Shawn Adair - Vancouver Peronal Trainer and Strength Coach

 This sums up my training in 2016... Always  trying to combine a variety of training styles into my own because this is what I truly enjoy😊

Pre-hab, 

Powerlifting, 

Calisthenics, 

Bodybuilding, 

Yoga, 

Plyometrics, also just general body control and athleticism are my main areas. Find what training style(s) you enjoy that will help get you to your own personal goals, remember to always think outside the box and try different areas. It's amazing how adding in some calisthenics will help powerlifting or how some pre-hab will help you to breath and brace better for squats/deads🤔 explore more aspects don't get stuck in 1 modality...2017 will be even better 💪🏼😊

Vancouver personal trainer 

Burnaby personal trainer

Richmond personal trainer 

Vancouver fitness 

💥 Poké-Posture💥

Sure it's great people are getting out and walking around to find Pokemon it's definitely an improvement of overall actively in the average population, I see more people outside now than in the past 10 years...but I find it really strange that even though they are outside everyone is blindly staring down into their phone the whole time while having horrible posture doing so.
Be aware of both your surroundings and your posture because people are spending hours in these positions, over time it will have a huge impact on your functionality and even decrease your lung capacity by 30%!

If your going to hunt for Pokemon bring your phone up to your face rather than face to phone, this will not just improve your posture but make you more aware of your surroundings as well👌🏻💪🏼
Ps. No I don't play Pokemon haha

-Shawn Adair
The Bar - Strength and Conditioning
Vancouver BC

How is your squat set up?

Your set up is one of the most important parts of a successful lift and maintaining good form, having a solid repeatable set up that you run through each time will save energy increase strength and also lower your chance for any form break down or injuries. These are all important variables to consider when squatting because they will drastically change your squat with even the slightest adjustment in technique or mental cueing.

Remember everyone is built differently and will squat differently, there is no such thing as a "perfect squat" only general guidelines to follow. Everything on that list can be adjusted quite a bit depending on the person, narrow stance/wide stance, high bar/low bar, feet straight/ feet out ect....one is not better than the other, it's more about what's best for each individual athlete!

As a coach it's my job to find what's optimal for each one of my clients depending on things like high/weight, torso/femur length and/or joint mobility restrictions. The first main goal is getting them squatting safely and then the next will be getting as close to optimal technique as possible for their own personal mechanics. Come down to @thebarvancouver to get an assessment done by ether myself or anyone of our other trainers to see how well you move!

530lb Deadlift Pr from the CPL powerlifting meet at the Vancouver Pro Show

@8

Never Case Fatigue... Chase Performance!

"A coach always trying to "kill" clients in the gym often lacks education. & clients always looking to be "killed" haven't been taught well" - Lee Boyce 

This goes on way to much in the fitness industry, average people start doing these crazy intense bootcamp classes without any coaching on joint mechanics, proper progressions or basic movement foundations. 

People go to these classes with major movement problems and do 100's of repetitions with poor form where quantity/intensity is more important than quality. I have had clients come to me saying "I worked out for 3 years at crossfit/bootcamp/classes" ect.. then put them through a movement/mobility based assessment and I'll find so many problems that were never even brought up as issues to them.

For example, a female client came to me in decent shape wanting to get stronger and lean out. She tells me she was doing classes 4x a week before injuring her hip, Says she knows how to squat no problem been doing it for years under her trainers eye.. I then ask her to do a basic bodyweight squat at our assessment and what do we see? Huuuge lateral shifting, feet collapsing, valgus knees, forward lean, lack of over all tension and stability along with a ton of mobility issues.
None of these were ever brought up to her and she had no idea she was doing them, but she felt tired, sweaty, sore and even lost weight so it must be good for you right? Lol not in the long run..
Don't wait for injuries to happen before you fix the problem, just like you don't wait for your car to break down before you get maintenance done on it. The majority of pain/tightness/stiffness is related back to poor movement and/or lack of movement. Quality should come before quantity 😁 /rant end

A few Client Testimonials

"For the past 10 years or so I have struggled to be able to achieve personal fitness goals because of prior injuries. It's been a constant battle for me attempting to stay fit when I can so easily throw my back out. I'm the type of person who will push themselves even when they shouldn't and consequently doing things on my own often resulted in a re injury or severe aggravation.

Today I am happy to say that I am BEYOND thankful that a friend of mine met Shawn and started training with him at The Bar and convinced me to give him and his program a try.
Not only is he an amazingly supportive coach, he's extremely knowledgeable and his techniques for helping with injuries have been far more effective, even in the short time of working with him, then any chiropractor or massage therapist that I have seen so far. It's a
completely different approach that is already proving to work for me. (I will add that I have some pretty unique and undiagnosed injuries)

He's carefully watched and corrected my form on every movement we have gone over. Mobility and balance are key and I've had issues there as well, happy to report that I'm convinced this whole program is going to be life changing for me.
In the short time we have been working together, not only do I feel like I'm getting stronger, my body as a whole is starting to feel better then it has in a long time. I still have a long ways to go but I am SO EXCITED for what the future holds and finally feel like I'm in the perfect place with the right person to help me conquer my roadblocks of injures and achieve my goals! Thank you :)' - Beth
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'When it comes to personal trainers there really are very few who are worthy of this title. Before working with Shawn i was struggling with poor squating, due to an old injury. In just a few session i went from struggling to box squat 135lbs to lifting 285lbs (a feat i had not achieved since my rugby days). Not only did my strength go up but my mobility improved and my technique has meant i am able to get to that 90 degree angle. I would defo recommend Shawn to anyone, by far one of the best personal trainer in the Vancouver area I have trained with.' - Mike

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"It has been an amazing experience training with Shawn at The Bar Strength and Conditioning, the energy was through the roof and I literally felt that I can’t do anything but get better! I came to Shawn looking to increase my strength and explosiveness for basketball. Within a month, he has helped me hit a 405lbs squat PR and a 55 inch running box jump! I have seen tremendous improvements in my strength and speed on the court and I am definitely a BIG step closer to my goal ofdunking a basketball (at 5’8 )! Shawn is a very supportive and friendly person who is highly knowledgeable in his own craft. 

He challenges his clients and pushes them out of their comfort zone while ensuring good form and technique, that’s what make his training really intense, but safe at the same time. He uses a variety of exercises to keep his workouts challenging but exciting, and he constantly communicates with you to make sure you are getting the most out of it. No matter if you’re an average person looking to get in shape, or an aspiring athlete looking to dominate your competition, Shawn is definitely the Go-To guy to help you achieve your goals!" - Eugene

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'What can I say, if your looking for a gym with a sense of community in the Vancouver area where everyone wants to help everyone progress and succeed this is the gym!!!
The trainers are phenomenal, Shawn Adair, out of this world, his ability to see and break down any movement your having trouble with is unbelievable, he ll give u how ever many corrections you need and whatever ur trying do will be achieved in a matter of time. The other great part is that form and technique are above all taught first!! I will say with out a doubt best gym ever!! You ll have gains and gains!!! And even more gains!!' - Dustin

Do you have TIGHT HIP FLEXORS?

This is a test I use with my clients to determine what muscles are tight/overactive around the hip capsule, a lot of people that have pain in the hips try to fix the problem directly at the hip. In a lot of cases I have tested people and the Rectus Femoris (a quad muscle) is the main culprit to their pain and releasing it makes a huge change in performance and pain relief!

 I recommend you get this test done by a qualified coach/trainer but you can also do it yourself and use it as a great stench for the hips😊😊😊😊While laying down on a box/table, grab one leg and pull it into your stomach slightly, let your other leg hang in a relaxed position. Pull your ribcage down and flatten your spine to the box, It's a very common error to arch the back during this test or stretch so try to keep the back flat! So here's the main things to look for💪🏼. 

👉🏼(Iliopsoas) -Does the thigh reach extension, the knee should be just under the box into slight extension. 

👉🏼(Rectus Femoris)
-Can the knee break 90" without the thigh raising? The knee should be able to be at a 90" angle without raising the thigh. 

👉🏼 (TFL)-Does the thigh move laterally into abduction? The knee should line up with the hip not track in or out.

I hope this helps some of you out, I only had 1min to explain this when there is so much more to it 😁 for a more personalized approach contact me for a 1on1 full movement joint mobility assessment adair.personaltrainer@gmail.com