terminology and all that jargon, great. keep it to yourself and keep it simple, just get to the gatdamn point. remember, only people with small minds, have to use big words.

in food
it's nice to have a fancy meal now and then but what's even better is a simple meal done to perfection. it's hard to find something as simple as a hamburger done really good. you'd need the perfect, moist bun, the meat should be cooked, yet juicy but not overdone and the toppings shouldn't be messy nor overpower the meat or the bun. far too often, people try and innovate things that are already good and that already work just fine. if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

in appearance
less is more. an accessory here and a print there, fine. but when you rock so many prints or so many accessories you start giving people epileptic seizures, others start calling you mr. t with all the jewelry you wear. it's ridiculous. less is more. this goes to you females wearing way too much makeup, too. less is really more. cake face ain't so fly and once we wake up next to you in the morning, the last thing we need is a surprise. that would be uncalled for. k.i.s.s.

in training
i see so many trainers and people in the gym, alike, doing all kinds of fancy shit on stability balls, bosu balls or through massive feats like moving around a ton of iron while 'hissing' and 'huffing' and 'puffing' and 'blowing (a house down)'. others sound like those old time steam engines, the way they let off steam. to anyone who exercises, stop trying to impress people and get to the damn point - train. myself as a trainer, i don't do moves to make you sexy inside of the gym, i do moves to make you look sexy outside of the gym, where it matters. stop playing and get to the point, posers.
another thing, while we're here, to anyone who reads and indulges in the beautiful world of anatomy and physiology, stop using technical words and jargon when talking to clients or 'normal' people. nobody cares if it's called the latissimus dorsi - it's the back and nobody knows what the triceps brachii is, they just care if it jiggles when they wave their hand or not. as for V02max and protocols, put it in a language that even a 6 year old can understand: "if you run hard, you'll be able to run faster...if you don't run hard, you're gonna be fat forever, sorry". simple as a dimple.
refine your craft, stick to the basics and never forget your fundamentals.


“Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.”
- frederic chopin

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jay d [ 10:52 AM ] | 1 hooked me up!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
my fees are going up
which means.....i dunno exactly what this means.
on the one hand, my fees going up will deter new clients from signing on with me. on the other hand, some of my long term clients will probably re-sign and keep purchasing more training because they are that loyal.

i can't speak more on this issue because i've read numerous accounts on the internet about bloggers talking about their workplace and getting fired revealing so called "top secret" information. i don't even know if i was supposed to tell you this much.

by the way, yes, this also means that i'll be getting paid more and yes, there will be more compensation. but fuck that.....i was having a hard time justifying my fees at their current value. come march 11th when there's a price hike in training, how the hell am i supposed to keep a straight face when prospecting clients? i'm a trainer. a passionate trainer. so much for not trying to wear the polyester suits and fake ass car salesmen grins.

the ugly head of business has reared itself in my life yet once again.
you ugly motherfucker.

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jay d [ 12:05 AM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Friday, February 08, 2008
motivation
it's a dilemma when you're trying to cut down on caffeine yet called upon to be a beacon of motivational light. as a trainer, people come to me for guidance and that extra shove when they think they've reached their personal limits. when i'm tired, i'm tired.

last night was my mistake as i stayed up reading up on a ton of strength and conditioning articles i came across online. this morning i had a 7am client and by my 11am client, i had the comment of "you're tired today".

"you mean i look tired?"
"no, you're not the same, lively jay, today."
"you mean my face seems tired?"
"no...you're not the same."
"oh."

i hate to have that happen and i feel so shitty about it even 8 hours later. i love my job. i really mean it. i love my job, so for me to be 'half-assed' as i see it, i feel like i'm not coming through for my clients. then again, there's that part of me that says, "fuck man, you're human".

true, but i didn't have to stay up so late last night. i keep telling myself the classic "early bed, to early rise" nonsense, but i have a hard time sticking to it. i just hope this little, lethargic, underslept, unfocused training never happens again. my bad.

then again....i really am only human.

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jay d [ 9:04 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Friday, February 01, 2008
end product

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jay d [ 2:09 AM ] | 1 hooked me up!

Monday, January 28, 2008
masterpiece mondays: parallettes
it's coming close, i've almost gained a full year at my gym as a trainer. one year, already? during the past few months my ideologies towards improving the human body and mind has evolved, refined and revolved numerous times.
two of the revelations that i've come to understand are:
1. the exercises you hate most or the training protocols you despise practicing, are probably the ones you need to do more often
- you're only as strong as your weakest link so if you hate doing something, whether that something be leg exercises, cardiovascular training or developing the posterior muscles of your body (the back, rhomboids, posterior deltoids and triceps) - the muscle that you can't appreciate in the mirror, then you should be doing more to improve these areas. do what you hate is my motto. that way you'll develop a love for them.



2. lo-technology = high intensity
i don't give a damn about the latest fitness trends out there. the most primitive equipment (jump ropes, climbing ropes, chinning bars), or lack thereof, is usually the most effective. how often do you see line ups at the chin up bar rather than the bench press? tomorrow, i'm building myself a set of parallettes, not because i miss gymnastics class from university but because they're cheap and to the point. you want true strength that actually has function in the real world, try pulling your own weight, your own bodyweight.
[how to build your own parrallettes too]

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jay d [ 4:28 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Thursday, January 10, 2008
an investment
so you've made your new year's resolution to invest some time into your health. but how long is that gonna last?
will you be part of the flock?...the rest of the 90% out there who make promises in january only to watch those promises go down the crapper by early march?

are you gonna continue to pass through your 20s this year and justify your round face and shortness of breath in the years beyond because you're starting to "make it" in life?

let's make an investment in our health.
let's keep that promise.

if you found the time to spend an hour on the internet and during that hour you've watched this video, then believe me, you do have the time.

[watch the complete video for full effect]


stop making excuses.

["move"]

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jay d [ 8:51 AM ] | 1 hooked me up!

Thursday, September 27, 2007
the hard part
in terms of exercise, the hardest part is starting.

i just took a week off from my serious 3-day-a-week training regime and i must say, it was a brutal night. i did my cardio and went home. it wasn't even a true workout but it was something.

i think it's important that i realize how hard it is to start every now and then. it makes me a better trainer especially when i'm leading newbies.

keep learning and never forgetting where you started is key in anything anyone does. ego trippin' is not a good thing. ever.

hopefully, today's exercise will help me sleep a little better. all week my patterns have been whacked out. i haven't had one night of REM sleep since sunday. i tried the warm milk, i tried the late night reading, i tried the no-mid-afternoon napping and now i'm trying this...my own venom.

damn, son.

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jay d [ 9:38 PM ] | 0 hooked me up!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007
tonight, i didn't save the last piece of cake for anyone
usually i'm the type to save the last piece for anyone but myself.
it's others before me because the practice of selflessness is a virtue in itself.
some days are different though.
today was for me.

"i wanna thank you for giving me the opportunity t-"
"don't say it man, i don't wanna hear it. please", my director said.

it hurt, but that's how it went down today. it was disappointing for him to hear me say what i had to say, but he supported my decision 100%. we talked for less than a half an hour and during that time, he, my director, clearly defined his intentions behind hiring me four months ago: he liked how genuine i was, my laid back demeanor and how down to earth i seemed. i guess my zen points were through the roof in his book. he also stated how big of an asset i was to the company and how he appreciated my work ethic. it's true, i don't fuck around. you get me on your team and i'll break my back for you. shoot, i'd break my back for my clients, just the same. it goes far beyond collecting cheques for me.

getting back to my genuiness, as much as it's my strength it's also my flaw.
today, i resigned because of my principles, ethics and morals. as stated in an earlier post, my passion is to help people achieve their goals. it's not even about me making you look "unfat", it's about me extending your life; a quality one at that, because nowadays, anyone can live a long life. to live a quality long life is another story. let me teach you what i know so you can be self sufficient.

selling is part of my job description but it's not all of it. as long as i can help it, it will never be all of it. when it's emphasized to the point where i feel like it's 75% of what i do and the actual training is the remainder, then i know it's time to get out of the game...at least in this habitat. if i wanted to sell, believe me, i'd sell cars or real estate or insurance. the money is much more promising.

for those of you who don't know, because i didn't realize it until now, personal training is anything but just counting repetitions or wearing spandex.
as trainers, we're your teacher, your mentor, your bodyguard and most importantly, we're your friend. on the other side, we're salespeople and business people as much is i'd like to deny it. if you ever want a taste of how it is to run your own small business, take on personal training for a while. we make our own calls, find our own clients, do our own accounting and book keeping on top of marketing our own asses. it's an ugly game that comes with great rewards. unfortunately, money talks and sometimes shouts...too bad i never wince at its volume.

tonight, i didn't save the last piece of cake for anyone. it was a large slice left over from sunday's birthday festivities in honor of my niece. it was ice cream and i deserved it. here's to sticking it to the man, my style.

and just in case you were wondering, i'm slowly phasing myself out of the gym as my contracts are completed. this should take roughly two months.
i couldn't just pack up my shit and leave - how fair would that be to my clients? they're everything to me.

- jay
(keep it real)

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jay d [ 11:06 PM ] | 3 hooked me up!