“I haven’t seen the inside of a gym this much in my life.” I uttered those words as both an excuse and testament to how impressed my coach should be with my performance. It fell on deaf ears. Owner and head trainer Phil Black wakes up around 4 AM daily to open his gym, trains both himself and dozens of others in both group classes and one-on-one sessions, and most nights, closes things up at 11PM. Rinse, wash, repeat. It’s a grueling cycle that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
It takes a special personality to do this for a living. Scratch that, it takes incredible passion and dedication to commit to Phil’s lifestyle, a lifestyle of course that is the core of his business.
Gym culture is inherently flawed
Allow me to backpedal and start at the beginning. If you’ve ever walked off the street into a gym you’ll see two types of people. There are the “you must spend all day in here” Adonis-body types and the “god I’m weak & overweight why do I even bother” types, aka us. Yes, I’m roping you in with me because, let’s face it, my invitation to go get ice cream at Dairy Queen sounds much more inviting than my invitation to go embarrassingly attempt to lift some weights, strain a muscle in our lower back and then treat ourselves to that Oreo Blizzard that we’ve “earned.”
If you’re one of the ‘us’ I referenced earlier, this may sound all too familiar. You’ve been invited to try out a gym on a guest pass or risk-free trial or worse, you’ve told yourself that by committing financially you’ll be more motivated to start training. Note: If this last one is you, stop, breathe in through your nose. Do you smell that? That’s what bullshit smells like. Since you never really work out, once you get into the gym you stand alone, a little lost, looking around at other people as if you’re expecting someone to take you under their wing and tell you what to do and how many times. You actually contemplate going home to Google “training program”. Luckily you’ve got your smartphone.
There must be an app for that. Alas, you realize you’ve been standing still for the past five minutes. It’s time to just fake it. The obvious starting point is the treadmill. Yeah, you tell yourself under your breath, a warm-up jog will do the trick. Please note you haven’t planned what the next exercise is after you stop jogging and you really should have Googled this back at home because you feel even worse about being here than you would have felt eating that ice cream I offered. That warm-up jog just turned into a cool-down jog. You try your best to sneak out hoping nobody actually realizes the five minute treadmill was the only exercise you managed but, before you do, you make sure to check-in on facebook so your friends know you’re “getting healthy”.
A new PHILosophy
That feeling of guilt or shame you experienced in that moment is exactly why ordinary gym culture doesn’t work. Phil Black runs his gym differently. Blackout is a gym focused on essential equipment and good trainers. You won’t find dozens of TVs, useless employees, fancy changing rooms or distractions. Instead you’ll find a core group of staff and trainers who share a community-oriented philosophy for fitness, health and general well-being. Everyone at Blackout wants to see you succeed and that extends even to the other members of the gym. I’ve never witnessed a such a stark contrast to the prototypical gym culture. Blackout feels more like a DIY start up than a gym, it breaks down the stigma associated with working out and takes the edge off, which fosters a more welcoming environment to new clients. Topping things off, Phil and his team couldn’t be more proud of their members. Just follow them on instagram and see how actively they post pictures and videos of their members hard at work. Phil and his team also actively follow members and comment on their accounts, cheering on progress and taking a genuine interest in the lives of his members. This added human touch exemplifies how Blackout Fitness is different, they CARE.
It was all good a week ago
Prior to starting this program I’ve had several gym memberships and every experience was the same. I had a laundry list of reasons to avoid training. Too tired, I just ate, it’s late, I’ll be kept up all night, it’s too cold, I’ll go tomorrow, my (insert body part here) is sore, the list goes on. Even as some of my jeans got snug and the needle on the scale inched just a little more to the right I kept putting it off. When I met Phil I was sceptical. I play hockey twice a week, which I love, I often flirt with hot yoga, although scheduling it’s even more difficult than going to the gym. The gym is the most convenient and affordable forms of exercise, yet I despised it.
I agreed to meet Phil as a courtesy to a friend but with little faith that I could be convinced to show up regularly. A gym is a gym I was convinced. I enjoy athletic activities that don’t involve repetition. The mental stimulation of reacting to your surroundings in sports is what I find alluring and weight training almost entirely lacks reacting to your environment. It was too calculated for me to take interest. Phil thought otherwise. He was convinced that if I committed, Blackout Fitness would be a different experience. My interest was piqued and so for two months I set out to follow to the letter the program that Phil outlined.
I went into my program without any specific targets or goals. I doubted my own level of commitment and whether or not Blackout was any different than my previous gym experiences. Not having set goals gave me the freedom to not be constantly measuring my progress, a liberating feeling when first getting into training. Setting goals creates a definitive success/failure scenario. Going zero to sixty, metaphorically, isn’t easy and you want as many factors on your side as possible. The only goals you should set would be to learn and understand all the exercises to execute them properly, and to get your eating, sleeping and stretching routine into your daily life.
I nearly threw up in my evaluation
Day 0 started after we released the last issue. After sleeping for only an hour and half I go through the measurements and flexibility tests, the before photos and test my base level from four benchmarks. Waking up 35 minutes late I ran to the gym forgetting my running shoes in the process, I’m training in a pair of Chucks Taylor’s. Not off to a great start so far, hashtag Kill-Me-Now. Maybe it’s punishment for having been so late but these tests seem to be getting worse. I feel less and less oxygen making its way to my brain and after a failed attempt to complete one chin up, I spend the next 25 minutes cozying up next to a garbage can praying to not leave the contents of my stomach in the gym.
The next two weeks are like a blur but I spend a little less time hovering around the garbage can and slowly my body adjusts to the shock of being in a gym day after day, week after week. Its not a walk in the park at this point, EVERYTHING still hurts, I’m chronically exhausted and I feel like all I do is eat spinach, salmon and almonds.
I’m in the gym three or four days a week and faces are starting to look familiar and more friendly. I’ve dropped weight, gained some muscle and I can finally do a couple chin ups. I’m also no longer a zombie at work. I’m discussing fitness in conversations now. I actively try to avoid junk foods. I’m not even done the program yet and my whole outlook on health is starting to shift.
What’s next
My first program with Blackout Fitness has come to an end. Although I haven’t managed to transform into a swimwear model I’m impressed with how much I’ve accomplished in a relatively short period of time. A friend told me you can reprogram your body in 90 days. While not entirely convinced of that fact, many addicts can get clean for years and still slip up, three months of building this into your routine would definitely help you commit to your more active lifestyle.
My only goal was to follow the program that Philip Black created for me. In that I’ve succeeded. Phil has also succeeded in converting me from a sceptic. I’ve been transformed into a believer that there are programs and gyms that are changing gym culture and fixing the shortcomings to help more people succeed. Blackout Fitness is one of those places. I’m now much more aware of my health, what I eat, how I train and when/how much to indulge.
“I haven’t seen the inside of a gym this much in my life.” I uttered those words as both an excuse and testament to how impressed my coach should be with my performance. It fell on deaf ears. Owner and head trainer Phil Black wakes up around 4 AM daily to open his gym, trains both himself and dozens of others in both group classes and one-on-one sessions, and most nights, closes things up at 11PM. Rinse, wash, repeat. It’s a grueling cycle that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.
It takes a special personality to do this for a living. Scratch that, it takes incredible passion and dedication to commit to Phil’s lifestyle, a lifestyle of course that is the core of his business.
Gym culture is inherently flawed
Allow me to backpedal and start at the beginning. If you’ve ever walked off the street into a gym you’ll see two types of people. There are the “you must spend all day in here” Adonis-body types and the “god I’m weak & overweight why do I even bother” types, aka us. Yes, I’m roping you in with me because, let’s face it, my invitation to go get ice cream at Dairy Queen sounds much more inviting than my invitation to go embarrassingly attempt to lift some weights, strain a muscle in our lower back and then treat ourselves to that Oreo Blizzard that we’ve “earned.”
If you’re one of the ‘us’ I referenced earlier, this may sound all too familiar. You’ve been invited to try out a gym on a guest pass or risk-free trial or worse, you’ve told yourself that by committing financially you’ll be more motivated to start training. Note: If this last one is you, stop, breathe in through your nose. Do you smell that? That’s what bullshit smells like. Since you never really work out, once you get into the gym you stand alone, a little lost, looking around at other people as if you’re expecting someone to take you under their wing and tell you what to do and how many times. You actually contemplate going home to Google “training program”. Luckily you’ve got your smartphone.
There must be an app for that. Alas, you realize you’ve been standing still for the past five minutes. It’s time to just fake it. The obvious starting point is the treadmill. Yeah, you tell yourself under your breath, a warm-up jog will do the trick. Please note you haven’t planned what the next exercise is after you stop jogging and you really should have Googled this back at home because you feel even worse about being here than you would have felt eating that ice cream I offered. That warm-up jog just turned into a cool-down jog. You try your best to sneak out hoping nobody actually realizes the five minute treadmill was the only exercise you managed but, before you do, you make sure to check-in on facebook so your friends know you’re “getting healthy”.
A new PHILosophy
That feeling of guilt or shame you experienced in that moment is exactly why ordinary gym culture doesn’t work. Phil Black runs his gym differently. Blackout is a gym focused on essential equipment and good trainers. You won’t find dozens of TVs, useless employees, fancy changing rooms or distractions. Instead you’ll find a core group of staff and trainers who share a community-oriented philosophy for fitness, health and general well-being. Everyone at Blackout wants to see you succeed and that extends even to the other members of the gym. I’ve never witnessed a such a stark contrast to the prototypical gym culture. Blackout feels more like a DIY start up than a gym, it breaks down the stigma associated with working out and takes the edge off, which fosters a more welcoming environment to new clients. Topping things off, Phil and his team couldn’t be more proud of their members. Just follow them on instagram and see how actively they post pictures and videos of their members hard at work. Phil and his team also actively follow members and comment on their accounts, cheering on progress and taking a genuine interest in the lives of his members. This added human touch exemplifies how Blackout Fitness is different, they CARE.
It was all good a week ago
Prior to starting this program I’ve had several gym memberships and every experience was the same. I had a laundry list of reasons to avoid training. Too tired, I just ate, it’s late, I’ll be kept up all night, it’s too cold, I’ll go tomorrow, my (insert body part here) is sore, the list goes on. Even as some of my jeans got snug and the needle on the scale inched just a little more to the right I kept putting it off. When I met Phil I was sceptical. I play hockey twice a week, which I love, I often flirt with hot yoga, although scheduling it’s even more difficult than going to the gym. The gym is the most convenient and affordable forms of exercise, yet I despised it.
I agreed to meet Phil as a courtesy to a friend but with little faith that I could be convinced to show up regularly. A gym is a gym I was convinced. I enjoy athletic activities that don’t involve repetition. The mental stimulation of reacting to your surroundings in sports is what I find alluring and weight training almost entirely lacks reacting to your environment. It was too calculated for me to take interest. Phil thought otherwise. He was convinced that if I committed, Blackout Fitness would be a different experience. My interest was piqued and so for two months I set out to follow to the letter the program that Phil outlined.
I went into my program without any specific targets or goals. I doubted my own level of commitment and whether or not Blackout was any different than my previous gym experiences. Not having set goals gave me the freedom to not be constantly measuring my progress, a liberating feeling when first getting into training. Setting goals creates a definitive success/failure scenario. Going zero to sixty, metaphorically, isn’t easy and you want as many factors on your side as possible. The only goals you should set would be to learn and understand all the exercises to execute them properly, and to get your eating, sleeping and stretching routine into your daily life.
I nearly threw up in my evaluation
Day 0 started after we released the last issue. After sleeping for only an hour and half I go through the measurements and flexibility tests, the before photos and test my base level from four benchmarks. Waking up 35 minutes late I ran to the gym forgetting my running shoes in the process, I’m training in a pair of Chucks Taylor’s. Not off to a great start so far, hashtag Kill-Me-Now. Maybe it’s punishment for having been so late but these tests seem to be getting worse. I feel less and less oxygen making its way to my brain and after a failed attempt to complete one chin up, I spend the next 25 minutes cozying up next to a garbage can praying to not leave the contents of my stomach in the gym.
The next two weeks are like a blur but I spend a little less time hovering around the garbage can and slowly my body adjusts to the shock of being in a gym day after day, week after week. Its not a walk in the park at this point, EVERYTHING still hurts, I’m chronically exhausted and I feel like all I do is eat spinach, salmon and almonds.
I’m in the gym three or four days a week and faces are starting to look familiar and more friendly. I’ve dropped weight, gained some muscle and I can finally do a couple chin ups. I’m also no longer a zombie at work. I’m discussing fitness in conversations now. I actively try to avoid junk foods. I’m not even done the program yet and my whole outlook on health is starting to shift.
What’s next
My first program with Blackout Fitness has come to an end. Although I haven’t managed to transform into a swimwear model I’m impressed with how much I’ve accomplished in a relatively short period of time. A friend told me you can reprogram your body in 90 days. While not entirely convinced of that fact, many addicts can get clean for years and still slip up, three months of building this into your routine would definitely help you commit to your more active lifestyle.
My only goal was to follow the program that Philip Black created for me. In that I’ve succeeded. Phil has also succeeded in converting me from a sceptic. I’ve been transformed into a believer that there are programs and gyms that are changing gym culture and fixing the shortcomings to help more people succeed. Blackout Fitness is one of those places. I’m now much more aware of my health, what I eat, how I train and when/how much to indulge.