Post Retreat Blues...

[Jean-Paul]

Possibly due to lack of sleep and high level brain functioning while listening to Bill essplain to us everything we ever needed to know about training, but I am just flat out exhausted today. I planned on writing a really in depth review of the retreat, but I just don't have it in me.

Suffice it to say though that it by FAR exceeded my expectations, and I feel like all the attendees agreed. It was great to meet Lou in person. Not at all what I expected from a self-proclaimed "journalist"... I don't picture journalists having that much charisma, and Lou exuded it from every pore.

Bill Hartman surprised everyone, including myself. It is one thing to have all the information in your head, and to be a good writer, but a great presenter is another thing all together, and Bill just had total command of the topics discussed. Just like his writing style, there weren't many wasted words in his talk. Thanks again Bill for coming down. It is really going to be hard to follow this one up! Oh, and I swear to god, Bill looks just like Arnold. He did the best imitation of Arnold I have ever seen too! We were all speculating that Bill was one of Arnold's "love children". [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Seeing all the original crew and all the new faces was way too much fun. I can tell that these retreats are only going to get better and better every year. Its so interesting how such a diverse group of guys who have only met once or for the first time can get together and have such a fantastic weekend. Thanks to all of you for coming. I am already looking forward to the next one.

[MRAINOSEK099989]

posted March 28, 2004 01:50 PM hey jp and bill
great fitness 'seminar' - as always, jp you are a great host and bill - thanks for the tremendous amt of information. if i can remember and use 50% of everything, i could make some real improvements. it is amazing to see and hear the depth of the information you have. hope you know how much you were able to help each and every person here this wkend and how much everyone said they appreciated it.
really enjoyed getting to be there, see friends from last yr and make some new ones. sure everyone who was not able to attend will enjoy hearing about the awesome wkend.

good to see that you started this thread. thought you might be too tired but again you surprise me...

thanks for the information and pictures of the event and everything. hope you can both get some rest after the long hours prepping for the event. heard it made the news and everything. now if you can get me looking like one of lou's models, life will be great!

[Bill Hartman]

Dear Friends,

Since I don’t have the time or energy to write each of you personal letter (6:20 am flights suck!), I just wanted to express my gratitude to all of you for your attention and kind words throughout the weekend. This was by far the easiest “work” I have ever done because at no time did it feel like work. I hope you found the information presented useful and worthy of your time.

Jean-Paul is to be commended for his tireless efforts in putting on an outstanding event. I’m not sure if you all really know how hard JP works at everything from building the business, to family, to playing his guitar. His ethics are far above anyone I have ever met and his success will ultimately be infinite. It was easy to tell how much your presence at the retreat meant to him, and I’m sure you all feel the same way about JP.

I was sorry that some of you couldn’t make it because you did miss out on quite the event (not necessarily my part but rather the entire atmosphere). Testosterone was in the air all weekend (along with a few protein farts I’m sure ). It was good to get a chance to belch, scratch and ogle pretty girls (thanks to the younger guys for attracting them…uh, Danny, perhaps you should try to track down your boxers, she didn’t look all that excited about getting married ).

If Lou gets in here to read this, it was a pleasure to meet you. Your “star quality”, humor, and offerings during discussion truly made the event. I’m glad you made it, and I’m sure all the guys will agree.

The best part of the weekend is that I can now put faces and voices to all of your posts which will only add to the sense of community that JP has facilitated in this forum.

I don’t want to turn this into an Oprah moment, so rather than go on and on, let me thank you all again for making this weekend a memorable event. I encourage all to attend next time around. It will only get better.

Respectfully,

Bill Hartman

P.S. Consider yourselves HARTMAN Certified

[mitsuman47]

Man, what a weekend. I really wish I didn't have to leave so early (even if staying meant that I'd take another beating from Mark in "The Game" [img]tongue.gif[/img] ).

I can't thank JP enough. You're freakin awesome, man.

Bill, thanks for being patient with me. Expect many more questions. [img]smile.gif[/img]

It was great to meet everyone. You're an awesome group of guys. The only thing I didn't like about this weekend is that it had to end. I know we could have easily filled up another day or two.

I'm tired too (I actually had to work today ) , so I kept it short...for now.

[MRAINOSEK099989]

congratulate yourself on winning the game once man - but only once of the several times we played... you are as much a monkey as i am!
i think you you ride very well also. glad i had someone to play the game with since jp won't play because of injuries (i think it is because i beat him once since we haven't played since i won the game...)
you have not changed much since last yr - except you might have gotten taller... and it is good to see the enthusiasm of the youth in weght training. good to hear you are certified trainer and hope you can put it to good use.
get your chain fixed so we can bike more the next time bro. and remember to bring your helmet. saw several head injuries when i was in residency that made me want to wear one all the time i ride!

[TDPurcell]

I have "No Retreat Blues." I hope I can make it next time, and i'm looking forward to hearing more about what you guys learned.

[vin]

OK I just posted this message on MH:

Wow I am definitely too tired to be doing this now...

But, what the hell:

THANKS need to go out to many people, first and foremost. JP for putting this shindig together, offering up his gym and his wisdom for all of us in a real generous manner. BILL!! This guy knows his sh!t, period. And he was more than willing to give us each some one-on-one time which was invaluable. Mahler for buying breakfast Saturday for the ENTIRE crew!! Above and beyond. Mr. Bond for buying me not one, not two, but THREE drinks on saturday night!! Rock on - and if and when you visit NYC, I'd be honored to buy YOU a drink or three.

Just an awesome weekend overall. Random thoughts: What am I doing in Arkansas? Lots of southern accents. When you read posts on JP's board from now on, make sure to read it in a southern drawn, cause that's how most of these dudes sound Cuvr and Dking are going to do something worthwhile in the strength and conditioning world sometime in the relatively near future. They've both got an unbelievable start.

It *was* kind of weird the first half day or so - 20 guys who I basically didn't know. By the time we actually hit the weights on Saturday I was into the swing of things, however. Everyone there was interesting and really cool: Mark takes this whole fitness and nutrition thing to a WHOLE new level; Mitsu IS that skinny, and his real name is Josh Hartnett; Bill Hartman looks so much like Ahhnold that it's kind of eery; JP rocks the hizzouse and really put together a great weekend with his generosity and outgoing personality; get this: Mahler is kind of a goofball! You wouldn't believe it from his posts but goddamn it's the truth; I hope he doesn't take this the wrong way, but I was surprised by Lou's softspoken and articulate manner! I was expecting some testorone advantage super gruff type guy, not the case. It was absolutely fascinating listening to him talk about the fitness and media industry, and more specifically the publications he's worked on.

Oh, and CMAIEJASDNUSDF99 please change yer friggin username already!!

And, there are a bunch of people who I'm not mentioning that I loved hanging out with: quercus (bsmith), fishrctb8, menshealthguy (even though he missed his flight and showed up nearly a day late!!), Vudu of course...volliefiremn who actually fought a fire on Friday night ("no damage to the structure")...

ugh brain fried must sleep...

I hope to see *y'all* next year!!

[Q.]

Big ditto to what vin said!!! It was great getting to know you guys and I hope to build on that.

Woo Hoo, Hartman Certified at last!!! Bring on the BABES... uh, I mean "clients."

[Bond007]

I don't know about the rest of y'all who attended, but my brain is still swimming from all the valuable information it was exposed to Friday night and Saturday. I know those of you who didn't attend want a full account, but I'm having a real difficult time figuring out where to begin. Heh, I live the closest and when I got home yesterday afternoon, I fell asleep on the sofa from sheer exhaustion and information overload. I'll work on getting a more comprehensive post up later today, but suffice it to say:

Southern hospitality is NOT dead, but alive and well in Little Rock, AR in the form of Jean-Paul and Erica Francoeur. I know how hard JP worked to pull off this retreat (and, how many late nights Erica had to put up with as well), and the best way to describe its execution was seamless. You hear people say all the time that when you do something you love, it's not work. JP is a prime example of that. Not even mentioning that just watching and listening to JP makes me tired, as his energy is boundless.

Having Lou Schuler in attendance kicked the whole level of the retreat up a notch. The questions he asked and the conversations he contributed to were fascinating. Lou's passion for fitness is apparent in his journalistic style, but even more than that is his passion for disseminating the best of the best and giving back to his readers was incredibly more apparent in his manner. He really does care about what we think and what we WANT to know about fitness. He definitely takes his job seriously. To him, it's more than just putting out a magazine and making money for his publishers; he really cares.

And, Bill Hartman…WHOA, what a genius, and he’s so modest about it, too. I’ve been working out for 15 years, and after listening and working with him, I realized that I’ve probably wasted 15 years in the gym. Actually, I shouldn’t say that as he told me. I’ve learned 15 years of ways NOT to do things. I’m so envious of the younger guys who attended this retreat as they’re now armed with better knowledge than I had at their young age. They’ll take what they learned and go very far with it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bill at the top of his profession in a relatively short period of time, now. The man not only knows more than I’ve ever forgotten, but he can recall it in a moment’s notice AND put it into terms that anyone can understand. He doesn’t talk down to you; hell, he doesn’t even talk at you. He converses with you and he won’t give up until you’ve acquired an understanding of his topic. He took the time to work with us one-on-one, taking volunteers to demonstrate anything we asked him to. I’m telling you, the ART he did on my shoulder was utterly amazing! But, he didn’t stop there. He helped me with “pre-hab” exercises to gain strength in my scapular region so that I can get back in the gym, and perhaps avoid surgery. And, if that wasn’t enough, he went the extra mile to ask me to keep him updated on my progress and he’d help me search for an ART Practioner closer to me for further re-hab. Working with Bill really helped me to see how it all comes together, how to manage my time better in the gym, how to gain flexibility through movement, improve my gains on a regular basis through auto-regulation, how to calculate timing my workouts to hit my optimal performance level, how to utilize drop-offs, measuring fatigue for optimal gains, etc.

The $99 fee JP charged for this event was way TOO low considering the information, level of expertise, the common sense way it was presented and the camaraderie.

Speaking of camaraderie, getting to know you guys on the forum is one thing, but actually getting together with all of you was totally something surreal. I had a blast the whole weekend; I just wish it could have lasted longer. Just a few thoughts:

Mahler: I certainly hope that your ride in the Bond Mobile didn’t pre-maturely age you! If Ruth finds any new gray hairs, you can go ahead and blame them on me!

FishrCutB8: Bro, what can I say. We missed you last year and it was awesome that you were able to make it this year. Oh, and, thanks for holding my goody bag ransom…

Mitsuman47: My brutha from anutha mutha, you certainly do attract the strange women, don’t you? This poor boy was passed a note while we were eating lunch on Friday asking him if he was 21; Please check yes or no. I guess this sweet young thang wanted to buy the boy a drink!! [img]redface.gif[/img] I’m sure that’s not all she wanted son…..

CMASPE99: Bro, it was awesome to get together with you again. Just a piece of advice, you really need to learn to turn down smokes from strange guys in bars. They MIGHT have ulterior motives. And, you really need to re-think the toenail thing…..

Cuvermodel: I was impressed with your knowledge, drive and intensity last year, and I expected about the same this year. But, you surprised me. You’ve grown up even more and expanded your knowledge, drive and intensity. It’s obvious that you’re going to go far in whatever you set your mind to. Best of luck and I’m looking forward to seeing you again next year and observing even more growth.

Vuduchyld: It’s always a pleasure to have a chance to chat with you, man. I understand the pressure you’re going through, but I know it will turn out for the best. I do wish that we’d had more chances to talk though. Good luck in the future and I certainly hope to see you in the Little Rock area someday!! That would be too cool!!

Dking: You, along with Mitsuman and Cuvermodel, really do give me hope for the next generation. You’ve got your head on straight, for the most part. My only advice to you….if you’ve started drinking, you should stop immediately. Anyone who takes their shirt off in a bar AND gives a bride-to-be his boxers while completely sober does NOT need any chemical encouragement. Seriously, your posts have impressed me ever since I found this forum, and you lived up to my expectations in person. Keep working hard and learning and you too will go far.

Vin: I had a blast hanging out with you Saturday night, even if the “singles” scene turned out to be a little cheesy. I’m definitely going to take you up on the drinks when I’m in NYC in November. Best of luck on the triathlon next month!

Quercus/bsmith: Man, I didn’t get much of a chance to get to talk to you, but I certainly hope that we can use the retreat as a springboard to build a stronger friendship.

Volliefireman: Vollie, it was awesome that you were able to make it in spite of the fire! Keep us posted on the challenges you get involved with this year. We’re all behind you 110%!

Menshealthguy: I’m glad that you did finally make it on Saturday. But, bro, you seriously need a new alarm clock! I hope the time you got to spend with us helped with your stress level just a tad. Oh, and keep in mind, that we’re still willing to form a lynch mob and take care of your “client” problems….

Mark Rainosek: I’m glad that I had an opportunity to get to know you better this year. But, dude, take it easy on the double-fisted butter spray!

Now, I find myself sitting here wondering yet again how in the world JP’s going to top this retreat next year. He did it with amazing ease this time, but damn. I’d have easily paid considerably more than 99 bucks for this.

And, now to be HARTMAN certified to boot! YIPPEEE!!!!

[fitone]

Bond007 the way for JP to top this next year is that I Silas Chen (fitone) will be there. Td or Retreat blues is that we weren't there. .

[Mahler]

A RECIPE FOR MOTIVATION.

Start with:
One group of guys committed to fitness

Add:
One large measure of Bill Hartman for focus and intensity

Blend in:
One measure of Lou Schuller for dedication and class

Season generously with:
Jean Paul Francoeur for energy and spirit

Cook at high temperature for two days.

Results: One fu(king fantastic helping of Instant Motivation. Dig in!

Gentlemen:
I cannot begin to tell you what an awesome weekend the Fitness ’04 weekend turned out to be. Bill Hartman is a man who is like a force of nature. Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Hartman. This man has forgotten more than most fitness experts will know in their lifetimes and he shares it freely and in a way that the average guy can grasp and use. He takes the mysticism out of fitness and filters out all the bullsh!t. His focus and intensity are inspirational and you know instantly that he is capable of working with the elite athlete and the novice with ease and insight and an eye toward their individual needs.
He looks like Arnold and has a great sense of humor. And, even though, at first, you are almost in a state of awe, he can put you at ease immediately and is as down to earth as it gets. Bill, I want to be you in my next life.

I sat across from this guy on the flight into Little Rock. You guys are all familiar with the rules. You don’t stare at another guy, so a quick glance across the aisle revealed a mid-forties, amiable looking fellow reading a magazine. He had a cap on, so the look never clicked. Holy Sh!t. I found out at the hotel that I was sitting 3 feet away from Lou Schuler for the nearly 2 hour flight. Damn, what a missed opportunity to really rag on him about the forum. J/K, Lou. I bust Lou’s chops about things all the time but have the greatest respect for him and the two days in Little Rock only helped to increase that respect. Here is a man with a helluva lot on his plate, taking the time to join the guys and share some insight into his work, the mag and his life in general. Thanks, Lou.

Then there is the chef who concocted this whole marvelous culinary delight; the man who never sleeps. Jean-Paul is as close as you can come to generating pure energy without mechanical means. From the first greeting to the last goodbyes, he was in top form. I know that it is hard for some to understand this of a person I have only met twice, but he is a good friend and someone I respect and trust. I cannot say enough to thank you for getting me involved in these annual life-altering experiences. You, Erika and the children are models of family and hope for our world. Holding baby Ethan in my arms, I somehow felt a transference of some of that energy and spirit that you all seem to enjoy in abundance and carried it home with me to treasure.

A special note about these unique ingredients in our recipe and in no particular order:

Will (vudu): your humor, talent and gentle ease are becoming a highlight of these events. You sing and play a mean guitar. Thanks brother.

Jamie (bond): my chauffer from the airport in his Z3. Damn, this guy does 60 in neutral.
It was great to see you again and share the good times.

Steve (menshealthguy): Thanks for not letting the sandman get you down. I was so glad that you were able to make it in spite of oversleeping. I enjoyed our mini-workout together.

Rob (fishrcutb8): Incredible meeting you, finally, considering we are only about 40 miles away from one another. And I was very impressed by those one-arm pushups. I plan to bruise my face trying them this week. Thus far, I can’t do one. I have always enjoyed your posts and now I know why. You made me feel like a friend the instant we met.

Kevin (vollyfireman) – It was great seeing you again and I was go glad you were able to make it for a longer stretch this time even with putting out those fires.

Brian (vin) – You are absolutely right. I am a goofball. Thank you for debunking the mahler myth. I like to think of myself as a cross between Socrates and Bugs Bunny but usually end up coming off like Homer Simpson. It was great to meet you and talk with you.

Ryan (mitsuman) – You took a lot of teasing about being skinny. You remind me a lot of myself at your age, except I think I was even skinnier. Now look at me. In 35 years you are going to be a mo-fo. Thanks roomie and by the way, stop making the rest of us look so bad by having those babes pass notes to you.

Josh (cuvermodel) – You have bulked up since I last saw you. Just keep it lean, my man. And I am not even going to guess what kind of cardio you are doing these days. I will let the women keep that their little secret.

Danny (Dking) – Man it was great that you were able to make it this year. You were one of the first guys on the forum that made me feel welcome and I have tried to use that as my guide for dealing with others. I do have a suggestion though. Change your screen name to Commando. You get those Minnesota boys into warm weather and they go wild man on you.

Chris (CMASPE99) – You took a lot of ribbing from me about smoking and I really should watch myself , because you are a big guy. You have to keep me, all of us, posted on your fitness challenge.

Brad (bsmith) – It was great to meet you and share some thoughts. You made me feel at ease instantly and are a great conversationalist. I enjoyed our chats over the two days and hope to see you again next year.

Mark (Mark Rainosek from JP’s forum) – You are just too damn dedicated and lean. It was great to see you again and haven’t lost your touch on the Swiss Ball. Long live the king.

Josh Davis – ask JP for a raise. You are worth it. It was great to see you again. For those of you who don’t know Josh, he works as a trainer for JP and for you single guys, one smooth operator. The women of Little Rock need to beware.

It is difficult to summarize the friendship and brotherhood that formed yet again this year and with even more of you. It seemed to me more of a family reunion than a fitness retreat, a gathering of the clan, if you will. For the new guys, you are now a member of the “inner circle.” Thank you all and even if I were only a footnote in the book of your lives, I consider myself privileged.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, as the old saying goes. So after the banquet served up over the weekend, I hit the weights this morning. My best single rep squat was 270 a few months ago. This morning I did 275 for 4 reps. The recipe works. What a meal! ! !

PS:
JP,
I KNOW KUN FU !

In fitness and friendship,

Mahler

[Bond007]

Originally posted by fitone:
Bond007 the way for JP to top this next year is that I Silas Chen (fitone) will be there. Td or Retreat blues is that we weren't there. .

Yeah, it definitely sucks that you weren't able to make it out this year. I know you were really looking forward to it as much as we were looking forward to meeting you. I certainly hope everything goes well with your continued treatment and that you recover fully and soon.

Bset of luck, bro, and we'll look forward to meeting you next year! Hopefully, you'll still be able to become HARTMAN certified.

That man did some amazing things with my shoulder impingement problem. I'm so impressed with him, that I'm planning on getting to Indy more often just to drop in and have him work on me.

[Q.]

Originally posted by Bond007:
Mitsuman47: My brutha from anutha mutha, you certainly do attract the strange women, don’t you? This poor boy was passed a note while we were eating lunch on Friday asking him if he was 21; Please check yes or no. I guess this sweet young thang wanted to buy the boy a drink!! [img]redface.gif[/img] I’m sure that’s not all she wanted son…..

Ryan,

My daughter saw your picture from the CD JP provided and she thought you were cute... with no prompting from me at all! There may yet be hope but I'm warning you... she chews guys up and spits them out fast, dude! You're a great guy so I think she would do well to go out with you... as long as your intentions remain honorable!

[vuduchyld]

Hey, great stuff, guys!

It's almost bed time, but I just wanted to check out this forum to see if there was any way to keep re-living the good times from the weekend for just a few more reading minutes!

[poopy pants]

Originally posted by Q:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bond007:
Mitsuman47: My brutha from anutha mutha, you certainly do attract the strange women, don’t you? This poor boy was passed a note while we were eating lunch on Friday asking him if he was 21; Please check yes or no. I guess this sweet young thang wanted to buy the boy a drink!! [img]redface.gif[/img] I’m sure that’s not all she wanted son…..

Ryan,


My daughter saw your picture from the CD JP provided and she thought you were cute... with no prompting from me at all! There may yet be hope but I'm warning you... she chews guys up and spits them out fast, dude! You're a great guy so I think she would do well to go out with you... as long as your intentions remain honorable! [/quote]I thought she was going out with Anthony G?!

[vuduchyld]

Let me just start by saying this. There is a REASON why almost everybody who attended the 2003 edition also graced us with their presence in 2004!!!! It really IS THAT fun!

It is amazing how well you actually "know" people from communicating with them in this medium over a period of time. Like most, I was really nervous last year. What if I show up and I'm not like these other guys? What if they are all a bunch of big, hulking goons?

If anybody is thinking about coming to a retreat and is scared off by the thought of meeting up with "internet buddies", put that thought out of your head. Attending these two retreats has made me realize that our community here is truly legitimate in its own right an