A Phoenix Rises From the Flames

A few years ago, I had written a variation of this blog. Although, several years have gone by since I began living a healthier lifestyle, I vowed to myself to never forget how I felt before I made very necessary changes. At this point it almost seems like it was an eternity ago, but really, in a not quite so distant past, there was a time I was extremely unhappy. Unhappy is a total understatement. I was miserable. Miserable to the point where I wasn't the only one noticing my sadness, my family and friends did as well. After two kids and "letting myself go", I got to a point where my body image, and how I felt about myself, became unbearable. I was an athlete my whole life. How did I let myself go like this? I didn't have the energy to keep up with my kids like I wanted. I didn't want to go out with friends when I could, because being in front of a mirror while getting ready and having to look at myself was torturous. Instead of living a full life, and truly appre...

   The hated burpee. The exercise that no one would choose to do on their own. I have exercised and worked in gyms and training studios for DECADES. I cannot recall ever seeing a gym member choose to do burpees on their own. Furthermore, the real kick in the pants is I have worked shoulder to shoulder with DOZENS of personal trainers and fitness instructors and I cannot recall ever seeing them do burpees as part of their own training routine. Then somebody tell me why the Hell are trainers and instructors making clients do burpees? I will tell you... THEY ARE L-A-Z-Y.      Burpees are a lazy trainers best friend . The easiest way to fool someone into thinking they had an effective workout is make them sweat and gasp for air. The burpee can easily accomplish both. Jump and flop around like a fish out of water, throw in a half-ass push up and hope for the best. What's more disturbing is 9 out of 10 times the people being asked to perform burpees are the ge...

   From the first time the Tres Hombres met to write a business plan for U Evolve Buffalo our top priority was to create a weekly budget for reinvestment back into the Grotto in the form of equipment. As we discussed our vision we kept coming back to the saying "we can't do things bush league". If we are going to to have 15 people in a dumbbell class then we need 15 sets of all the dumbbells. If we are going to keep the powerlifting club then we need to commit money for powerlifting gear, and right down the line. If we wanted to create the highest quality fitness and training environment we must provide the people with the tools they need to succeed. For our business to be operating with anything less would be like asking a plumber to come out to work on your plumbing with an empty truck and no tools. The thought is absurd.    Some of our greatest pet peeves as personal trainers and business owners working in and out of box gyms and boutique facilities was the a...

    U Evolve Buffalo continues to offer it's Sunday Morning Nutrition and Training Program ( The BRIDGE Program ) for Men Only because we consider the Art of Manliness a high value. I have been programming and executing the Art of Manliness Program in multiple capacities since 2015 and the men of this program have been proactive in making wholesale lifestyle changes and achieving great levels of success. Multiple men have lost and maintained over 100 lbs of weight loss. Many have taken on new physical endeavors such as the sport of Powerlifting, Competitive Running and Obstacle Course Racing. Many men have built the physical strength, fortitude and confidence to not only tackle a wide variety of fun physical endeavors but have also become proactive in pursuing their loves of hobbies and zest for life which has previously eluded them.. The BRIDGE Program is merely the opportunity and catalyst for change. The choice to take and maximize the opportunity is alwa...

The body is a manifestation of the mind. Nutrition is the cornerstone of all fitness. Every cell in your body is being sent information signals based on what you eat. Your mood, energy, reactions, thinking, behavior, performance and physical appearance are all highly influenced by how your body is nourished. It is only logical to make nutrition the foundation in which your body is built. There is junk and there is food. There is no junk food. When the body is properly nourished it has a need and want for physical activity. We are very fortunate in today’s society to have so many advancements. With this blessing we have also removed many of the hardships and need for physical activity that has built the robust nature of the human spirit. We think it is important to keep challenging physical activity in all stages of ones life. This keeps the body, mind & spirit strong. We use resistance training through a wide variety of implements as the basis of our exercise programs. Takin...

    This was an easy one. Yes, yes, yes we will be running our HEAVY METAL CLUB program. I participated at the USPA Mickey Rats Bench Press & Deadlift competition back in the summer of 2013 along with some female clients that just wanted to get out there and test their strength. Flex some Girl Power ! Well I have to tell you, we had a blast! There was not only great support from friends, family and so many other clients that showed up to support our small team of lifters, but also from the  powerlifters themselves. The audience roared when the gals walked on that stage to lift those weights. It was a rush for me just to watch. I knew we had something special going on here.    Since that first inception of the HEAVY METAL CLUB so much has changed on the local powerlifting scene. So many more ladies have started entering the powerlifting competitions from when that day the gals and I took the stage at Mickey Rats. We are now seeing close to 50/50 men an...

  Our cutting room floor looks like a fitness program graveyard. The Tres Hombres have spent countless hours and days full of messaging, emails, phone calls, meetings and downing an oceans worth of Starbucks Coffee readying our schedule. We have been working harder than a sous chef in Hell's Kitchen getting to the core of what we want to present as our opening schedule. Our philosophy is always at the center of everything we have to offer. What is our philosophy? Nutrition, Exercise & Mindfulness - Nutrition is the cornerstone of  all fitness; Exercise is our tool of expression; Mindfulness is what we practice. That is the basis for all that we do. Strip out anything that is ineffective, or is out of our wheelhouse. If you want to do Yoga or Spin I'll be the first to tell you to see our friends over at the Grit House in Hamburg, NY or any number of great places that specialize in aspects of fitness that we do not. So in no particular order I am going to tell you about o...