Been there, done it....My history

Just watched "An Education" with my fiancée last night. Got me thinking about how life's experience is much of an education than just books and certifications.

Since starting with Active Escapes in the summer of 2004, I have been asked many times, "what did I major in college" and so on.....they are expecting answers ....like physical edu or exercise science. My answer is Chemical Engineering, an unlikely answer for a personal trainer.

After graduating Purdue in May, 1998, I started working for DuPont as a field engineer. They sent me to Richmond, VA. That's where it all started. I met Cabell that fall and we became friends and climbing partners. While being an engineer, I remember lots of time sitting and meetings with more sitting. So I always felt a need to exercises after work. Workouts consisted of going to a gym after work and spending time doing mindless exercises. At least 2 hours in the gym, strength training with free weights and machines. Cardio was either running on the treadmill or around the neighborhood and pick up full court basketball games. With this came chronic lower back discomforts, ankle sprains, and separated shoulder.

Let's fast forward a few years. I have done multiple assignments with DuPont in several states. I felt really dissatisfied with my current career and was looking for other options. At the same time, Cabell graduated from VCU with exercise science degree and started working as a personal training. We stayed in contact while I was in North Carolina. In 2003, Cabell decided to start his own personal training business. He took personal training up a notch and separated himself from the standard training facilities. I saw a great opportunity to start a new career and move back to Richmond.

How was the transition? Not as bad as someone might think. I had no formal education or experience in the field, but I had person in Cabell who was very passionate and a great mentor. The summer of 2004, I was fully immerse in learning how to be a trainer and learning much about how the human body works. Cabell and I spent many long days discussing and you name it....clearing my mind from all of the knowledge I thought I knew about training. With using me as a guinea pig, I transformed my body. My discomforts were amazingly disappearing and I felt like I was getting younger as times goes by.

Every year I seem to learn more about myself and what my body can and can't do. Definitely after getting screened using the Functional Movement Screen(TM), it demonstated how life can shape you. Now I can have a way to check if I'm going the right direction.

Then enter the kettlebell, I remember Cabell picking up our first kettlebell from a local sports store. It was a 24kg and I started to do some swings. Man, what an impression that made!!!

This is what I (We) were looking for....an element I didn't do much with our style of training. What a great way to gain strength without losing mobility!!!

-Manh