Author: Eric Moss

 

Updates with Covid-19 and my personal training studio

This past Saturday, Governor Murphy mandated many more places to be closed. I believe it’s still a grey area and the patrons of my personal training studio are at minimal risk (it’s the same few people, not very many of them and we wash and disinfect before and after etc.). Physical therapy places are allowed to stay open and that’s pretty close to what I do. While they do rehab, I do prehab.

However, after speaking with my attorney he advised me to go virtual for the time being. So until I hear that it’s ok to be open my personal training studio on Main Street will be closed. Many businesses have been saying that it wasn’t an easy decision.

This actually was an easy decision for me to make simply because it wasn’t my decision in the first place. And though I’m bummed that I can’t train my clients in person, I get it.

Every failure plants seeds for success. With this, it has forced my hand into structuring a way of training people remotely and hopefully not compromising the effectiveness of my training programs.

This can actually be better for me and the war against weakness long term.

If you aren’t familiar with me, in addition to being a personal trainer, I’m also a modern-day performing strongman (I perform feats of strength like bending steel and breaking chains as part of a live show). Many times following my shows, I’ve had people ask to train with me, some even saying they would drive 4 and a half hours to make it to my studio to train with me in person.

And although I think I’m pretty good at training people obviously this wouldn’t be a good strategy for anything past 1 session. But now with training remotely this opens up new opportunities to be able to work with people that normally wouldn’t have that opportunity.

If you are interested in this, drop me a line at StrongmanEricMoss@gmail.com.

There will be some google forms for you to fill out that will ask about your health history, your goals, what equipment you have access to etc. From there I’ll do a video assessment, and write out a detailed customized program for you to do on your own.

And until we can work together in person, stay healthy, stay strong and stay safe.


Eric Moss is a world-record-holding modern-day professional performing strongman, author, motivational speaker, and personal trainer. In the tradition of the strongmen more common during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is located on Main Street in Boonton New Jersey, is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, Montville and Parsippany New Jersey.

How I am dealing with the Covid-19 scare in my personal training studio

With the coronavirus affecting schools and a lot of businesses, a lot of them are closing down temporarily. Big box gyms are considered to be a hot ground for this sort of thing because you might have 50 or so people from who the heck knows where breathing heavy and sweating. Group exercise classes can be the same.

However, my personal training studio is considered semi-private/small group personal training. Sometimes it’s one on one, sometimes it’s one on a few (5 at the most). I don’t have a ton of people, it’s the same people (no walk ins) and I also know where they’ve been, so the risk is considered low.

And until I’m forced to, I’ll stay open and am doing what I can to stay on top of it so as to minimize any kind of spreading. Here is a list of what I am doing.

-Any personal training client that doesn’t feel well or simply just wants to make sure are instructed to just stay home for a bit.

-Prior to training, wash your hands. Do this at the end also.

-Equipment that will be used will be disinfected both before and after use.

-Hand towels will be replaced with disposable paper towels.

-Evening hours will end by 8pm because the mandated curfew. Though I don’t know what difference that makes.

– A general cleaning (mopping with disinfectant) will be done twice a week at the minimum. This depends on how many people train during the week. The disinfectant is also at a higher concentration than normal.

-The free trial membership will be temporarily suspended unless by referral from a current personal training client. The reasoning for this is that I don’t know who they are and whether or not they may have been in contact with someone infected. At least with regular clients, I can determine the likely risk. And with referrals from current clients, we can discuss whether or not whoever they are referring will pose an unnecessary risk.

I’m also open to suggestions about how to keep everyone healthy and safe.

I believe with all of these in place we can minimize risk, continue getting people healthy (which goes a long way to fighting the disease) and do our part in containing it without compromising the former.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Nick Fury in the Avengers

Stay healthy, strong and safe everyone.


Eric Moss is a world-record-holding modern-day professional performing strongman, author, motivational speaker, and personal trainer. In the tradition of the strongmen more common during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is located on Main Street in Boonton New Jersey, is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, Montville and Parsippany New Jersey.

The Terminator Mentality, the Optimal Mindset for Massive Transformation

A couple of years ago, I had a relatively well-trafficked blog dedicated to fitness. I stopped paying attention to it as I worked on other ventures and ownership of it had expired without me knowing. The blog was lost. C’est la vie.

One of my more popular posts back then was about what I call the terminator mentality when it comes to massive transformation and goal achievement.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was tremendously influential to me. For one, he was the big strong guy that always had the best one-liners, and was unstoppable. As a youth who was rather meek, this is what I wanted to be, and actually is something I pay a bit of tribute to on stage during my strongman performances. If you’ve ever heard my one-liner after my finale feat “I need a vacation” that’s a direct reference to a quote in T2.

When Arnold was originally cast for the movie The Terminator, they actually wanted him to be the hero (later portrayed by Micheal Biehn).

He said “No, give me the role of the terminator.” And the rest is history. He exemplified the role not just because he looks the part. He exemplifies it in the way he thinks.

Image result for arnold schwarzenegger motivational poster
Arnold Schwarzenegger

With the terminator, it is the same way. The terminator was a machine sent back through time to destroy the future by killing humanity’s savior before he was born. He had one goal and was single-minded about accomplishing it.

Things that weren’t in line with the goal were either cast aside or destroyed while it was pursuing its mission. It didn’t whine, it didn’t complain, it didn’t get sidetracked. It would do everything in its power to do it.

For massive transformation, this is the mentality that it takes. You just simply have to do the things. You are either doing the program, or you aren’t. You are either following the diet or you’re not. Do the things and get the results, or make excuses and stay the same.

Now is this the way to live? Absolutely not. I tell my clients, life is for living. There is more to life than lifting heavy things and eating like a rabbit.

However, for short term heavily structured burst programs (as Dan John would say Bus Bench programs)….this is the way to do it. You just have to keep your head down and be single-minded in your mission in order to be able to expect the outcome the program promises. Then you can relax a bit and enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

In the past couple of years, superhero movies have led to a lot of interest in getting the Superhero physique. People want to know about their training programs.

What people should be reading about is their mindset. These people have tremendous levels of work ethic and motivation. They need to look a certain way for their role and will do whatever it takes to achieve it. Having a couple of million dollars on the line can be tremendous motivation.

“I’ve found it’s 80 percent psychology and 20 percent skills.”

Tony Robbins

So how do you know if you are on the right track? Get a proven program, learn what is required of the program. And then everything you do is a choice determined with a simple question.

“Is this in line with what I’m supposed to be doing?”

If you need that proven program and are willing to put in the effort then perhaps Amazing 12 is for you. I now save that only for the most dedicated members. Amazing 12 is all about what’s optimal, but that also comes with the optimal mindset for success. I’m actually putting together an application form to make sure they really are ready.

The more relaxed approach that builds incrementally over time is what I recommend for most people. Then when they get a bit of success under their belt and have shown me that they’re going to follow the program maybe I can put them through the Amazing 12.

If you enjoyed this article please share it.

If you need help and think I’m the one to help you, let’s talk.


Eric Moss is a world-record-holding modern-day professional performing strongman, author, motivational speaker, and personal trainer. In the tradition of the strongmen more common during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is located on Main Street in Boonton New Jersey, is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, Montville and Parsippany New Jersey.