With Summer Fast Approaching, it’s Time to Spring into Action

I truly cannot believe that we are quickly approaching summer already!? I wanted to take this time to check in with you who made those NYE resolutions. Are you sticking to it, or have they sadly gone by the wayside? I know that a large group of people make the yearly commitment to getting fit and loosing that “Holiday Ham” they acquired during the holidays. If this is you, I have some help on the way.

I did not make any resolutions when the ball dropped at midnight, but I did make a promise to myself to make physical fitness a part of my life. Throughout all my years doing drag, I have always worn a corset to give myself the hourglass figure and shape my midsection. Wearing a binding corset has been painful to say the very least. I always could not wait to get home to take it off so I could breathe and let it all hang out. I never wanted to hang out after the show or engagement I was booked for because of the discomfort, and I just wished I could say goodbye to it once and for all.

Over the years, I’ve joined many gyms and would hit the treadmill to get in some cardio, but I could never stick with it. Meeting my friend Brian Guzman and saying YES to training with him at Training and Discipline has changed all of that.

I’ve committed to working out with him three times a week for half hour sessions since last year, and I have gone from a 34-inch waist to a 31-inch waist. The transformation has been miraculous for me, and that corset went in the damn trash!

I was able to catch up with him to ask him some questions about his gym and to share some information with you if you are looking to make fitness a healthy routine in your life:

Brian (photo by Anthony Duran Photography)

You have been in the fitness industry for many years, so can you tell our readers about your background and experience in the field?

I’m originally from Portland, Oregon and that is where my fitness career started. With so many great fitness brands being in Portland, it is a huge fitness focused city. After college, I took a job as an assistant tennis pro at a club and that’s where I discovered my passion for fitness. That’s where I met my wife of 15 years. She was an aerobics instructor. My three daughters grew up with us taking them to the gym while we worked. I went on to open new clubs with Gold’s Gym, 24 Hour Fitness, Crunch and LA Fitness. We were right in the middle of the fitness boom in the ‘90s. I held every position from Trainer to General manager to Fitness Manager. Management was how I raised a family, but teaching was really what put fire in my engine. 

As my second relationship with my then husband was falling apart, I headed south to Hollywood. I took as job as Fitness Manager at Gold’s Gym Hollywood, arguably the gayest gym in the country. Anyone who knows me, knows I thrive in a demanding environment. We had more than forty trainers in that club, and we were busy open to close daily. My last year there, I was trainer of the year for the entire company. But something was missing. I was still rebuilding from my second divorce. I decided to leave Hollywood for Palm Springs. I have always said it was my spiritual revival. I was lucky enough to secure a position as Fitness Manager at a local gym and had the pleasure of acquiring many amazing clients. 

What was your driving inspiration to open Training & Discipline and what makes your space different from a larger gym setting?

Opening my own studio has always been a casual dream of mine. What I didn’t want to do was to sacrifice my work with clients in favor of running a business. So even with encouragement, I’ve avoided the prospect of doing it. 

Then the pandemic arrived. It was a seismic shift for all of us. If you were in the fitness business, it meant adapting and being nimble. I was training at a local gym as an independent contractor. All the gyms closed. As a sector, the fitness industry didn’t participate in relief programs, so it was all about survival. With gyms closed and supply chain issues making it impossible to even get exercise tubing, I moved into action. I trained clients from here to Provincetown via Zoom, I worked with the city to acquire a permit to conduct bootcamps in the park, and I made house calls. When things started opening back up, I secured a 500sq ft space and resumed training clients there. I soon outgrew the space. And then the universe opened. One of my clients and good friends, Paul Kowal, gave me the courage and confidence to make the decision to commit to opening a personal training studio. In the beginning, Paul was an investor. But, as the vision for what we wanted to do became clearer we became the best of collaborators, leveraging our individual strengths culled from other business experiences to bring the studio to life. My partner John Hickey has been my rock and best campaign manager through it all. He keeps balance in our lives and most importantly he makes me laugh every day. 

When the topic of self-help comes up, exercise is always a key component. What benefits come from getting into a lifestyle habit and taking time to exercise?

Early in my career, I recognized that I was going to swim upstream when it came to being successful in the industry. It didn’t matter which large gym chain I was working for; it was the same. Clients were “sales units” not human beings. Slimy and cagey sales rhetoric was the key to getting people to say yes about getting involved with exercise. 

I always saw each client opportunity as a chance to have a positive impact on their total well-being. So, for me, that meant not limiting myself to caring for my client’s physical well-being, but their entire person. And to this day I always start in the same place. I tell my trainers, more than anything else, my first challenge to a trainer is that he/she care about people and that includes their physical fitness, their emotional/spiritual fitness, their financial fitness. 

We encourage people to focus on simple practices daily. And we mean every day. Get enough sleep to restore the body, eat nutritious meals, exercise, mediate, pray, therapy (can even be a friend) and have fun!! And as best we can, we try to consider all these items equally. And because of our multi-dimensional approach to well-being, we service an extremely broad and diverse set of clients with different needs. We strive to make every session memorable and enjoyable. 

Training & Discipline (photo by Anthony Duran Photography)

Let’s talk about the fabulous team of trainers at your gym. You have a wide variety that includes some major adult film actors. How did you decide on the right group of people to represent your gym?

First, I’m proud of my team. They practice the ethic of caring for their clients every day, every session. Quite honestly, I had some fear about finding trainers in the local area that had the intention and skills to deliver an elevated experience. I was wrong. My lead trainer Patrick is truly one of the best I’ve worked with in my 30 years. Clients often want to know that the workout they are doing is going to produce a desired outcome. Patrick leads his clients from intention to goal with solid science. Adult film stars you say? Well, yes that’s true and there is a backstory. I’ve known Andy and Glenn over 10 years and the three of us indeed share our work in the adult film industry. Work that we are all proud of and work that has shaped our perspectives on many themes that are important to our clients. None of us got involved in adult film work to bolster self-confidence or self-esteem. In fact, the business has a huge potential to diminish how we see ourselves. All three of us have witnessed in the industry what not taking care of your self looks like, so it provides us a unique perspective. We also share separate passions bedsides health and fitness. Andy is a chef, with a food science and nutrition background. Glenn is an accomplished vocalist. And I am planning a return to tournament tennis as the studio grows. I think the three of us would acknowledge that once the curiosity about our “other” work is satisfied, we develop solid relationships with our clients that make them our priority. The rest of my team Melissa, John, Ronnie are world class trainers as well with excellent coaching experience. 

Training & Discipline (photo by Anthony Duran Photography)

What classes and training options do you offer now? Are there other components that you are planning to add soon?

Our sweet spot is delivering the best personal training experience in a boutique studio environment. You won’t see throngs of people at the studio. We are not membership based. Every client session is a coached session. What this translates to is the optimal conditions for training. It’s our mission to deliver safe and effective training sessions that are fun! We are preparing to launch our group programming which will include indoor cycling, TRX, stretch classes, yoga. And specialty classes, events like nutrition workshops, naked yoga, monthly jockstrap/bare chest workouts. Stay Tuned!

If you would like to learn more about the facility or to book a session at Training and Discipline, head over to Training-and-Discipline.com.

See you in the gym!

XO

Ethyl