SEE WHY MISSY LAPPONI IS THE FMU GAMECHANGER OF THE MONTH

SOMETIMES THINGS JUST CLICK.  Missy Lapponi has been on a mission lately. Over the last few months alone I have watched her transform inside and out. I just can't say enough about this girl!

Missy is 30 years old and has been coming to FMU since May of 2013.  She's a hard worker with a great attitude and has been on FIRE!

"Anything But Cardio." I teased Missy about those words that I read on her tank top. I think she tossed that shirt out though, because now she's doing something that she never did before. She's running, by choice, before and after workouts.

One day she ran a mile before we worked out. Then she showed up fifteen minutes early again another night to run a mile. Then I watched her run before and after a Saturday workout one morning. Then the two miles before a 645pm workout! "Ok, Missy, what's going on?!" "I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I'm starting to like running," she said.

That's just a small example of the spark I've seen in her.

HERE'S WHAT ELSE HAS BLOWN MY MIND ABOUT MISSY:

• She ran the Hitman Challenge 4.0 in August for her first time ever! This was a really big deal, she was so nervous. 
• She's crushing 5k's now, including Smiles For Sophie and Roc The Croc. 
• She's down 19lbs since January, 12 of those pounds just since June alone. 

THE ATHLETE SHREDDER
We launched the Shred in June as a means to tighten up our nutrition and really get strict with what we put into our bodies. This is where we saw Missy's biggest mindset shift happen. She was so determined and refused to give up. She stayed consistent and dedicated and ended up losing 12lbs in those five weeks. And to this date, she's still shredding!

Since I met Missy she is down more than 20lbs. I share her story now with a lot of people because she'll admit, she used to say the common phrase, "I'm doing everything I can, but the weight isn't coming off." I want people to know that once you really do, it will. Missy is proof.

"The biggest thing that has clicked for me is fixing my diet. (Thanks to the shred!!:) That if I mess up one meal it's ok, just make better decisions for my next meal. Don't blow the whole day and say, "I'll start tomorrow".  Once I stopped that, I saw changes. Then that motivated me more and more. I told myself no more excuses." 

In every game-changer blog I point this out, it's not solely about the weight loss, or the enhanced performance, or the new results that earn someone game-changer status. All that stuff is phenomenal. But just like I tell my kids after every workout when we pick "champ of the day," #ChampStatus is earned from the extra effort put forth, the sharpened focus and determination, and the new found desire and WILL. Those are the attributes that make up a game-changer. From there, the results just happen.  

So in class when I see Missy choose the sleds for a cardio battle instead of any other exercise and then say to me, "you said to pick the move we hate the most, so I did."

Well I think that just seals the deal.

For your amazing attitude, dedication, and transformation, congratulations Missy for being our FMU OCTOBER GAMECHANGER OF THE MONTH!


#ItsNotAboutUs,
Coach Theo and Coach Amber





   

PUTTING THE FUNCTION IN DYSFUNCTION, WHY WE ARE NOT A PERFECT FAMILY PART 1

"WE ARE NOT A PERFECT FAMILY, AND WILL NEVER PRETEND TO BE."

Pictures can be deceiving. Social media posts can make you think that life is so much greener in other's lives. I hope you never take us that way. 

If you're like us, you've probably found yourself saying multiple times, "If only there were television cameras following us right now we would be the next best reality TV show!"

We are crazy. I'm singing made up lyrics to songs while trying to do the whip and the nae nae, while Gio is jumping off of furniture shooting Nerf darts at the window, and the baby is crying for no reason, because she does that. Meanwhile we were supposed to be getting ready, so mommy is telling us her heart is pounding out of her chest because we are driving her nutz and not listening to her! Thirty minutes later we walk into church with a smile on our face like nothing happened.

None of us are perfect. The quicker we realize that, the better. Our family is so dysfunctional and I think what helps me is knowing that ALL others are too. In fact I don’t even know why I’m writing this blog other than to assure you that you’re not alone either, in case you didn’t know that already.

The good news is we don’t have to put up a front. To do so is detrimental and does more harm than good. I read this the other day in It Is Finished, by Tullian Tchividijian, “Because of the gospel, we have nothing to prove or protect. We can stop pretending. We can take off our masks and be real. The gospel frees us from trying to impress people, appease people, or measure up for people. The gospel frees us from trying to control what other people think about us.”

This is not an excuse to settle on that. This just provides freedom and liberation. Like the title spells out, It. Is. Finished.  Jesus died on the cross. He is perfection. He paved the way. We can’t do anything to obtain any more favor in His eyes. We can’t become perfect, ever. But it doesn’t mean we don’t constantly work to improve ourselves and get better, on a daily basis, always.

To offer some action steps I will take what I write about in my book, Conversations With Gio, and add some quick thoughts.

When our family dynamics are dysfunctional, I need some help from Triple AAA:

1. AWARENESS
What’s happening here? Reflect on it. For example, this is where I ask, “Am I a dummy and did I just said something stupid to my wife?”

2. ACCEPTANCE

Ok, so now I know what happened and it’s time to acknowledge it. I can’t just sweep it under the rug and try to move on.

• Repent: “I am a dummy and I did just say something stupid to my wife.”
• Ask for forgiveness: from God and my family.
• Seek guidance, strength, and change: “God, if it is me and I do need to change something, show me how and help me do it!”

3. AWAKENING

What are you going to do about it? Time to put it into action and actually DO IT. 

Sometimes things aren’t always as tangible and easy to figure out. At minimum, PRAY FOR MY FAMILY.  A huge flaw of mine is to think that I can change them. I can’t. All I can be is the leader and example and that’s what I need to focus on, doing my part. I need to pray for that first.  For them, I need to pray hard that if something does need to change in their hearts, that it does. "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow." (1 Cor 3:6)

I don’t have it all down yet, but I’ll keep trying. And as I’m driving home from the gym the other day, one of my favorite new songs came on my playlist and gave me more reason to….

"No matter the bumps
No matter the bruises
No matter the scars
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless.
No matter the hurt
Or how deep the wound is
No matter the pain
Still the truth is
The cross has made
The cross has made you flawless." 

(Mercy Me, "Flawless")

We’re all damaged goods. But there’s peace in knowing that in His eyes, no matter what happens or what we do, His work has made us flawless.

The pressure is off.

Time to step it up and not just be great families anymore, but the best families we can be.

Because Jesus loved us, He died for us. Because we love our families so much, we need to die for them. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil 1:21)

The sooner we get some Triple AAA, the sooner we can put the function back in our dysfunction and do just that.

And when we do, it may be an absolute game-changer for us and everyone in our lives.

It's not about me,

Coach Theo

YOUR NAME MATTERS, THE GAME-CHANGER

"YOUR NAME MATTERS. That's what I tell all my kids."

Pictured in the shot to the left is one of FMU's champs of the year, Lila. She won this FMU t-shirt because she completed the Name Challenge at our Be Great 8 Summer Camp. At the beginning of our camp session I told the kids to try to remember all 30 camper's names by the end of the 2-hour session (all different ages, all different schools). At the end, if they knew all the names then they could compete to win a free t-shirt. So throughout the camp I watched kids going up to other kids asking what their names were. Then I saw them practicing by going around to each other to see if they remembered. At the end of camp, we had to actually battle it out for the fastest time, because a few of them got all the names right. Lila edged Clare by a few seconds to win the FMU hot pink t-shirt!

The message: NAMES MATTER.

You have 4 rules at FMU:
1. Listen when you're supposed to.
2. Be nice to each other.
3. Have fun.
4. Use names.

When you remember someone's name it shows them that they mean something to you.  I can't tell you how many compliments I've received from parents because they think it's crazy how I can remember kids' names so quick at parties and events. I think my record is 42 kids, after one time of them telling me at the beginning of a Holy Trinity after-school session.

To be honest, it's a skill I practice and take very seriously. I want them to know that they mean something to me.

And after talking about it to one of my coaching buddies this morning, there are some things I actually do to sharpen my name-remembering skills.

HERE'S MY FOUR STEP SYSTEM TO REMEMBERING NAMES:
1. I ASK THEM at the beginning of every session when they walk in.
2. I CIRCLE THEM UP AS A GROUP AND MAKE THEM go around and say their names before starting our session. Sometimes we play a ball toss game or Spud to help remember.
3. I THEN GO AROUND and repeat their names.
4. I TRY TO SAY THEIR NAMES at least 3x throughout the workout. This forces me to figure it out if for some reason I forgot.

SOME BONUSES:

• I may have them spell it if it's unique. 
• I look at it on my roster to remember it. 
• I do have a photographic memory, which helps me big time.

Look, I know it sounds silly, but this could be one of the biggest reasons why kids love coming to FMU.

Last year a mom stood in my gym thanking me. With tears welling up in her eyes she said "I'm so glad I found this place. This has to be one of the best places for my child. And you know what excited him so much when he came back after the first week?  He said you remembered his name."

Names matter.

And I promise you if you remember them, it will be an absolute game-changer for you and everyone in your life.

It's not about me,

Coach Theo

*Please excuse any grammar mistakes. I did not edit. 

SEE WHY AMY HADDAD IS OUR FMU GAMECHANGER OF THE MONTH

One of my favorite new songs  (a head-banging song as some of my clients would call it, even though it's nowhere near headbanging music) must have been written with Amy Haddad in mind. The lyrics go like this:

Cause I'm a fighter inside the ring,

a champion of suffering,

I'm a warrior, I'm a conqueror.

I'll dance my way through the darkest night,

I'll find my joy in the morning light,

I'm a warrior, I'm a conqueror

So bring on the night.

Bring on the night.

It's by a Christian band named Estoria and it's fitting that the title is "WARRIOR." 

If you haven't heard it yet, you may want to check it out here. It may make it to your workout playlist too:

If you know Amy and her story, I'm sure you would agree that's definitely what she is, a warrior.

I first met Amy at my book signing last spring. I then saw her in action at our Hitman Challenge in August of 2014. I was blown away by her performance. She came in 8th place for the female division, in a division stacked with extremely fit women!  Somewhere along the way we became more connected and now over the last few months she's been an official FMU member!

After seeing her slash her 5k time by three minutes this past weekend at Smiles For Sophie Forever, she pretty much sealed the deal on this GAMECHANGER status.

Let me just point out the obvious first:

• Amy shows up at 5:30am five days a week to workout.
• Amy doesn't get tired.
• Amy doesn't slow down.

If you know what makes up a big chunk of her workout regimen, you would probably understand why. She has a trainer named Shane who makes her work hard outside of this gym! Shane is her 9 year old son. He's in a wheelchair which means when he wants to go running, mommy is pushing! And he likes it so much that three miles is considered their short run. Just because Amy already worked out that day doesn't get her off the hook either. "He still makes me push him all over Rocky River!"

If you don't know about superhero Shane's story, here's a tiny snippet:

"Shane was diagnosed with brain and spinal cord cancer called Pilomyxoid Astrocytoma in 2010 when he was almost 4 years old.  He is now 9 years old.  Shane underwent surgery to de-bulk the large tumor in his head.  He tried many different chemotherapy treatments for a year and yet the tumors continued to grow.  Therefore, he had to have radiation treatment everyday for 7 weeks.  After radiation, he underwent another surgery to de-bulk the large tumor again.  This treatment has keep his tumors from growing.  The tumors are considered stable now.  They are still present but not growing.  As a result of treatments, Shane has experienced seizures as a side effect.  He had brain surgery in hopes to eliminate seizing.  Unfortunately, he had a stroke during that surgery and has lost movement in his left side and is still seizing."  

Shane is an amazing kid. If you ever meet him you'll love him. He came into our Rocky workouts during the school year with his mom and would hit the boxing bag the entire time.

So look, here's your checkpoint. You can't make an excuse anymore.

Amy could come up with plenty of them. She could skip morning class when she's up with Shane all night. She could complain about being too tired after carrying him up and down the stairs. She could say that the hospital visits and daily regimen wears her out too much. She could also say that her other two kids (11 and 7) are keeping her too busy also.

But yet, she still shows up bright and early packing her bubbly positive attitude with her every time she walks into FMU.

She has a bigger reason.

"Shane is a true miracle and a blessing from God!  Our hero!  He keeps me going and is the reason I started working out.  I had to get strong to be able to carry and move him every day." 

I always say you can stand in the same room with someone and have no idea what their world is like. And then you get to know them, and their story completely changes the way you look at them and most importantly, yourself. 

If you don't know Amy Haddad yet, get to know her today.  

Then you'll see why she's an absolute game-changer to us and everyone in her life.

It's not about me,
Coach Theo

THREE COMMON MISTAKES YOUTH COACHES ARE MAKING

Being a youth training coach is my biggest passion and why FMU was started in the first place.

I work with hundreds of kids each week ranging from ages 5 years and up. A very important factor to take into consideration each training session is, "what are you guys doing outside of here?" As you know, some of these kids are in a lot of sports and activities each week! Well, sometimes I hear some crazy stuff that their coaches are making them do and quite honestly, it makes me cringe!

ATTN PARENTS: Be on the alert and yes, your gut is right. They probably shouldn't be doing that.


HERE ARE THREE COMMON CONDITIONING MISTAKES THAT YOUTH COACHES ARE MAKING:

1. THEY MAKE KIDS DO A CRAZY AMOUNT OF BOX JUMPS
Unfortunately, any coach can just pull up a fitness forum and steal some workout ideas, which possibly prescribes a ridiculous amount of box jumps, for adults. And then unfortunately, we use box jumps as conditioning and encourage our kids to do a lot of them.

What I commonly hear from kids: "Our coaches made us go really fast when jumping on the box." "We are told to jump back not step back."  "We had to do as many as we could in 1 minute." "We did 10 reps in the circuit, and then as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes."

SOLUTION:
I think boxes can be great, just like any other implement in the gym, but WHEN DONE RIGHT. At FMU we teach landing skills more than anything and proper vertical jump technique. The box is used obviously because kids think it's fun and they like to challenge themselves. But no matter what, you must use LOW REP schemes (6-8) and constantly encourage and ensure proper technique.

• We tell them to land on the box like a ninja, super soft so no one can hear them. 
• We also tell them when they land on the box with two feet at the same time, land in a squat position then extend into a standing position. 
• We also tell them to step back instead of jumping back. Jumping back down to the ground can cause a lot of wear and tear on the achilles and ankles. 
• When we jump down from the box it's always into a ninja landing position. Again, with a soft deceleration into a squat position--pushing the butt back and feet flat. 

2. THEY PUNISH KIDS WITH PUSH-UPS
This is a huge concern of mine. It is very rare for me to meet a child under the age of 14 who can do 10 solid perfect push-ups in a row before form starts to break down. I would say maybe 1 out of 10 kids can do it. So when I hear how my kids are being punished to do push-ups because they lost a game or they misbehaved at practice, here are three main concerns that pop into my head:

• I know that those 50-100 push-ups were so sloppy that they are lucky they didn't get hurt. 
• I know that they probably just developed a negative association with push-ups now because they were used as punishment.
• I know those push-ups didn't really teach them much about how to become a better athlete, or fix their mistakes they made in the game, or develop discipline to not misbehave again, because there's really no relationship between push-ups and the issue at hand.

SOLUTION:
I would stop using push-ups as punishment.

When we do them let's teach them. Start with the push-up hold in the top position. I can't tell you how much progress I've seen kids make from getting stronger here first. Push-ups take a lot of core strength. As my kids' core strength and control develops, so do their push-ups. Here are a few starting points and progressions you can use:

• Hold for :10-:30 seconds.
• Then hold for :10 seconds then add in one push-up.
• When they're ready, or for older kids (11-14 yrs), hold for :10 seconds then add in 3 push-ups.
• Then hold for :10 seconds then add in 3 push-ups and do that 2-3x. 
• Or for fun challenges, work on push-up walks for 10yds, 2-3x (lateral, forward, and backward. Add spins, add a push-up at the end of 10yds, the variations are endless). Try these yourself, they are very challenging but awesome to help kids develop total body systemic strength.

3. THEY TURN LADDER DRILLS INTO EXHAUSTING WORKOUTS

I understand the desire by many to get faster but we gotta be careful here with these NFL ladder drills we're throwing out there. One of my kids told me they did a 45 minute ladder workout during practice, and it wasn't technique building with instruction and plenty of breaks either.

Why is this a problem? 
Well if we're not focusing on quality movements then we're just training bad movement patterns. The focus should not be about harder and faster but more about BETTER. "When you can do the icky shuffle better than you can go faster." "When you can do that fancy back foot crossover with finesse than you can go harder." The other main problem is the wear and tear on our kids' feet and ankles again. Remember, what are they doing outside of here? If they are playing multiple soccer games each week and on the club team and the travel team practicing a few days with each team each week, then pounding their ankles and legs again after all that wear and tear can absolutely crush them.

I love to use ladders and think they can be a phenomenal way to enhance coordination skills and good rhythm, but they're actually such a small part of my training program, not a main focus.

• We mix them into games and obstacle courses. 
• We usually stick to basics like running both feet in each step, two feet in and out hop scotch, one foot hop scotch, lateral in and outs with both feet, robots, etc. 
• We tell them light and smooth.
• We tell them try not to the hit any part of the ladder. 
• We tell them to go slow at first and then pick up the speed gradually as they get better at flowing with the movement. 
• *For our little kids we usually just let them explore and play with it to see what they come up with. For ages 5-9 it's more about seeing if they can figure it out, not drilling them. 

4. THEY MAKE THEM DO INSANITY
I want to throw in a bonus here. You know that INSANITY program you see on infomercials? It's never a good idea to make your kids do that workout. 

These are just a few common mistakes I'm hearing that youth coaches are making. It's usually not their fault. Some just don't know any better. That's why I'm putting this out there. I'm here to help coaches in any way possible to make sure we're doing things right with our kids. We want them to move better, we want them to feel better, and we really want them to love what they're doing.

Now, there are some coaches out there with so much ego they don't want to hear it. For them, I'd like to run them through one of my Coach Theo Adult Training Camp Workouts to humble them a little bit! 

It's not about me,

Coach Theo

*Coach Theo holds 6 youth certifications from the IYCA (International Youth Conditioning Association). He was also nominated as a Top 8 Finalist for the IYCA Coach of the Year.