8 of My Favorite Fitness Resources (40 Spots Left for Camp Nerd Fitness!)

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

I want to introduce you to some of my favorite resources on all things health and fitness. 

I’ve been running Nerd Fitness for over six years now (holy crap!), and along the way I’ve had a chance to meet and connect with some pretty cool folks: nerds who have inspired, educated, or motivated me to better myself and pass along that knowledge to the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Because the fitness universe is so massive, and there are so many different ways to get fit, it can be quite difficult to know where to get your information. Although we cover a wide variety of stuff here on Nerd Fitness, I can’t do it all.

So, I’ve put together a list today of my favorite resources – people who are incredibly knowledgeable in their respective fields. These people are online fitness coaches, gym owners, travelers, adventurers, and gurus in subjects that often go far deeper than I can cover with Nerd Fitness.

NOT COINCIDENTALLY, these coaches are all going to be coaching at Camp Nerd Fitness, starting September 29th! Even though the event is over five months away, we’ve already sold 260+ of our 300 spots and expect to sell out pretty soon. Hope you can join us!

Regardless of whether or not you can join us at Camp NF, make sure you check out our coaches below and their sites.

Jim Bathurst – Gymnastics and strength training

I first stumbled across Jim Bathurst as I read Convict Conditioning (mostly for the conditioning part, I swear Mom!). Although Jim wasn’t the convict who wrote the book, he was the fitness instructor who did each of the exercises in the photos, including one-handed push ups, pull ups, one-handed handstands, and more. I became an instant Jim Bathurst fanboy.

Jim runs both BeastSkills.com (home to some fantastic tutorials on advanced bodyweight movements) and Crossfit Foggy Bottom in Washington, D.C. Jim is also the guy who taught me how to do my first muscle up!

I’m proud to call Jim a friend, and always look to him for what is possible when it comes to pushing the limits on performance – Jim won Men’s Health Magazine’s “How Fit Are You?” contest…twice.

Last year at Camp NF, Jim taught everything from slacklining to handstands to grip strength to olympic lifting. I’m so excited he’s going to be joining us again.

You should follow (or train with) Jim if: you are interested in learning things like handstands, Olympic lifting, muscle ups, and other bodyweight movements.

Anthony Mychal – Powerlifting, Tricking, Gymnastics

Meet Anthony, the guy who trains me.

Over the past 15 months I have been working virtually with Anthony Mychal, a friend who I convinced to help me with my programming and nutrition to find out what I’m capable of (turns out WAY more than I had ever thought).

Anthony is the creator of AnthonyMychal.com – don’t let his serious photos fool you; Anthony is Yoda and Socrates trapped in the body of a Greek God. Oh, and he’s a massive nerd and goofball, as evidenced in the photo above from a theme night at Camp last year. Anthony trains in a way that lines up perfectly with Nerd Fitness: strength and fun are paramount. Gymnastic movements, powerlifting, and fun, totally functional movements like tricking are his specialty.

As for his credentials, along with a background in performance and training, here he is at camp deadlifting 550 pounds (at a bodyweight of 205 lbs) and making it look easy.

Anthony digs into some deeply philosophical content on his blog (it was his love of antifragility that got me hooked), in addition to advanced body composition topics. He also loves Dragon Ball Z.

You should read Anthony‘s site if: you are interested in no longer being “skinny-fat,” you enjoy getting deep into topics on human performance, or you are interested in learning about tricking. Here’s Anthony landing a crazy move:

Kate Marolt – Yoga

Kate is one of the happiest people on the planet. She’s also one helluva yoga instructor, and has been a member of the Nerd Fitness Rebellion for years and years – serving as a Druid moderator on our Nerd Fitness message boards. How’s that for “Nerd Fitness” credentials?

Kate runs KateMarolt.com – Soul Wild Free, a site dedicated to helping women level up their bodies and minds. She does online personal development coaching, leads retreats, and has even partnered with us here at Nerd Fitness for an upcoming project we’re going to be revealing in a few short weeks – spoiler alert: it involves Yoga and nerds

Last year at Camp NF, Kate led some fantastic yoga and mobility sessions, including Rock and Roll Yoga at a lakeside pavilion. How epic is that?

You should read or work with Kate if: you enjoy yoga and mobility work, you are interested in learning more about handling depression/anxiety, or just interested in learning more about yourself and where you fit in on this planet.

Amy Clover – Bootcamps and Personal Development

If Kate is one of the happiest people on the planet, then I think Amy Clover is probably the happiest person on the planet.

I met Amy years ago at a conference when she was just getting started with her own fitness site. I remember encouraging Amy to share her full story of how she overcame depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts through exercise. She even shared her story on Nerd Fitness, which is a must read. 

Amy Clover runs StrongInsideOut.com, a fantastic resource and blog built around fun, functional fitness, overcoming depression and anxiety, and building a better life. She runs events all over the country, and even teaches a weekly class in San Diego where she lives.

Amy taught bootcamps last year at Camp Nerd Fitness, and had the entire camp screaming “I’m a HERO!” by the end of it. She also led some fantastic discussions on depression and exercise that helped quite a few people start to feel better about where they are.

You should read Amy’s site or attend her live events if: you are somebody who enjoys being around positive people, you aren’t afraid to sweat and have fun, and you want to learn more about how exercise impacts your body’s physiology and psychology.

Dakao Do – Parkour, Medieval WeaPons, Kung Fu

Meet Dakao Do, the guy who’s more “Nerd Fitness” than anybody you’ve ever met.

Dakao first entered the NF world when he offered to write a Beginner’s Guide to Parkour for Nerd Fitness, which to this day remains one of our most popular articles of all time.

At Camp last year, Dakao taught Parkour, Medieval Weapons training (with an Assassin’s Creed angle), and even freaking Kung Fu! What’s more Nerd Fitness than that?

When he’s not training nerds at Camp, Dakao is a member of Sword to Sword, a group dedicated to the study of Historical European Martial Arts. Based in Houston, Dakao shares his 14 years of experience in medieval and Renaissance swordsmanship, and teaches people in the disciplines listed above. He’s an absolute delight to work with as a coach.

You should work with Dakao if: any of the subjects above interest you. And come on, who isn’t interested in parkour, sword fighting, or Kung Fu!? He is funny, nerdy, and his range of knowledge is eclectic. Hell, he can even show you how Argentine tango combines with good kung fu to make effective movements for fitness and fighting.

Jason Fitzgerald – Running

Jason is a USA Track & Field certified coach and founder of Strength Running, one of the largest coaching sites for runners.

His running advice has been featured in Runner’s World, Competitor, Lifehacker, and even Nerd Fitness! We partnered together on the Rebel Running Guide (which is no longer available but might – spoiler alert – make a comeback in different form!)

His real passion, however, is helping runners set monster personal bests and avoid injuries.

Jason escaped from the Dark Side of injuries in 2009 and has only had one minor injury since then. This consistency (which he loves calling the “secret sauce” of successful running) has allowed him to improve his marathon time to 2:39, and place first in the 2012 Maryland Warrior Dash. When he’s not running up mountains in the Colorado Front Range, you can bet he’s getting jacked up on coffee or enjoying a good IPA.

You should read or work with Jason if: you have any interest in becoming a better runner, or simply learning to run in a way so you never get injured again.

Dave Ursillo – Yoga and Writing

Dave Ursillo is a writer, poet, professional communicator, vinyasa flow yoga teacher and aspiring superhero. He can also do a crazy good Boston accent when required.

As a kid, Dave dreamed of saving the world and could often be seen in costume as his favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (Raphael). He carried the passion for helping others into a short career in public service. Dave quit his job in 2009 and began to use his words to serve others without anyone else’s permission.

Dave is now a multi-published author, workshop leader and yoga teacher, who believes in using self-expression and body movement to discover the superhero in each of us. He teaches regularly in Rhode Island. He has published over 400 essays on DaveUrsillo.com, and has been seen on CBS News Sunday Morning, Psychology Today and Inc.com.

I’ve known Dave’s for close to four years, and I’ve never had a bad time hanging out with him. Well, there was that one time we watched the Boston Bruins lose a hockey game together, but I still had fun despite the outcome. Dave was even at our first NerdFitness meet up ever.

You should read Dave’s site or attend one of his retreats if: You are interested in yoga, movements, and learning about what your particular super power is. If you have any interest in becoming a better writer or learning about what life is like as a writer, Dave is your guy

Roger Lawson – fitness fundamentals and Personal Development

Just saying the name “Roger Lawson” (AKA “Rog Law”) puts a smile on my face. I bet the picture above did the same for you.

The only things Rog Law loves more than fitness are Cinnabon, Dragon Ball Z, and laughing like a 5-year-old on the playground. Using his unique style of hilarity, gaming references, and an unyielding sense of positivity, his goal is to show people how to use fitness as a tool to not only get in shape and feel amazing, but to enhance ALL areas of their life.

I guarantee if you meet Rog in person, you will want to give him a hug. Unless he hasn’t already given you one. Which he probably has.

He writes about all of this stuff at RogLawFitness.com, aka “the Art of Sexification.” Come on, how can you not love that subtitle!? Legend has it if you turn off the lights and say “Rog Law” in the mirror three times, he will show up and eat all the food in your refrigerator.

You should read Rog’s Website if: you love strength training, building social skills, getting sexificationed (that’s a real word), and are interested in using gaming skills to level up in real life.

[editor’s note: I haven’t told Rog yet that there won’t be any Cinnabon at Camp NF, so shhhhhh]

More to Come!

This is our first round of speakers who will be coaching at Camp Nerd Fitness, which I am so freaking excited about. Last year’s event was truly a game-changing moment for the Nerd Fitness Rebellion, and for me personally.

If you can make it, we’d love to have ya! Here’s a quick video that shows what happened last year:

Camp Nerd Fitness Video

If you can’t make it to Camp, bummer, but that’s okay! We’re going to start coordinating more meetups and smaller events to bring the Nerd Fitness community together throughout the country (and the world?). In the meantime, please check out the sites from the awesome people above and level up your life!

And hopefully see you at Camp

-Steve

PS: I have no clue how quickly these final 40ish spots for Camp Nerd Fitness are going to sell, so if you’re on the fence about joining us, now might be a good time to put down a deposit! If we happen to sell out, we’ll open up a waiting list in case we have any cancellations.

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photo pin: michael kmak: mario powerups

Filed under: Fitness