04 Apr Calisthenics Quest Foreward
A GOOD FRIEND AND MENTOR OF MINE, DANNY KAVADLO, HELP ME OUT WITH MY BOOK “THE CALISTHENICS QUEST“. HERE IS WHAT HE WROTE…
IN MY YEARS AS A HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, I’VE BEEN A PERSONAL TRAINER, A PT MANAGER, AN AUTHOR, A BLOGGER, A FITNESS MODEL AND EVEN AN INTERNATIONAL PRESENTER. SUFFICE IT TO SAY, I’VE WORN A LOT OF HATS IN THIS INDUSTRY AND I’VE MET A LOT OF TRAINERS!
SOME OF THESE TRAINERS ARE MORE MEMORABLE THAN OTHERS. SOME HAVE IMPRESSED ME WHILE OTHERS HAVE NOT. BUT EVERY NOW AND AGAIN A TRAINER COMES ALONG WHO JUST “GETS IT.”
I’M NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE OF TRAINING LIKE SETS, REPS, AND HUMAN ANATOMY—I’M A STRONG BELIEVER THAT ANYONE CAN LEARN THAT. NO, I’M REFERRING TO SOMETHING LARGER. LOVE, PASSION, SPIRIT AND MORE.
WHAT I’M SPEAKING OF IS THE ABILITY TO CONNECT TO PEOPLE, TO RESONATE AND TO CHANGE LIVES. HELL, MAYBE EVEN CHANGE THE WORLD.
RAY SHONK IS SUCH A TRAINER.
RAY AND I FIRST CONNECTED OVER SOCIAL MEDIA SEVERAL YEARS AGO. SINCE THEN, RAY HAS BEEN MY STUDENT AT DRAGON DOOR’S ACCLAIMED PROGRESSIVE CALISTHENICS CERTIFICATION, MY COMRADE AS A LIFELONG ADVOCATE OF BODYWEIGHT STRENGTH TRAINING, AND ULTIMATELY, I’M PROUD TO SAY, MY FRIEND.
RAY HAS THE RARE GIFT OF BEING ABLE TO MOTIVATE AND INSPIRE, WHILE NEVER COMING ACROSS AS OVERBEARING. HE LEAVES THE WORK TO HIS STUDENTS, WHILE PROVIDING EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED FROM HIM IN TERMS OF INSTRUCTION. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS. HE IS A TRUE EXPERT OF HIS CRAFT.
SO AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, WHEN A COPY OF THE CALISTHENICS QUEST APPEARED ACROSS MY DESK, I COULDN’T WAIT TO TEAR INTO IT. I FOUND RAY SHONK’S WRITING TO BE INFORMATIVE YET FRIENDLY. IT’S COMPREHENSIVE, YET CASUAL. HE EXPLORES SERIOUS CONCEPTS WITH SIMPLICITY AND HUMOR. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN DISCUSSING THE NOTION OF CHALLENGING YOURSELF, SHONK SIMPLY STATES: “IT IS CALLED A WORKOUT, NOT AN EASY OUT. NONE OF THIS WILL HAPPEN OVERNIGHT.”
SO HONEST, SIMPLE AND TRUE—BUT DEFINITELY NOT EASY!
WHETHER RAY IS EXPLORING THE ROOTS OF BODYWEIGHT TRAINING, SHARING HIS OWN ANECDOTES, OR EXPLAINING THE DETAILS OF STEP-BY-STEP EXERCISE PROGRESSION, HE DELIVERS THE GOODS ON BODYWEIGHT TRAINING—AND THEN SOME!
ONE OF MY FAVORITE PASSAGES APPEARS TOWARD THE END OF THE WORK, WHEN MR. SHONK DISCUSSES THE CHARACTER BUILDING VIRTUES OF WORKING OUT. IN HIS SIGNATURE STYLE, HE EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUSING ON FORM AND QUALITY OF MOVEMENT, RATHER THAN ONLY SHOOTING FOR HIGH REPS AND LETTING THE EGO TAKE OVER. THIS TYPE OF PROCESS-MINDEDNESS IS AT THE VERY CORE OF RAY’S PHILOSOPHY AS A TRAINER, A MARTIAL ARTIST AND A MAN. NO RUSH HERE.
AS RAY HIMSELF SAYS, “THIS IS YOUR JOURNEY, SO ENJOY IT.”
-DANNY KAVADLO
2017
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