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For the Tactical officer or those wanting to become one, there are many things to consider. First our jobs are unlike most. I mean when I was a cop I could on some days take four lunch breaks and others, I was lucky to have a power bar or protein shake while driving to the next call. So nutrition is a BIG part of the package. For this, I recommend meal prepping. Now in fire houses and the military food is generally prepared for you, but not so in police work. For the police officer you either brought your lunch or went for fast food. I do NOT recommend the latter. Now our station did have a full kitchen, but if you got a call while you were cooking, you had to turn it off and finish later. So having the basics already prepared was the key to staying nutritionally on track. Additionally, whether you are in the Military, Fire/Rescue or a Police Officer we have a job that can go from sedentary to action in a split second. Not true for the average worker. Therefore, you must be prepared to physically overcome the challenges you face if faced with combat or a fire/rescue. To do this, you must be physically a “jack of all trades.” Perhaps not the strongest person around, but STRONG. Perhaps not the fastest person around, but FAST enough to get to cover under fire, or to escape a burning building that is collapsing around you. You may not be the best at endurance training, but once again you must be FIT enough to meet the cardio needs of your occupation. So you cannot simply train with weights and fail to do cardio. You MUST train for ANY event you may encounter under times of duress. You must be ready for EVERYTHING! And finally, I want to talk about mental fitness. All of the career choices in the Tactical arena can tax your mental fitness. Let’s face it, in all of these career paths we will most likely see dead bodies and people maimed and injured. It can be on the battlefield, in a bad car accident, or some random act of violence. I myself have PTSD from all the “fun” I had at work. Take the time to practice your faith, share your pain with your family or someone else that “get’s” what you are going through and don’t be ashamed to seek professional help if needed. I see too many stories of suicides by veterans of the Militar, Police and Fire/Rescue. Being a Tactical Officer, no matter which branch, is a rewarding career. I loved helping others. Still, the job does come with a high cost. Eating healthy, taking care of your physical fitness as well as your mental fitness are the keys to longevity in challenging fields. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more. Scott

A question that often comes up is, does your metabolism slow as you age. The answer is generally YES, but it does not have to be this way. In general, after our 20’s, we lose about 10 lbs of muscle each decade. While we may not gain or lose weight, it simply means we are losing 10 lbs of muscle and replacing it with fat. Our weight remains the same, but we start to get saggy and flabbier over time. So what can we do? The key to preventing this is weight or resistance training. Muscle burns calories all the time, while fat simply hangs on us for an anticipated famine should one arise. For a comparison, a gram of fat has 9 calories, while carbs and proteins each contain 4 calories. Alcohol contains 7. By building, or at least maintaining our muscle mass over the decades, we can stave off this slowing of our metabolism. To be honest, exercise is the closest thing to the fountain of youth we have yet to find. So you may not be a serious all out fitness nut like I am, but you don’t have to be. If you one, great, but if not I suggest a simple 3 day a week weight/resistance routine, training the whole body. I suggest a simple shoulder exercise, chest, back, legs, biceps, triceps and ab movements. This should help you stay relatively fit, as long as you are also doing some basic cardio like fast walking several times a week. If you want to avoid getting saggy over the coming years, add a simple weight/resistance training program into your life. Your body and self esteem will thank you. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more. Scott

Dieting and losing weight can be tricky. Let’s face it, it is NOT easy. Yet the biggest mistake I see people making that are new to fitness is going ALL IN at once! Now this may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true. If you are new to fitness and have sat on the couch eating potato chips and drinking pop the last 7 years, you simply cannot overwhelm yourself by becoming an “instant perfect athlete.” It simply won’t happen. You will most likely burn out quickly and fall back to your old ways. I have seen this happen. Someone starts out eating the “perfect’ diet, working out three days a week and doing cardio 3 or 4 days a week. If you can make it work, then do it but be cautious. I am not putting this plan down, I am just suggesting for someone new to fitness it may be better to take baby steps. If a new client comes to me and wants to get fit, the first thing I ask them to do with their diet is cut out fast foods and useless calories like pop and start to cook home cooked meals. They don’t have to be perfect meals, but get in the habit of cooking and meal prepping. We can tweak the diet later, but this simple start will get them headed in the right direction. Avoid boxed meals and COOK basic unprocessed meals. You WILL start seeing results from this simple change. Now, the workout design part is my job, but I generally start new clients off with a three day a week whole body workout. This helps establish their fitness base. If you don’t have myself, or another trainer helping you, hit a Shoulder exercise, Chest, Back, legs, Biceps, Triceps, and Ab movements. This is a great beginning point. You can see some of my other posts for extra tips. As for Cardio, mix things up. Maybe Bike one day, then the next day do the Treadmill, or run on a track. Some days push hard for less time, and then next time, go further but at a slower pace. Over time, you will start seeing results, and then you can start tightening things up. Once you have been preparing meals and are comfortable with it, start cutting out pastas and cut back on rice and other dense foods and start preparing healthier meals. Always have a protein with every meal. Buy a good cook book and start preparing meals with healthier ingredients. Continue your workouts but add in subtle changes to keep the body and mind growing and guessing. This baby step approach will help you start getting into the fitness lifestyle without getting so overwhelmed and then quitting. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more. Scott

While I normally share things that are specific as to HOW to improve your Health and Fitness, tonight I am shifting gears. Tonight’s topic is the 3 major things that helped me achieve success in my field as Master Trainer. The first thing is both of my parents and how they raised me. Now, while I will mention that they both bought me this cheap little plastic and concrete weight set when I was 12 for Christmas and it changed my life ( I know own a full gym) , I will not dwell upon it here. It was a huge impact, but I have posted on this before, so I want to discuss 3 OTHER things. The first thing I want to discuss is a strong work ethic taught to me by my parents. To succeed in life, you must work hard at the goals you have set for yourself. You must seriously believe “in your heart” that this is the right path you have chosen. You cannot doubt this goal. My dad worked in the baking industry his whole life, starting out as a truck mechanic, but eventually travelling the world as a consultant as to HOW to set up the design of a successful layout for production lines in his industry. He is the toughest man I have ever met! He would work UNTIL the job was complete, no matter how exhausted he was. On the other hand, my mom worked at the U.S. Post Office for 20 years and was very successful. Still, she had time for us to get us to ball games and practices and whatever we needed. When we were very young, she was our Cub Scouts Master. It was amazing, yet at the time, we never realized HOW much she sacrificed, as most kids don’t. I mean she was simply MOM at the time. We all need to be grateful for what our Mom’s did for us. Now while Parenting and Work Ethic was my first topic, the second will be Diet. This cannot be overlooked for any fitness success. I tell people to get big you MUST eat BIG. Additionally, you must use Portion Control to lose fat, portion control is the key. Not some silly fad diets. My brother and I are both rather big boys, so feeding the two of us, must have been a problem, yet they both did keep us fed and we succeeded. Mom always made home cooked meals including the simple “meat and potato” diet. We rarely ate out and the home cooked meals were what we needed. A good “beef stew” comes to mind when thinking of hardy meals. We occasionally ate out, but our basics were Mom’s home cooked meals. Truth be told, were here meals perfect compared to today’s standards in proper diet, the answer is NO! Yet, it did provide us with what we needed for our goals. When we needed to split wood, my brother and I ate a hardy meal of spaghetti and meat sauce along with a fruit and vegetable. (I didn’t always eat my veggies, but you get the idea.) Hell, she even made this delicious what I call “cheesy potato soup” which I still occasionally make from her recipe. My brother and I would eat until we were almost sick as it was so delicious! I think the difference may well be that we had sports workouts, but also had to do chores like splitting wood, shoveling coal for our furnace and other such labor. It was not easy, and we also would go work on our farm during the weekends. We just never questioned it. It was simply our life. Times have changed. We could get away with not eating super proper, as we were hard workers while also playing sports. The key for me here is these meals were “home cooked.” They were not some processed foods from a box. For a successful athlete today, you MUST not rely upon processed meals, but cook at home and meal prep. Finally, the last and most important thing I learned was to take care of family. Even when eating the “cheesy soup” we met around the kitchen table and discussed what our day consisted of. My Dad’s work day and his problems, my Mom’s problem’s at work, and what my Brother and I did in sports or what we learned at school. (My dad always had a loaf of Nickel’s bread at his feet as he would eat several pieces at each meal.) Today, I think we over think things that bring success in our lives. They are actually simple. I urge you to look back on the important things in life and you may realize it was a good work ethic and family! Unless you are an elite athlete, take life in stride. I am not saying give up and do anything you want expecting fitness gains, but I am saying find time for what’s important. I cannot decide for you what that is, but as I get older, I realize the importance of different things. Things that have meaning in your life. I have always been into fitness and sports and I encourage you to live that life style, but a simple “cheesy potato soup” with family may actually be the best remedy for what ails you. Stay on track with exercise, diet, and your goals, but if you stray, enjoy why you did and get back on track tomorrow. Enjoy your memories! Scott

First, I say it is the TRUE desire to change. Whether it is fat loss, muscle gain or some other sport success goal, you must TRULY want it. You cannot come in and say, “Well I kind of want to lose some weight.” If you do, then don’t contact me. I have been training others for over 26 years now, but cannot change your mind set. This includes what I call the three main factors in fitness success. You must be willing to change your diet, train and have a passion for sticking to your goal. If you only plan on doing one of two of these main factors, you will spin your wheels. You will NOT get the desired results you want and will fail. The second trait is the ability to push yourself. That means both physically and mentally. In the gym, you must try to do more than you did the last time. That can mean adding as little as a pound to your exercises on the next workout or forcing yourself to do one more rep. To grow and improve, we MUST continue to push ourselves. When it comes to this, I explain it this way. If we sit in the sun too long, we get sunburned. The body’s response is to produce more melanin to protect itself. Exercise works in much the same way. If I only do 10 reps of Curls with 10 lbs. for three sets I will never grow. Yet, when I start doing 3 sets of 10 reps with 12 lbs. my body realizes I have damaged myself and it will repair itself. Then it says I will grow a little more muscle, so next time there is no damage. Then once I jump to 15 lb. dumbbells, it repeats the process. This is how the body grows. When it comes to diet, you must also be willing to make changes. Cutting back on carbs, or pop, or pasta or whatever is your nemesis. Now, as I have mentioned before, unless you are a competitive athlete I do suggest a cheat meal through the week. This can be something like pizza, wings or whatever you like that may not be the healthiest. If you and the boys and or girls go out for pizza and beer on Friday, DO IT! If you have been training hard and eating right all week, enjoy a cheat meal. We still have to live life. This keeps us on target and also SANE. If you know Friday you are cheating, stay on track the rest of the week. This is not too much to ask. Finally, the last trait is simply being able to stick with the path you have chosen. So many decide that “I am going to get fit,” and start out with a healthy diet and exercise, but soon quickly fall off. This is particularly true after New Year’s day. If you go to a gym on January 2nd , it will be packed. In three months it is down to only a few. I blame this on trying to do too much too soon. Don’t over think fitness. Consistency is the key. You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be consistent! When I train my clients, I take baby steps. I don’t expect you to eat 100% healthy on day one as well as train perfectly and do your cardio on every scheduled day. Life is real, and it does get in the way. What is important is that you once again are consistent! Miss a meal, OK get the next one in. Did your kid get sick and you had to miss a training session? If so, as soon as they get better, get back on track. You get the point. If you do these three things you will see results. Fitness is about a better life. You do not have to be a professional Body Builder or Competitive Athlete to enjoy what fitness will give you. Do your best and enjoy life to its fullest. Scott If you want to know more, please go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. You can also check out my Youtube channel, Garan Fitness Consulting. Additionally, I have an online training platform where I can help you get results. For more information contact me at any of the above listings or call me at 330-554-1345. Afternoons or evenings are best.

Recently I have been chatting with a guy that MAY want to hire me, but he is on the fence. He asked why he should hire me, instead of just joining some robot fitness app. First, I have personally been training for over 43 years now and have been training others for over 26 years. Experience counts! I am a Master Trainer and am certified as a Personal Trainer, Youth Fitness Trainer, Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, Specialist in Exercise Therapy, Specialist in Body Building, Specialist in Tactical Training as well as a Specialist in Strength and Conditioning all through the International Sports Sciences Association. (ISSA) Additionally I am a certified Nautilus Trainer as well as Physical Fitness Specialist through the Ohio Peace Officer Training Council. Once again experience counts. Second my clients DO get success, IF they follow my guidance. Being a personal trainer is a job where most trainers don’t last long. Competition is strong, so if you don’t get client’s success quickly, you will not last. Once again I have been training others for over 26 years. I know what I call “old school lifts and techniques” that have been lost through time. Purple Planet and other boxed gym trainers use “canned” programs that are one size fits all. Not me, I specifically design your program around YOUR goals whether it is fat loss, muscle gain or something else. I will show you lifts and techniques that you will rarely see in other gyms. Again, I have been personally training for over 43 years. Finally, I am demanding. If you hire me, don’t waste my time if you are not willing to put in the effort and do the work that is necessary to have success. If you are not willing to do the work necessary for success, go somewhere else. My time is limited, and I have problems fitting people into the time slots I have available for one-on-one training. That includes a proper diet, showing up on time for your workout, and being will to do cardio on your own time. I have been doing this for years and will know if you are doing your part or not. If you want results and are willing to put in the time and effort, I WILL get you results! I am Garan Fitness Consulting. Scott Want to know more, visit me at www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or you can find me on Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can visit my Youtube Channel at Garan Fitness Consulting or if you want online training, I have an interactive platform set up for that. Just reach out to me at the above website or at 330-554-1345.

For the last 26 years, I have been training people one on one. My problem is I am running out of time slots to train people, yet I enjoy helping others. Therefore, I now have a platform to train others online. This is a great platform where I can suggest exercises, diet advice and everything else fitness related over the net. What is so great about it as far as I am concerned is I can download videos to show you the specific exercises you need to do. Therefore, you can see HOW to do the proper exercise and I can change the reps and sets used for each exercise, based upon your individual goals. That can be fat loss, muscle gain or sport specific training. It’s like being with me in the gym, but less expensive. The only downside is I am NOT there to spot you, so you have to be cautious when going heavy. Conversely, once you complete a workout you can send me the results and I can make timely adjustments so you can continue to progress. I am a retired detective, but still only 55, so while I don’t need this job I am too young and ambitious to simply sit in front of the TV waiting to die. This is one of the reasons I keep my prices lower than many other trainers. To me, I get to help those that cannot afford the high prices of other trainers and I stay busy so I am not just sitting in front of the TV and watching re-runs of “I Love Lucy.” Covid has changed the face of personal training as so many trainers are turning to online training as an alternative. Personally, I love one on one interaction’s, but if that is not a reliable option for someone, then online training is the right choice. While perhaps not one on one, choosing me is a reliable option as I have been training others for over 26 years now. Few other trainers have that type of longevity. Some do, but this is a business where trainers do not stay in business for long. Why have I been successful at training others for so long? It’s simple. I get my clients results. In the end, if you do not know HOW to design and change a workout plan to progress, find someone that does. If you don’t, you will simply spin your wheels. If you can afford it, I would suggest one on one training. I feel it is the best option. If you are far away from me and that IS AN option find another qualified trainer. There are many out there. If you cannot afford one, or have difficulty with time constraints, then contact me for online training. I WILL get you the results you desire. While I would love to have your business, YOUR success is what is important to me. There is no greater gift than health through a proper diet, exercise and a good cardio program. This is the path for success. If you want to know more, please go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. You can also check out my Youtube channel Garan Fitness Consulting. Additionally, I do online training, so if you are interested you can contact me on my web page or at 330-554-1345. Scott

This is generally a fallacy. In life, if we want something bad enough, we WILL make time for it. This includes getting healthier and working out. Now, I’m not saying it’s always easy, but if you truly examine your life, there are periods of time that you can get some quick exercise in . The great thing is that exercise throughout the day is cumulative. You don’t have to simply “GO TO THE GYM” for an hour and that’s it. If you work at a desk, but get an hour lunch break make simple choices like meal prepping and eating a quick healthier lunch such as rice, chicken and a vegetable, but then take a 20 minute walk for cardio. Every step counts. You can do body squats when others are taking a smoke break. These simple things can make life easier and more efficient. Hey, if they get a smoke break, you should too even if you have to hold an unlit cigarette in your hand when you are exercising. Let them try to fire you for it! If you don’t have time for the gym, buy some adjustable weights and hide them beside your couch. If you are watching a TV program, instead of watching the commercials get a set of curls or overhead extensions in. No one really watches the commercials anyway and we kind of zone out. Body Squats and Burpees can also be added in during the commercials, or Push Ups or many other exercises. I can help you with this, just contact me. Telling yourself you don’t have time is a lie. You CAN make time if you want to change your life. Get up 5 minutes earlier and get in 3 sets of Sit Ups before you get ready for work. You get my point. Being fit is a commitment. It will not happen over night, and especially if you have time constraints, but you CAN make it happen! Make time for your health! If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more. Scott

Now, I will tell you about one client that has now lost over 60 lbs. in about 11 months. That’s over a lb. a week, which is right on schedule. So what did he do to accomplish this? My top three things are a proper diet, resistance training and cardio. This is what has gotten him these results. I will explain more. First, when a client wants to lose weight or gain muscle or both, I do not make them become “super athletes” all on day one. I start off slowly, allowing them to adjust over time. Demanding too much only breeds failure. For diet, I simply ask them to start eating “clean.” This is for both groups. What is clean, try to start cutting out things such as high calorie pop and processed foods. No major changes, but start to home cook food instead of fast food or something from a box. As time progresses, I suggest meal prepping. What is meal prepping? Meal prepping allows you to start eating much healthier and saves time. I say, take several hours on a day off and bake several, (6) chicken breasts and a big pot of rice. Next cook some veggies such as broccoli and asparagus or other veggies and place these pre-made meals in some sealable containers. Now your lunches or dinner are taken care of for most of the week. Simply grab one and you no longer have to buy fast food. Your meals are set. This is meal prepping. Try getting in 4-6 small “feedings” a day, which should include a protein supplement. Next is the resistance training part of the program. Many fear resistance training, but to me it is vital to success. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn, even at rest. Fat does nothing, but muscle is constantly active. Don’t believe me? Go to a gym and look at who looks most fit. The people that ONLY do cardio or those around the power rack and also do cardio? I guarantee you will recognize it is the latter. And while the above is true, I believe we still must do cardio. Cardio helps to burn calories but also protects our hearts. For fat loss, I recommend 5 days of some form of cardio and for those looking to gain muscle instead of fat loss, maybe only 2 days. Changing the body is part science and part art. Having trained people for over 26 years now, I have developed the ability to design programs to get those results no matter if it is to gain muscle, losing fat or both. If you don’t understand how to design a proper program get a good trainer. This does not have to be for a long time, but at least long enough to see how they change the program to get you results. Eventually you can learn what works and implement it yourself. If you want to know more, please go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. You can also check out my Youtube channel Garan Fitness Consulting. Additionally, I do online training, so if you are interested you can contact me on my web page or at 330-554-1345. Scott

As a lifelong athlete and personal trainer for the last 26 years, when I look back at my fitness life, what ONE thing would I do differently? For me, that answer is simple. STRETCH! Back when I was growing up, there was simply not the amount of fitness knowledge that there is now for trainers and coaches. I love my sports coaches as a kid and in high school, but they didn’t make us stretch very much. They molded my life and showed me discipline and a hard work ethic, but STRETCHING…nah! This was a problem that I still deal with. To be honest on the field for football practice we did stretch a good bit, but were not trained that way in the gym. I would touch my toes a few times then throw several hundred pounds on the bar and squat. Even today, I still feel the effects of tight hamstrings. So, for those starting out in fitness or sports I say take the time to stretch. For my clients now, I teach them a basic stretching routine that they do before and after a workout. I do it before as it gets the joints and muscles ready for the work ahead. They do it after, as when the muscles are warmed up from exercise they are pliable, so you can really work on that flexibility. After a workout is time to really work on flexibility. My basic routine is arm circles, both forward and backward. Cross body stretch on both left and right, chest stretch, hamstring stretch bending down the slide both left and right. Then a quad stretch and finally calf stretches. (If you are unfamiliar with these movements you can Google them or contact me.) I have my clients do each movement several times for about 10-15 seconds before moving on to the next movement. Stretching properly WILL improve your athletic ability. Please don’t make the same mistake that I did. In the end, a proper diet, training and stretching program as well as a cardio program are all required to be a healthy athlete. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, visit my Youtube page, Garan Fitness Consulting for videos on different exercises and training tips. Recently I gave away a free basic workout program to those that requested it. I have now updated that from not only specific exercises, but also different set up tips, to keeping your workouts interesting and productive. If you are interested in the free update, contact me at scottgaran@garanfitnessconsulting.com, and I will sent it to you. Scott

I guess I have always been into fitness or sports. In my youth, I played what we called “midget league” football. (Probably not politically correct today, but we were 7 through 10 year olds and it was the 70’s.) In middle and high school I was an athlete, and in college I played rugby. In all I played rugby for 12 years until I was 29, when I finally realized younger people get off the ground quicker than I could. Hahah. Plus being a police officer for a living, I realized a sport could ruin my career had I blown out me knee or had some other serious injury. So you see being healthy was part of my life. As a police officer, fitness was required simply to do my job. To be truthful every year I got older, but drunk 18 year olds that wanted to fight just kept coming year after year and I just got older. So staying in shape was a must. I was placed in charge of fitness training for my department in 1995 and ran a fitness incentive program I developed. Extra money for staying in shape was always nice around Christmas when I tested my people. I started weight training when I was 12 when my parents bought me a cheap little weight set and bench for Christmas. My friends and I trained in my bedroom. Today I own a complete gym with thousands of pounds of weights and machines and other equipment, but I still own a few of those cheap weights just to remind me of my humble beginnings. My parents started me on this fitness journey and I am forever grateful. Today I got to share the knowledge I have learned of the past 26 years training others with two 14 year olds. They are strength training for football and rugby. I pray they get the fitness bug like I did. It seems they have. Training can become an addiction. I am now however, 55 and things have changed. I found out I have a bad heart valve. It was devastating news as my docs said no more heavy lifting. At least super heavy like before. I guess heavy is relative depending on certain factors. So I have made a few changes in my life. I have dropped about 56 lbs. now and much of it was muscle. It was painfully hard to do, but it was needed. I no longer have to be as big as I was when I was a cop. Today, a much smaller me simply shares the knowledge I have learned over the past 43 years of training, and the past 26 years training with my clients. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but losing the weight will increase my time on earth here for my family and pets. My point here is, that I urge you to accept what changes you need to make in YOUR life whatever that means. One of the hardest personal struggles I have ever had was dealing with PTSD from my days as a cop. Admitting I needed help was something that I struggled with, but in the end I realized I needed it or I would die at an early age. I went to several head shrinkers that changed my life. Just like this decision, losing a lot of weight and muscle was hard, but in the end it was a must. I urge you to live the fitness lifestyle. Train, eat healthy, drink plenty of water and get your much needed rest. Still, make choices for YOU! Do what is necessary for YOUR life. Losing muscle was very emotional for me, but in the end it was what was BEST for me. Make decisions not on what others say, but what is best for you. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, visit my Youtube page, Garan Fitness Consulting for videos on different exercises and training tips. Stay Healthy Scott

Not to toot my own horn, well maybe a little, but I have been training others for over 26 years now. How did I accomplish this length of time training others in a business where success is short. It’s simple, my programs WORK. I get results. I am a Master Trainer, with certifications as a Fitness Trainer, Youth Trainer, Specialist in Fitness Nutrition, Bodybuilding Coach, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Tactical Conditioning Coach, Specialist in Exercise Therapy all through the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA.) Additionally I am a Physical fitness Specialist through the Ohio Police Officer Training Council and certified Nautilus Trainer. One problem with many trainers is that they have what I call “canned” programs. Essentially one size fits all programs that they assume will work for everyone. That is NOT what I do. This is what you generally get going to Purple Planet or other box gyms. I specifically design my programs around your goal! Want to lose weight, I can help. Want to gain muscle, I can do that too. Want to be a body builder, I can design a program starting with a strength building phase, then hypertrophy (muscle size) phase, then a cutting phase. That’s one big difference from me and other trainers, but much of that comes from my 26 years of experience. I am not knocking all other trainers, just saying experience means a lot! Secondly, while I may have a set goal in mind such as strength building for a client, I believe in constant change. Change is key. It does two things. It keeps the body guessing so as not to get routine, but it also keeps the mind guessing. Clients come in and say what does Scott have for me today? For example, we may hit shoulders with heavy lateral raises on one day and the next time we do shoulders it can be lighter weights for a military press for 15 reps. Keep the body and mind guessing. Sometimes I will go off the charts and do a cardio boxing/weight workout. Now, the primary focus is still the same, say strength, but adding in different variables gets results. Finally, I connect with my clients in more than just a personal trainer/client relationship. I share stories about my life and fitness journey and even things like my personal struggles such as PTSD from my time as a cop. It makes me relatable. Listen, we all struggle and have different paths, but sharing lets the other person know that we are all still human. I have had two woman break into tears as we talked. It was uncomfortable, but they shared things with me they were holding deep inside. Maybe they didn’t have anyone to share with and I was the one they trusted to talk to. I do not expect everyone to share their life with me. They can keep it private and I can just be their trainer, but if they need an ear, I am also there. I also have my own struggles. We all do. I am that person that would never share anyone else’s struggles with someone else but am here to listen. Maybe that is why people share their personal struggles with me. In the end, when and if you decide to find a personal trainer, do your research. A good trainer will push you and get you results! That is any good trainer, whether it’s me or someone else, but be careful of those that do not take your specific goals into account. A good trainer will design the program around YOUR goals, not make you fit into their program. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, visit my Youtube page, Garan Fitness Consulting for videos on different exercises and training tips. Scott