At Prevail , our member's experience is always on our minds and how we can make that experience better. The number one way we can make sure that a member has a great experience every time is to make sure that they are getting personally coached every single class no matter what! It doesn't matter who that person is, what their ability level is, if their black, white, LGBTQ, young, old, female, or male... that person is going to get COACHED!

Enter in our 10 person cap. I have literally coached THOUSANDS of training sessions  (best guesses put the exact number around 13,456, but who's counting?), and I can say without a doubt that bigger classes lead to less coaching. I qualify a "big" class as classes that exceed 10 people. Once you get to that point, coaches have to do less coaching, and have to do more logistical management. "Uh oh! 14 people showed up! How are we going to run this class when we don't have enough equipment?!" Sure, a veteran coach can still guide everyone through the class and makes sure nobody gets hurt... but is that REALLY the standard we're going for?

Hell no. Our standard is far more professional than that.

  I used to teach groups at 15,18 and even past 20! But I hated it. I hated not being able to give people proper instruction and give people proper progressions/regressions of exercise. I was just controlling the chaos. Have you ever been to one of those huge bootcamps with dozens of people?  They only care about $$$ not the individual. One of the many reasons I created Prevail and the systems we have was because I saw the huge difference in quality of session with personal training clients and the bootcamps I was teaching.  I was forced to teach watered down cardio based sessions because that's all I could do. I wanted to teach small group and teach real strength and muscle training.  No more random board workouts designed to kill people, smart effective and progressive programs are only possible with proper equipment and high level coaching. 

You came here to get coached, and that's what we're going to do. 

We have a standard for our coaches at Prevail : coach every member in every class, no matter what. Coaching can come in many different forms. It could be technical cueing for a lift. "Hey Joe, make sure you are fully extending the hips on your swings. It will be way more effective for your glutei !" It could be motivation or inspiration. "You're crushing it, Shannon! Keep going!" It could be nutrition advice. "Hey Mark, I think adding some carbs before you workout will give you a little more pep during this hour. Try eating some rice/oats about 30 minutes before class tomorrow." It could even be acknowledgment of hard work, or a subtle kick in the butt to try a bit harder. "Been here 3 days this week? Hell yeah, Laura! That's awesome!" "Hey Matt, you and I both know you can go heavier... go for it man. You can do this." If there are too many people in our classes, it makes these sort of interactions incredibly difficult, borderline impossible. THESE are the sort of interactions you are paying good money for... not to be forgotten in the back of class and not be coached. 

Nobody likes a cramped class.

You know what sounds fun? Working out with a group of likeminded individuals who are going to push and support you no matter what! You know what DOESN'T sound fun? Being dangerously close to a bell during getups , or having to bob and weave through sprinting prowlers like that Lizard from Planet Earth. By keeping our classes to 10, we know that we will always have enough space to run safe and effective classes without any overcrowding.

We can plan better workouts with predictable numbers. 

When we know that the maximum number of people we are preparing for, we can not only know what exact equipment we need (important... nobody wants to show up and NOT have a piece of equipment to use...) but we can also get creative with HOW we use said equipment as well as make sure you as individuals have to ability to adjust your workout. When we build our 4 week programs with the space, equipment and amount of people in mind.  Our magic number of 10 breaks down and divides very easily for us to be able to utilize all of the equipment we have without leaving anyone out! It's more fun for us because we like to create effective and  fun workouts, and it's also more fun for our members because they get to utilize all of the equipment we have to offer! Overall, this will make for a far better experience for our members!

What if the class is full?

Then we get to add more sessions to the calendar!  We want as many sessions throughout the day as possible.  As soon as a class gets close to full we add more classes around similar times on different days or add more times on the same day so you have plenty of oppurtinies to Prevail 

This 10 person cap is incredibly important and valuable to us, because it makes sure our members are getting the best experience possible. If you feel like you aren't getting a great experience out of your gym, come and see us. I know you'll find what you're looking for here.

Are you ready to experience the difference? 

Reply back and we will get a private 1-1 session scheduled for you

The fallacies of discipline

An assumption that being a marine by default mean’s I am self disciplined. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. Oh and organized? Psssh

The Marines taught discipline but it was motivated by fear and pride. Remove that structure and you remove fear and pride ( more on pride later) 

One of the reasons I joined was because I knew that without structure I would fail. I do not have it in me to be disciplined or self motivated. How do I know? Because when I did get out and try college I failed.  

I didn’t have to discipline to finish the work

I have always had the ability to say no or remove myself from decisions that I knew wouldn’t progress myself but saying no is easier than saying yes and actually doing the thing you said yes to

Often in the industry we here “ I can’t “ “ I don’t have that control” “how do you find motivation?”

Really what’s happening is we aren’t in fear or have a plan to create self pride.  

Everyday I have to tell myself “ get shit done” 
All the stuff that comes with running a business, I’m horrible at it. It’s not fun , it’s not easy , I don’t want to do it. 

The only reason I finish half of what I set to do is because of fear and pride

I fear failing and my pride won’t let me imagine failing

You know what else is a huge contribution? 

A support system- without Danielle , coaches, and fellow business owners I would be failing. 

You don’t need motivation, you may need focused discipline with a community of support that are in line with realistic goals. 

Oh and I’ve been meaning to make this post for about 5 days, can we say procrastination? I kept double guessing and worrying about it not being good enough. Then finally “ shut the fuck up sean and write”

What’s your weakness in discipline?
What do you fear?

I love challenges and think they are great for learning habits but when we expect to solve everything from them is when we get in trouble.

Commit to a year of learning and use small challenges to keep up your drive

Learn to Learn 

It’s 6 weeks out from your first wedding fitting, or a month away from your special day and you are freaking out. 

Brides!  Please stop the crazy rush to fit into your dress.

I’ve had clients pop up 6 weeks out from their wedding day wanting to lose 10 pounds of arm fat, but this is nearly impossible in such short amount of time. You wouldn’t want your seamstress or photographer to rush through your dress or proofs. You deserve to give yourself the same amount of time to get things right.

 It’s not uncommon for a bride to start planning her wedding 5 seconds after she says yes:  “Where should we get married?  When?”  That’s exactly the moment you should be thinking about how you want to look on the big day. The venue you love is likely booked a couple of seasons in advance, which leaves between 6 to 18 months of planning. Coincidentally, that’s the same timeline I suggest for successful training in improved body composition.

What’s the next biggest item on your checklist? The dress. After all, it is the centerpiece of the wedding, the metaphorical sun of the bridal universe. What kind of style are you working towards? Sleeveless, form fitting, A-line, backless, long, short? The style of dress will dictate the focus of your training. For instance, do you need to drop sizes or sculpt muscle? These are the details your trainer will need to know for optimal results.  No matter what, you need a minimum 6-month training plan prior to your final fitting.

Let’s set up a potential timeline.

 I made a quick call to a local shop (Meg Guess Couture bridal www.megguess.com), and they suggested 1 full year for your dress preparations.  

18 months:

Dec. 2015 –Proposal

March 2016- Find your dress

May 2016- First Fitting

June 2016 through April 2017 have fittings every 6-8 weeks

May 2017- Perfect wedding dress and perfect fit

June 2017 – Crush an awesome wedding and have people constantly compliment you and your dress as your photographer (www.danigphotography.net) takes stunning pictures.

This may not be the most realistic timeline, but there are a few things we can learn from it:

1.     Give yourself a year from the day you start looking for a dress to your wedding date

2.     You should allow 6-8 weeks prior to wedding day for final fitting.

3.     The more time you have from engagement to final fitting will give you the best results in the gym

4.     Your seamstress will want a minimum 3 months and average dress order will be 16-20 weeks from initial purchase

5.     March 2016 through April 2017- Listen to my trainer, trust him/her, work diligently, crush all of my goals, invite trainer to my wedding because he loves to see my face every time someone compliments me, oh and he might like to eat cake and dance

A helpful tool would be for a bride to write out her dress timeline and step back to look at the big picture. Knowing where all the pieces fall into place will decrease the amount of stress tenfold. It will also guide her to pick a date that will allow for the best fitness outcome. For instance, a bride that needs to make a dramatic physical change may need to push the date back. On the flip side, if the date is absolutely concrete, a dress timeline will allow the bride to visualize a more realistic expectation of the changes she can make before then. Per my recommendation, the shortest amount of time for a safe and effective physical transformation should be 6 months. Now this would still be an aggressive goal, but it is possible. I could potentially make a big transformation with a client in that window, but it would be a pretty intense timeline, especially alongside last minute wedding preparations. Take the time to think about all the pieces and use the knowledge of each resource

Flowers, cake, catering, centerpieces, the dress, the photographer, the DJ and the list goes on and on.  The term “Bridezilla” has its merit, because you girls have a ton of stress for months on end. Exercise allows for stress reduction. Speaking of stress, is 6 weeks out the time to be stressing about your appearance? I have planned several events ranging from 50 to 500 people. As the time gets closer, the stress levels are through the roof as these carefully planned pieces come together.  My suggestion? Knock out your biggest pieces first and as your timeline moves forward, then move onto smaller and smaller things. How you feel needs to be a priority. The best weddings I have been to are the weddings where the bride is completely worry-free and truly enjoying every moment. Confidence in your plan and confidence in yourself will show in your video/pictures.

Just as you search for the perfect photographer, catering company or venue you should also seek out an ideal trainer or program. Ask which is best for you: do they have the same vision as you?  Do you understand their value and do they understand your value to them? Does your timeline fit with their program? Shop around and interview several qualified trainers before you make a commitment. In the meantime, here are a few suggestions of simple things you can do to help with fat loss:

1.     Walk more - try for 10,000 steps a day

2.     Eat several servings of vegetables (seems obvious but this is huge)

3.     Cardio is not the solution; strength training is superior

4.     Cutting your calories only works if you rate a cut from maintenance/surplus

5.     Have a plan for the week - this is the best way to avoid binges and excuses

Final thoughts: love your body and be appreciative of the good things. Be patient and positive with your planning, enjoy the process, take a deep breath and be present. Your wedding day will be an amazing day of friends, family and celebration.

Smile, Dance, Laugh, and Kiss. Set the standard for the next stage of life.

Sincerely, Sean Shearon www.prevailstrengthandfitness.com