July 2025

Life is more than just a series of consecutive days clocked in and clocked out. Without some larger purpose, life loses much of its meaning and direction. You can see it in some people that retire from the working world. They spend the majority of their lives in pursuit of something, and once they retire they have twenty-four hours to fill and no idea what to do with themselves. One must have a reason to get out of bed in the morning and contribute something in a meaningful way. I believe that there is a greater feeling of achievement and accomplishment when you are doing something or are a part of something that is bigger than just yourself. It is one of the reasons that I got involved in coaching football a few years ago - to educate and mentor young people, but also teach some of the life lessons that I learned during my playing career.

Simon Sinek is a bestselling author, business consultant, and motivational speaker who wrote the outstanding book, "Start With Why." He notes that many successful people and organizations can articulate what they do, and some can explain how they are better or different from their competitors, but few can clearly define why they do what they do. The author cites examples of companies that have clearly communicated their "why", such as Apple and Southwest Airlines. Even though Apple's products may not be significantly better than comparable devices, the company's purpose has been more clearly defined than that of its competitors and has resonated with Apple's customers. It is one reason that people stand in line for hours waiting to get the new version of an iPhone when it is released, even though they could buy it a couple of days later without the hassle. Southwest Airlines's low-cost model was not original; it was copied from a company called Pacific Southwest Airlines. However, Southwest Airlines did a much better job of commuting its "why" (cheap, fun, and simple air travel) to their customers. From the time that Herb Kelleher started the company until the writing of Sinek's book (2011), Southwest Airlines did not have a single year in which they didn't turn a profit (including the oil crises of the 1970s and early 2000s, and after September 11th).

It all starts with "why." What is your greater purpose? As Sinek says, "WHY: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. When I say WHY, I don't mean to make money - that's a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?" Why do you hit the ground running first thing in the morning? What are you enthusiastic about? Total Results was created by Tim Rankin in late 2001. He was an engineer who had worked in the corporate world for over a decade, and the former college lacrosse player had fallen out of shape. Tim was able to regain his vitality and get into the best shape of his life by using what would become the Total Results exercise protocol. He believed in it so much that he quit his corporate job and started Total Results in his garage. Tim's personal "why" for starting the business was to help people experience the same benefits that he was able to attain and to assist them in creating positive lifestyle change. Tim did this for 20 years, and over that time he mentored several other exercise instructors, including me.

Since Tim and his wife Pam passed the torch to us in 2021, I have done my best to carry on what he started so many years ago. What is my personal "why"? I love instructing exercise and educating clients. I want to help them to achieve what they cannot do on their own, and I want to assist them in maintaining their physical independence by staying out of the medical system. I also love challenging conventional "wisdom" and being outside of the exercise establishment. The Total Results mission is to provide the greatest and most comprehensive exercise experience possible. One thing that I am most proud of is the fact that we have held true to our founding principles, even when other similar studios have compromised their approach. One must evolve and adapt with changing times, but if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.

What is your "why"? What is it that you most want to achieve by exercising at Total Results? Getting to know a prospective client during an initial consultation helps me to gain an understanding of their goals, how they define success, and determining their "why". If you are an experienced Total Results client, you will eventually experience some tough times. Remember your "why", and the reason that you came to us in the first place. Together, we can get on the right path. It all starts with "why".

A significant number of Total Results clients deal with joint difficulties. This becomes more common as we age, especially if we have been active in participating in sports or other activities with repetitive motions. We see a lot of lower back discomfort (some muscle weakness, and some structural abnormalities), knee pain, elbow problems, as well as neck weakness that can cause headaches. Many, if not most of these obstacles can be overcome with regular Total Results workouts and some simple lifestyle modifications. One of the biggest and most rewarding challenges that I face as an instructor is how to work around shoulder maladies. Since part of the Total Results mission is to help people to improve and maintain their functional independence and live their best life, keeping the shoulder joints healthy is an absolute must. Over the years we have developed a comprehensive toolbox for improving the function of the shoulder joints and minimizing discomfort.

In order to gain a better understanding of the shoulder joint, we should discuss its anatomy. The shoulder is a ball and socket joint (the ball is the greater tubercle of the humerus, and the socket is the glenoid fossa of the scapula), and the bones involved include the humerus (upper arm), scapula (shoulder blade), clavicle (collar bone), and acromion (the small part of the scapula that connects with the clavicle). The major muscles that produce movement about the shoulder are the deltoid (upper arm), trapezius (a kite-shaped structure that spans from the rear part of the neck, across the top of the shoulders and down between the shoulder blades), latissimus (major upper back muscle), pectoralis major (chest), and the rotator cuff. The rotator cuff is made up of four small muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) that help to stabilize the shoulder joint, but also work to perform abduction and external rotation of the humerus. The shoulder is a very mobile joint; as you have probably noticed, you can move your upper arm in a number of different ways. Unfortunately, because of this mobility it is an inherently unstable joint, which is why it can easily be injured. Common maladies include rotator cuff impingement or tear, biceps tendinitis, frozen shoulder, torn labrum (cartilage deep within the shoulder joint), instability from a previous injury, or simple muscular strain.

As I mentioned earlier, through trial and error over the past two decades we have created successful strategies for improving shoulder function and reducing pain. Bear in mind that I did not invent any of these modalities; I am simply fortunate enough to learn from some very smart people. Timed Static Contraction (TSC) can be a useful tool to allow clients to perform certain exercises (such as the Chest Press and Overhead Press) in a portion of the range of motion where they do not feel any joint pain. Regular readers of this blog are very familiar with TSC, so I won't get into too much detail. We can also substitute the MedX Overhead Press for the Super Slow Systems version; the two machines have movement arms that track differently. The MedX version moves in a slightly upward arc, which often feels more comfortable for people with shoulder maladies, and it is why we have both options at our disposal. In some cases we may need to entirely avoid performing any vertical pushing and pulling movements, as clients with shoulder difficulties can better tolerate horizontal exercises.

The External Rotation exercise can be performed in order to strengthen the rotator cuff. This can be done as a preventative measure or as a means of rehabilitating an injury and avoiding surgery. External Rotation can be applied as a TSC by the client, and resistance is provided with the opposite hand for 90 seconds. As a former quarterback with lots of wear and tear on my shoulder, I find this exercise to be extremely valuable. We can also do what is called "gapping the weight stack" when performing the Chest Press exercise. In this scenario we move the movement arm one or two pin holes forward so it does not come to such a deep position when the weight stack bottoms out. This can help reduce strain on the shoulder joint. Dr. Doug McGuff, owner of Ultimate Exercise, has a very helpful video on his website (drmcguff.com) that illustrates how this is accomplished. Finally, I have some clients perform a shoulder hang exercise that I learned from Ken Hutchins and has been recommended by retired orthopedist Dr. John M. Kirsch. This involves the use of the Nautilus Multi-Exercise machine; the client will hang from the top bar with their palms facing forward. First they will hang with their feet supported by the bottom step of the machine, and then they will gradually work toward hanging with their feet suspended in air. This exercise will usually last between 30-60 seconds and has been wonderful in improving frozen shoulders.

In a perfect world, clients would perform the full complement of exercises on all of the machines at Total Results in a dynamic fashion. We like to have a balance between upper body and lower body pushing and pulling exercises so that the body can develop symmetrically and without any muscular imbalances. However, life is rarely perfect and sometimes it is important to sacrifice symmetry in order to avoid further joint irritation. Ours is not a one-size-fits-all program, and these adjustments may be for either the short or long term. Whatever your situation, we can find the proper solution through patience, active listening, creative thinking, and trial and error.