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What would you do if you found someone lying unconscious on the gym locker room floor?

What would you do if your child started choking at the dinner table?

What would you do if your walking partner suddenly grabbed their left arm and complained of intense chest pain?

These are all things we hate to think about, but they happen every day. The best thing that you can do to protect your family, friends and even yourself is to take a “CPR, First-Aid & AED class” at CPR Madison. CPR stands for Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation, and it’s what we associate with rescue breathing and chest compressions. AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator, and these medical devices are found in most public places.

As a personal trainer, I am required to be Adult CPR/AED certified. This week I’m attending a class for healthcare providers at the Emergency Medical Services Building located at 2020 Parmenter St. in Middleton. You may never find yourself in a situation to use CPR, but learning these life-saving skills is a lot like having insurance. . . just in case. It’s about being prepared. Let me share three personal experiences with you.

Once, when I was working at a gym in Los Angeles I saw another trainer’s client pass out while on an assisted pull-up machine. She fell off the platform and landed on a sit-up bench. Immediately the other personal trainer called me over to help. Luckily, the client was fine, more embarrassed than bruised. It was early in the morning and she said that she hadn’t had any breakfast (low blood sugar). In addition she was doing an exercise that changed elevation, so she got light-headed. Have you ever felt a little dizzy when you got up from a chair after sitting for a long time?

Another time it was more serious. I was in the middle of a training session at the same gym, and a man had a heart attack while walking on a treadmill. Without speaking a word, my client, who was a healthcare professional, and I looked at each other. He ran over to the elderly man and I ran to the sales office to call 9-1-1. While I was on the phone, my client and another member started CPR. Two other gym members, a nurse and a doctor, were there to help. The paramedics arrived in less than two minutes.

Recently, I was at a local gym when a cable on a machine snapped while a member was exercising. The bar she was lifting smacked her in the head and she crumpled to the floor. I ran over to her and noticed major swelling forming on her forehead. She tried getting up but was disoriented and off balance. I insisted that she stay on the floor. You might be wondering what everyone else was doing while this was going on. Some were just watching and others continued to work out. I shouted at the front desk person to call 9-1-1 because a member was hurt. I’ll never forget his response. He asked “Why?” I repeated that a member had a serious injury. He looked even more confused. Even as I write this, my heart is starting to beat faster recalling my frustration. Paramedics arrived quickly. While the woman received treatment (and eventually went to the hospital), I answered questions about the incident.

So do your loved ones, and even strangers, a favor by taking a CPR, First-Aid & AED class. It might come in handy one day.

It had been 8 years when I picked up a tennis racquet in the spring of 2012. Before that I had recreationally played tennis a dozen times in 20 years, hitting with my mom and oldest brother. Any competitive tennis? For that, we need to go back to 1987 when I was in 8th grade. I played tennis for my intermediate school and tennis club between the ages of 12 and 14. So how and why did I get back into tennis? The answer has three parts.

Part One: Love of the Game.
My Mom and oldest brother, Ken, have been playing tennis a combined total of over 70 years. My mom still takes lessons and plays Marine League tennis while Ken is rated 4.5 in the NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) and plays men’s and mixed doubles in a USTA (United States Tennis Association) league. They have a passion for the game. When I’d come home from school, Mom would smile and say “I won my match today.” My brother even “reports in” his match results to me over the phone or email. It’s much more than “Eric, we won 7-5, 6-4.” Ken will talk about how he felt, his new strings, how many aces he hit, an adjustment he made with his grip, how his partner played, his opponents, etc. They both appreciate the physical aspect to the game as well as the cerebral one.

Part Two: Rundown
In the summer of 2011, I suffered a common running injury, a stress fracture. This was in my hip and took a few months to heal. I experienced running-related injuries in the past including pulled hamstring and groin muscles, ankle sprains and even a quadricep tear. I enjoy the outdoors and the “runner’s high”, but the repetitive movement and pounding on my body was too much. After thousands of miles on the road I decided to make a change. I needed a new challenge.

Part Three: Something For Me
The last piece of the puzzle was my decision to do something for me. What do I mean? As a husband and father of three, I often put others’ activities in front of my own. Yes, I’ve always worked out and stayed active, but I couldn’t own it. Heather has her gardening and landscaping, Kyle and Bruce have their baseball, soccer and swimming and little Roy has his teething ring. I “decided” to make tennis my sport. So in the spring of 2012 I demoed a few tennis racquets and started hitting against a backboard. That summer, I signed up for tennis lessons through the Middleton Recreation Dept. In my class, I met a guy who is a team captain for a 3.5 men’s 40 and over USTA team. He asked if I’d like to join them and I said “Yes!”. League play didn’t start until winter, so Tom and I hit on the weekends and we also played doubles with a few teammates. Winter came and all of the matches were at Nielsen Tennis Academy. What a beautiful facility! I played doubles with three different guys. It was a lot of fun and I improved with every game. My record for the season was 7-1.

Fast forward to this spring. I was contacted by another tennis captain named Kent. We had played doubles a couple times in winter, and he asked if I’d like to join his 4.0 men’s 18 and over team for the summer. Nervously, I said yes. This would be a big step up in competition for me. I immediately noticed the difference in my first match. My partner and I were both new to 4.0 doubles. Our opponents had more pace and kick on their serves, good placement and spin on their groundstrokes and were quick on the court. Even though I had a losing record during the season, I learned a lot, had fun and made significant improvements to all aspects of my game. Do I feel bad about the losses? Nope. At first, I wasn’t sure if I belonged on the team. But it was my third loss when things turned around for me. The points were very close and my partner and I played well. I learned that our team lost all five matches that day. But here’s the positive spin. We were playing the #1 team, and my partner and I lost the least bad. Gotta stay positive, right?

It all came to fruition during the state tournament on Sunday August 11th. My spring/summer league was over, but my winter/spring team had qualified to play in the state tournament. The winners would then go on to Sectionals in Fort Wayne, Indiana. My partner, Tom, and I won our match 6-1, 6-2 and our team won 4 of the 5 matches. Because I had practiced and played guys at the 4.0 level, it was a decisive win. And I have the towel to prove it :-)

When I was a teenager, I made it my goal to do a pull up. So I bought a pull up bar that attached to the doorframe of my bedroom. Whenever I walked by my room, I grabbed the bar with both hands and jumped up so my chin was just over the bar. I tried to keep my chin above the bar as long as possible. Then in a controlled manner, I slowly lowered myself back down. In personal training jargon, I was doing an isometric exercise (holding my chin above the bar for a few seconds) and also focusing on the eccentric or negative phase of the movement (slowly lowering myself back down). That’s one way to do a pull up.

My video below shows a progressive approach to doing a pull up. Using the LifelineUSA XT Jungle Gym, I begin with Assisted Body Rows, progress to Squat Pull Ups, move to Jump Pull Ups and finish with regular Pull Ups. For the first exercise, to adjust the amount of body weight you pull, all you need to do is change your body angle or position. For the second and third exercises, you can adjust the amount you pull by incorporating more legs into the squat or jump portion of the pull up. For the final exercise, doing a pull up with full body weight is all you. Core strength, technique and good body mechanics are key. Here you go!

After breaking a few cheap sunglasses I decided to invest in something more comfortable, durable and fashionable. My hours of research led to me Maui Jim Sunglasses. I absolutely love them! They’re so flexible and lightweight that sometimes I don’t even realize that I’m wearing sunglasses. Plus the polarized lenses block glare and UV from all angles. Not only do your eyes get protection when the sun is in front or above or from the side, but the technology in the lenses also protects when the sun is behind you.

Coming from Southern California where the sun is intense, I’m always amazed at seeing drivers who don’t wear sunglasses. Instead they try to adjust their sun visors all the way down or drive with one hand in front of their face. That’s not safe. Not only are they blocking little of the sun’s glare but they’re blocking their vision of other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. We all know that squinting because of the sun can cause swollen, blood shot and fatigued eyes. In addition, studies have shown that sunglasses can protect your eyes from cataracts, cancer and macular degeneration.

Maui Jim Sunglasses are great for outdoor activities like biking, running, fishing and gardening. They fit snug against your head and bridge of your nose with the lightest of pressure. It reminds me of when I bought my first pair of Babolat tennis shoes. Once I put them on they felt like butter, and there was no break-in time. It’s the same feeling with these sunglasses. So the next time you lather up with sunscreen and don the floppy hat, don’t forget to shield your eyes with a good pair of sunglasses.