No magic pill

[Aoife]

or last thing in the shower.

[Phaedrus49er]

shoulder PNF x 5/side
hip PNF x 5/side
ankle glides x 5/side

rope skip x 4 @ 90sec, 90RI
double-under x 5, 30RI

circuit x 3, 90RI
--static inchworm x 5
--V-up x 10
--Russian twist x 10/side @ 6kg KB
--back bridge x 60sec



Notes:
--The first round of low-intensity rope skipping was on the smooth tile on the patio. The foot didn't like that too much, so I moved to the wooden deck with no further issues. I figure if I can't run, I can at least sub-maximally jump, albeit in thick socks and thick-soled shoes. Meh.
--The core circuit called for an ab wheel and back extensions, neither of which is an option, so I subbed in the static inchworms and back bridge, respectively. Meh.
--All the meat is gone from Saturday's cookout, which is amazing. Better yet, most of the bread (buns) is left, mainly since I decided to use all the leftover single lettuce leafs as my "bread" for sandwiches and such. Not only is it healthier, but it's a cooler option to bread in summer, so I may be doing more lettuce since I haven't bought a loaf of bread for me since April. In fact, the only "bad" stuff left is some really awesome Mexican bean dip Mr. Taggart and some potato salad. Neither will last. I'm bucking the body comp trend by bulking during the summer
--Today is my last day filling in on evenings at work. I LOVE this schedule, and I HATE having to go back to my regular one, but dems da berries. It's just so much easier to get everything done by working later in the day.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by Aoife

or last thing in the shower.

Now Aoife, as big a tree-hugger as you are, I know you wouldn't want me wasting water like that.

[sidonia]

So lemme get this straight, you wanna work with kids, and you took in a stray kitten for the night? Dude you're killing your rep.

[Phaedrus49er]

Originally Posted by sidonia

So lemme get this straight, you wanna work with kids, and you took in a stray kitten for the night? Dude you're killing your rep.

Pay attention to the workouts, not the peanut gallery!!!

[Aoife]

Originally Posted by Phaedrus49er

Now Aoife, as big a tree-hugger as you are, I know you wouldn't want me wasting water like that.

ya turn the water off. that's what gurlz do.


just like they work with kids and take in stray kittehz for the nite.

[Phaedrus49er]

Video's finally up. And yes, I'm still shilling hits to my blog

[Phaedrus49er]

Okay, I've thrown this out over at Training Anarchy, on Twitter, and on Facebook, so here's a compilation:

This thread is aimed at all the setup work involved before actually starting the work. I'll obviously base my questions on my own stuff, but hopefully, this can serve as a template or repository for anyone else here looking to start a business.

Gimmicky or not, The E-Myth Revisited pegged me to a "T" as far as how I was going to approach setting up and running my training business (read: not too good). And again, gimmicky or not, all the preliminary work it suggests makes a lot of sense, and I'm fully prepared to put the time and effort into it. My plan of action is:

1a. Continue with the certification work (have YCS1, will start working on YCS2 as soon as the materials arrive next week).

1b. Script three months' worth of training sessions per age group (four separate targeted groups plus an all-ages group) to the point where someone off the street could hack through running a group (not that I plan to have a sub that's not also a YCS).

1c. Determine, in theory, what roles would ideally be fulfilled by different people rather than just me, even though it's going to be just me for the foreseeable future, and set up the division of labor and SOPs for each position.

1d. Develop a questionaire (web-based) for current and prospective parents that asks practically everything, from costs, days, times, and venues to preferred shapes, colors, dress (mine, not theirs), and so on (I'm going to need some help here). Completing the questionaire produces a voucher for one free, sample training session.

2a. Develop a logo, color, and font scheme for any marketing materials.

2b. Design and launch website. Visuals will incorporate 2a. Content will focus on general information as well as addressing data from questionaires.

3. Start some free, low-level advertising (Facebook, Craig's List, blog, message boards, etc) for those sample sessions that will double as information sessions. I can more than likely also get some air time on my station's weekend morning news program (again, free to me).

I have a LOT more to do, but that will probably take me through the summer. Comments? Suggestions? Snide remarks?

Honestly, I hate to think this way, but the area where I am should be a cakewalk as far as prospects.

So I'm at the point of making an online survey. Two questions:

1. Anyone have a recommended site or two? Free, of course, and as easy to use as possible without spam, pop-ups (for users), etc.

2. Which questions do I include? I mean, I have a decent idea of what to ask (see OP), but I'm sure I'd get more and better responses if I limit the questions to twenty instead of, say, fifty or a hundred.

I really want/need to get this ball rolling, and since I'm already certified, I can get all of the OP going while I work on YCS2. So, parents, chime in!

Here are the areas (off the top of my now-bald head) that I'm interested in:

--Schedule (days, times of day)
--Cost and payment options (leaning heavily toward auto-draft from PayPal only)
--Imaging/Branding (logo, color scheme, etc)
--Media consumption (so I know where to advertise after the freebie stuff)
--Eligibility (allowing five-year-olds--already getting this question, adults w/ and w/o kids, etc)
--Venue (public park versus indoor facility, receptiveness to "training" in picnic shelter during rain, etc)

What's missing from the above quote?

Advertising for surveys (and later the actual business) would be:

Twitter, Facebook, Craig's List, *shudder* MySpace. I don't want to go onto parenting forums and websites and such just yet. I'm somewhat hoping that the kids might see the ad as well and so tell the parents.

I may also do a print version of this (to stick in mailboxes around the neighborhood) and rent a PO box for all business-related correspondence (if I can justify either expense).

If you're already in one of the other places of discussion, no need to repeat stuff here if you don't want. I'm not quite at a point of wanting to post this in the business subforum.

[Celestialmom]

Originally Posted by sidonia

So lemme get this straight, you wanna work with kids, and you took in a stray kitten for the night? Dude you're killing your rep.

So I already gave my .02 on fb, so straight to the point--this is just what I was thinking!!!

[Phaedrus49er]

What exactly is/was my rep anyway? Just want to know where I need to get back to. Maybe I should go the other way and grow all my hair out.

[Bytsi]

An idea for next time you shave...

[Phaedrus49er]

Funny you posted that since I just did my first self-service shave (of the head, you pervs--wait, that sucks, too FML). Anywho, the girl who did the initial shave stayed with the grain, but I went against it since it never really felt smooth. Man, finished off with some baby oil, and I just wanna rub my head--wait wut?

Seriously, though, lots of razor burn as expected, but going against the grain got it all smoothed out with no fuzz. I'm pretty sure I figured out how bald guys keep the shine up there (baby oil), but I'm going to need that shine for awhile if I'm going to condition my head to be like this (still debating long-term). That said, I think I did a pretty good job, at least from what I can see (back feels smooth, but who knows what it looks like). I don't think my regular razor is going to be up for it long-term, though.

[Aoife]

shaving with is silly. shaving against is ok, but yeah, if you're not careful burn. shaving across the grain works pretty well, akshully… and then if you still need to do a pass against… less burn. A better razor will help with burn too.

[Phaedrus49er]

Indeed. I went across and against but never with (I think it was ALL with on Saturday). I'll give it through another replacement blade, but if I end up wanting to keep it after that, HeadBlade is going to have another customer. Maybe I can get Roland some referral credits.

[Phaedrus49er]

So, color scheme is decided. Logo/Design scheme is about 75% there. And no, I'm not telling (publicly)

[Phaedrus49er]

shoulder PNF x 5/side
hip PNF x 5/side
ankle glide x 5/side

alternating 1-hand KB swing, 60RI
--3 @ 24kg, 3 @ 24kg, 3 @ 24kg, 3 @ 24kg, 3 @ 24kg (per side)

1-arm KB jerk, 60RI
--3 @ 18kg, 3 @ 18kg, 3 @ 18kg, 3 @ 24kg, 3 @ 24kg (per side

SUPERSET
1-arm KB floor press, 0RI
--5 @ 18kg, 5 @ 18kg, 5 @ 18kg, 5 @ 18kg (per side)
+
incline clap push-ups, 60RI
--8 @ BW, 8 @ BW, 8 @ BW, 5 @ BW

SUPERSET
wall squat, 0RI
--60sec @ BW, 60sec @ BW, 60sec @ BW, 60sec @ BW
+
squat jumps, 120RI
--10 @ BW, 10 @ BW, 10 @ BW, 10 @ BW



Notes:
--Amazing what you can get done on your front porch, ain't it?
--I know I've been trying to avoid pressing motions, but the above was the closest I could get to modifications for (a) minimal actual pressing and (b) being at home. I wasn't concerned about the jerks since that's a form thing, so the actual press is minimal, just the shoulder stabilization, which I need anyway. The floor presses were very deliberate in their setup, so the shoulder wasn't flying out. The push-ups were done on a step, so the shoulder angle was essentially below horizontal. I caught myself on a couple occasions trying to cheat with my left trap, but at least I caught it before I actually did it.
--I hate wall sits, especially when the GymBoss won't let you fudge on the rest intervals. I did manage to hit the target times, though, which surprised me.
--Lots of brainstorming and re-reading on the business side of things today, which will continue after a shower and into tomorrow. My goals for when I go back to work on Friday will be to have the color and design scheme decided, and to have half of the survey questions written, which is turning out to be a little more challenging that I thought (if the questions just won't come, I'll instead work on some SOPs).
--Baby oil doesn't dry out anywhere close to semi-quickly, which I suppose is kinda the point. However, it does make for a Soul-Glo leftover on the exercise mat (minus the hair).

[Aoife]

I always rub down after using baby oil. But then, I don't use it on my bald head… so what do I know?

[Phaedrus49er]

Off day, though I did write up the next workout. King Kong-sized fail on the diet, but I did manage to get some studying done. Not really any further along with the biz side except for making up how the freebie/Q&A session would go. I accidentally the Broken Steel add-on for Fallout 3. Oops.

[sidonia]

Did you run into one of these?

[Phaedrus49er]

I wish. That would've been healthier, but no, just polishing off the last of the cookout leftovers (read: small-ish container of Mexican bean dip... and some cookies... then someone brought home a Sonic footlong and tots...). I should've at least made coffee because I was having a helluva time concentrating yesterday. Only got one chapter (re)read on my IYCA stuff, and I can't call the freebie/Q&A done because I'm still tweaking it. The survey stalled because I don't really think I need to do the test marketing stuff since I'm 99% sure the market is there; instead, I need to put together questions more relevant to my product that the market would already be considering. Today, I've been pulling stuff for website content, so yeah, I'm a little all over the place right now.

Did I mention I started an add-on for Fallout 3? Yeah...

[Lost Dog]

I have this stuff. http://www.headblade.com/Merchant2/m..._Code=headcare



I prefer the matte finish version, though.

[Phaedrus49er]

Cool, thanks. It's nice to have some hand-holding in this venture. I haven't decided yet if I like glossy or matte (right now, I see the difference between baby oil and no baby oil). At this rate, I'll be making the investment--it's just much easier (not to mention cheaper) to do this rather than have to plan a week ahead of time to get a haircut and then drive a half-hour or more to actually get it (not going back to the place down the street).

[Celestialmom]

Were those incline clap pushups as in: feet elevated?! If so, nice.


(If not, I guess you're a wimp?)


Well, except for the rest of the workout...

[Phaedrus49er]

Nah, hands elevated about two steps up. I readily admit to being a push-up wimp. Lots of shoulder stabilization work (mostly scapular depression) to do for awhile.

[Phaedrus49er]

Cotter qigong x 5

circuit x 5, 30RI
--burps x 30sec
--jumping jacks x 30sec
--split shuffle x 30sec
--burps x 30sec
--jumping jacks x 30sec
--mountain climbers x 30sec



Notes:
--86F. 92F heat index. Iz drippy.
--Megafloppin' props to Vuduchyld for a lot of pointers on the business stuff (he kinda does the small business startup thing for a living). I thought I had a lot of reading before. Holy hell, it's getting insane. I did, however, get about halfway through the motor development chapter in the textbook, so I got that going for me.
--Must wipe off keyboard now.

[gregl515]

Originally Posted by Aoife

shaving with is silly. shaving against is ok, but yeah, if you're not careful burn. shaving across the grain works pretty well, akshully… and then if you still need to do a pass against… less burn. A better razor will help with burn too.

Um yeah. Now I have some thoughts I have to get rid of.

[gregl515]

Originally Posted by Aoife

I always rub down after using baby oil. But then, I don't use it on my bald head… so what do I know?

This is not helping me get rid of those thoughts.

[Phaedrus49er]

It rubs the lotion on the skin...

[Phaedrus49er]

circuit x 3, 0RI
--Turkish get-ups x 5/side @ 12kg
--DL twist x 6/side @ 18kg
--V-ups x 10

finisher
--front plank for max time = 45sec



Notes:
--This was supposed to go at the end of yesterday's workout, but it just wasn't happening. Besides, these weekends when I have to get up at 4am, I'm lucky to get ANYthing done.
--TGUs continue to be more of a shoulder stabilization movement than a core stabilization one. I deliberately use lighter weight than what would really challenge my core so that I can focus on the shoulder, which is still very tricky.
--I probably could've held the plank longer had I not downed a few cookies right before the workout. Oops.
--Finished up reading the motor development chapter, which included some really nice, detailed ways to coach through it. Business-wise, I was a little scattered again since the general social-networking questions have kind of run out, and especially since Opera ate, oh, every business development bookmark I'd saved for the past several months. At least the vast majority of those 100+ links are archived in my RSS reader, but still, PITA. I did install Dreamweaver today, so now that I've got a lot of content floating around in my head and in various notes tucked away, I can start toying with the website, which will help me focus my sales pitches. I still swear by hypertext (as concept as much as practice) as a prime way to organize information after it was taught to me that way back in grad school (before, it was manuals and lists and such). At least I did start a quasi-private quasi-blog, so at least most of the stuff is migrating to one place.

[Phaedrus49er]

This morning's first business-related thought (after website discussions): target clientele. I know that this training style is appropriate for all ages, but I'm thinking I may have more success by focusing on younger children (5-9 years old) to start:

--Programming would be easier since it'd be mostly games.
--It'd be a good "warm-up" to training for me since I'd be concentrating on a smaller population segment (no pun intended).
--This age group (especially the younger young 'uns) is less likely to already be heavily involved in sports, if at all, so this would be a first option rather than a supplement or substitute.
--The website and other marketing materials could be tailored to simple shapes, bright colors, and other kid-friendly elements that parents would latch onto.
--Parental involvement is likely higher in this age group, so the parent-child training option would be more easily marketed. This would also be an "in" to the adult population who could be given the option of adult-only sessions.

What am I missing?