I got a BOSU for Christmas and seriously can't stop using it. I also can't stop photographing it.
I bounce on it while I watch tv. I think about it when I'm away and every time I see it I pretty much have to put my hands on it. I feel like we're in a teenage relationship.
Not long ago I started thinking about how I could carve my niche as a trainer here in Louisville. I was initially putting my focus towards online training for flexibility since I do still have a day job and that little Ironman coming up and also because I knew I didn't want to work at a big gym making $10 an hour and stalking unsuspecting (and largely uninterested) patrons on the gym floor. Not having a space pretty much sealed the online training deal for me. Or so I thought.
I've found that despite my reserved personality I really do enjoy seeing the people I work with. I want to actively be there to talk to them, coach them, teach them and laugh with them. I've taught a couple of workshops and each time just ate up the whole experience of working with people face to face. It honestly shocked me. I've always been an introvert who would rather work in a closet office with no window than have to sit in an open room with nothing separating me from my peers. I sit in silence in the mornings reading and have found myself turning on the television less and less as I've gotten older. But deep down, I still craved interaction.
I thought back to a conversation I had with my friend Ami who is a fantastic trainer here in town and honestly one of my professional idols and she told me to really focus on finding something I could be the authority on. Ami is the go-to person in Louisville for all things TRX. Other places have straps or incorporate them into a workout but nobody does what Ami does and everyone knows it. So I tried to think through my fitness life to things I enjoyed. Ami (and many others) thought I'd really be interested in running/triathlon training and that seemed reasonable. But running and tri-ing are what I do, not what I teach. I tried to merge the world's once during my brief stint at a local running store and it didn't go well. I certainly don't mind to coach those things, but not at the elite level and definitely not as my primary focus.
I've always enjoyed circuit training and strength training done right is awesome. And then it came to me, the BOSU. I've used a BOSU a ton of times but never as the focus of a workout and I've always enjoyed it and been quite surprisingly good on them.
Not having a space to teach or train has been tricky for me. I've taught workshops at one facility and have one coming up in February at another but it's been difficult to find something steady. Luckily I'm persistent and Louisville has an abundance of community centers who are more than willing to open their doors and rec spaces for a small fee. After a little negotiation I managed to book myself a space to teach a weekly BOSU Blast class on Wednesday nights starting next week! I'm really really excited about getting in front of people regularly and I finally feel like I'm at least on some kind of track that is heading in the right direction.
I can't call my self the BOSU Master of Louisville or anywhere other than maybe my own home just yet, but I've been using mine (and the ones at the gym) pretty much daily lately and think I just might be on my way. I've got some certification classes and trainings on the calendar for 2014 and whether or not I decide to make it the focus of my career, I know I'll be in damn good shape ;)
I bounce on it while I watch tv. I think about it when I'm away and every time I see it I pretty much have to put my hands on it. I feel like we're in a teenage relationship.
Not long ago I started thinking about how I could carve my niche as a trainer here in Louisville. I was initially putting my focus towards online training for flexibility since I do still have a day job and that little Ironman coming up and also because I knew I didn't want to work at a big gym making $10 an hour and stalking unsuspecting (and largely uninterested) patrons on the gym floor. Not having a space pretty much sealed the online training deal for me. Or so I thought.
I've found that despite my reserved personality I really do enjoy seeing the people I work with. I want to actively be there to talk to them, coach them, teach them and laugh with them. I've taught a couple of workshops and each time just ate up the whole experience of working with people face to face. It honestly shocked me. I've always been an introvert who would rather work in a closet office with no window than have to sit in an open room with nothing separating me from my peers. I sit in silence in the mornings reading and have found myself turning on the television less and less as I've gotten older. But deep down, I still craved interaction.
I thought back to a conversation I had with my friend Ami who is a fantastic trainer here in town and honestly one of my professional idols and she told me to really focus on finding something I could be the authority on. Ami is the go-to person in Louisville for all things TRX. Other places have straps or incorporate them into a workout but nobody does what Ami does and everyone knows it. So I tried to think through my fitness life to things I enjoyed. Ami (and many others) thought I'd really be interested in running/triathlon training and that seemed reasonable. But running and tri-ing are what I do, not what I teach. I tried to merge the world's once during my brief stint at a local running store and it didn't go well. I certainly don't mind to coach those things, but not at the elite level and definitely not as my primary focus.
I've always enjoyed circuit training and strength training done right is awesome. And then it came to me, the BOSU. I've used a BOSU a ton of times but never as the focus of a workout and I've always enjoyed it and been quite surprisingly good on them.
Not having a space to teach or train has been tricky for me. I've taught workshops at one facility and have one coming up in February at another but it's been difficult to find something steady. Luckily I'm persistent and Louisville has an abundance of community centers who are more than willing to open their doors and rec spaces for a small fee. After a little negotiation I managed to book myself a space to teach a weekly BOSU Blast class on Wednesday nights starting next week! I'm really really excited about getting in front of people regularly and I finally feel like I'm at least on some kind of track that is heading in the right direction.
I can't call my self the BOSU Master of Louisville or anywhere other than maybe my own home just yet, but I've been using mine (and the ones at the gym) pretty much daily lately and think I just might be on my way. I've got some certification classes and trainings on the calendar for 2014 and whether or not I decide to make it the focus of my career, I know I'll be in damn good shape ;)
every time I see one in a store now, I think of you :)
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