Not Feelin' the Love

What’s Up Cygen-Cyber Spacers? This posting is going to PI$$ A LOT OF YOU OFF, haters hate, that’s why there is a comment section below; AGREE/DISAGREE – let your opinion be seen. THE FITNESS INDUSTRY IN CANADA IS A JOKE! Can anyone of you reading this article name a top tier Canadian bred Strength and Conditioning Coach? Who is the first person that pops into your head when you think Top level Trainer in Canada – Jonathan Chaimberg, Tom Europe, Paul Plakas, Matt Nichol, Brian Grasso, Craig Ballantyne, Harley Pasternak, Ian Walling, Marc Lebert, Peter Twist, Maureen Hagan, Lyzabeth Lopez, Tosca Reno? Maybe you recognize these names, maybe you don’t – I’m going to side with the likelihood that you might, and I stress might, recognize one possibly two names on that list. Why is that?

Of that list, several have moved to the United States and become recognizable names in the fitness industry south of the border. Is it due to a bigger population? Are there greater opportunities for recognition? Better pay? What drives professionals such as these to pursue their passion in the United States – why not stay here in Canada?


Why is Strength and Conditioning a topic that is rarely discussed if discussed at all here? It’s no secret that in order to improve performance you need to get stronger. If that is the case why are trainers/coaches such a scarcity to come across in this country? The problem exists because we allow it to – we have allowed ourselves to be modest, tamed and demure; we’ve become domesticated kittens when we were born to be LIONS!

Sport and fitness have by extension become options when the hard fact is they should be woven into the tapestry of our society as should strength training for sport. So many positive lessons are to be gained from sport and in the weight room that the values learned and reinforced through these avenues last a lifetime!


Now I know that our pastime is hockey (our national game is actually lacrosse – by the way) and that a lot more attention is being garnered toward the value of “dry-land” training at grassroots levels but what about other sports? Women’s under – 18 soccer is one of the fastest growing sport populations in Canada – yet how much attention does this sport get from local cable stations? Why are there not strength and conditioning coaches associated with more grassroots teams, regardless of what sport, across the country – and by extension why is there not funding to pay for these positions?


There are not enough recognized professionals in the field of strength and conditioning in Canada and what professionals we do manage to produce leave for the United States or elsewhere. Let me qualify what a professional is; a professional is more than an individual that spent a weekend getting their accreditation; a professional is the perfect blend of academia (theory), experience (practical) and teaching (technical) skill. This breadth of knowledge and fusion of competency is not something that one can accrue in a weekend and to think so is what makes a mockery of the profession in Canada.

Governing bodies that fail to have a gatekeeper at the door are the source of the problem – these bodies are nothing more than a quick cash grab and place members of the general public at risk. There is no standard to be upheld – or held accountable to for that matter. More publicity, better salaried positions from the grassroots levels up (for all sports) and higher required qualifications for entry into the field are only the start of solving the problem and keeping our most skilled coaches on Canadian soil.


I encourage a full out revolution at the source – amidst the people; bring fitness back into the grade schools, playgrounds and parks! Make “fitness” play and use any means at your disposal to get in shape and stay in shape – for LIFE! WAKE UP PEEPS and demand more of yourself and the profession that you are so passionate about; continue learning, continue growing, and continue to challenge those individuals who would seek to conform you and cage you in their mold. Be the LION you were breed to be!