Hello Transform Fitness fans!
My name is Selim Tlili. I am a high school science teacher and I write professionally about about science and education. I've been a Transform Fitness client since 2019.
My apologies for such a delayed newsletter. My goal is to get these out at the beginning of each month.
Unfortunately I have been laid up with some kind of foot neuropathy and haven't been able to workout for almost a month!
The good news is that I will be back this week at the gym! I am really excited about getting back into the swing of things.
I am also meeting with and collaborating with the Transform Fitness partner Ashleigh Gass, the owner of Move GST, located in Clearwater Florida. Ashleigh has been collaborating with Paul and Nick for awhile to bring nutrition programs that help people doing Gymnastics Strength Training to their full potential. I am really looking forward to working with her and sharing what I learn with everyone here!
I spent a little bit of time interviewing Paul and Nick and I have been meaning to share their thoughts with you. Below is an abridged version of the conversation I had with Paul. My Nick interview will be coming soon:
Selim: You went from bodybuilding to GST. What prompted that drastic physical change and focus?
Paul: I still love body building but as I got older I saw that body building is not sustainable for me. The whole motivation behind body building is to build muscles to their greatest possible size, density and symmetry. But how do you sustain that body after you are done competing?
Selim: You can't!
Paul: Bingo! The chronic injuries kept piling on and I saw as I was coming to the end of my amateur body building career that I needed to find a different way to continue to develop that wasn't so one dimensionally focused. GST has allowed me to build myself with a more holistic approach that forces me to think about my tendons, ligaments, fascia and all my body beyond my muscles.
Selim: What is your favorite skill to work on?
Paul: Favorite isn't exactly the word I would use but I think I value the time I get doing handstand related exercises. The handstand forces you to work on muscles that you don't normally get to focus on and it also forces you mentally to work from a different perspective. I like the elegance of how working from a different orientation opens you up physically and mentally.
Selim: I guess that answers my question about what skill do you think most people would most benefit from improving?
Paul: Obviously all of the skills are beneficial but if I could get all my clients to level up in one skill it would be the handstand related exercises. Handstand exercises force you to be very conscious of your posterior chain muscles and those are the muscles that we pay the least attention to in our daily lives.
Selim: Yeah I very rarely climb trees nowadays so that makes sense.
Paul: Exactly! Those muscles were important in a time and place where we needed to move vertically but now we have elevators and escalators to do the hard work for us.
Selim: That's probably why so many people suffer from back and neck problems.
Paul: If I could make people hang from a bar every day and then stand on their hands for ten minutes a day I bet we could vastly improve their life.
Selim: Thank you for sharing that
Paul: Thank you for sharing what you've been doing. Its been really gratifying to see you develop here over the years!
Selim: Thanks. I'll be looking like you any day now!
Yup.... any day now!
I hope you enjoyed this fourth, slightly delayed, newsletter! I love the fact that I am stronger and better in tune with my body in my mid 40s than I ever was in my entire life! If you enjoy what you read down the road I invite you to check out my website.
I am working on a book called "sketching for science" that focuses on how to learn science in a way that is fun, accessible and memorable. Drawing is the key to learning just about anything that you want to really get a grasp on. I teach people the fundamentals of drawing in one or two sessions. If you find that topic interesting please check out my Instagram where I will be documenting this journey.
If you're interested in my weight loss journey check out the videos I've done on YouTube. Also if you'd be so kind please subscribe to my YouTube channel (that would be a huge help) so I can continue to share what I am doing.
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