A Trainer That Works For You
By: Taryn N. SimpsonA fitness expert always looks for exciting new ways to bring muscle confusion to your body in order to achieve visible results. In their search, many trainers will consult with one another to discuss new ways in which to do this. During my latest quest, I came upon one of the world’s most amazing unsung heroes in the fitness world, Adolfo “Shabba Doo” Quinones. This Chicago, Illinois native was one of “The Original Lockers” and a regular on the dance show Soul Train. He also appeared on the Carol Burnett Show, Miami Vice, and (my all time favorite) What’s Happening!! Besides acting in film and television, Adolfo Quinones was also the main choreographer and one of the top dancers for two performance tours, “Who’s that Girl” and “Like a Virgin,” for musical icon Madonna. Like many others, I knew of his background as an actor, dancer, and choreographer. What I didn’t know was that in addition to his amazing repertoire, he is also a fitness expert. The city of Los Angeles has been buzzing about his latest fitness program so I decided to get a first-hand glimpse of Shabba Doo at work. With my film crew in tow to tape one of his workout sessions, what I found was more impressive than any infomercial or fitness program that I had ever seen. I found a fitness coach who drove his clientele to be all that they could be.
Now, you have to understand that I have a very long history in athletics. I have run with Marion Jones and many other top athletes at World Class-level track and field. I have had five-hour practices, run cross-country, and weight-trained with the phenomenal coach, Jimmy Radcliff, at the University of Oregon. I have experienced pressing past absolute exhaustion and pushing through excruciating pain in order to achieve high performance results. But, when my film crew set up their cameras and started conducting individual interviews, I was not prepared for what happened at Shabba’s fitness class. I received the challenge of my life when he invited me to work out with him. Within the first five minutes, I experienced difficulty. After the next ten minutes, sweat dripped down my face so profusely that I could hardly see. I was hoping that he would go easy on me, but that was not the case. I began to say to myself, “Taryn, there are men, women, and children from ten years old to the mid fifties who have done this class. You can do it too!” Shabba thought I said “I can’t” and he came over and let me know those words were not allowed. He pulled me to my feet and said, “Taryn this is mental. You need to re-focus. You can do this.” As he encouraged me to push past what I thought I couldn’t do, I began to believe in myself and pushed through. I learned more in sixty minutes than I have learned in the past five years. We did core strengthening; cardio, resistance training, plyometrics, dance moves, and a very dynamically structured gymnastic-type cool down.
After class, many people asked Shabba-Doo his age to which he gladly replied, “Fifty five.” I watched their faces as they tried to compare his current age and physique to how they remembered him in his star appearances as the heartthrob “Ozone” in both the movies “Breakin” and “Breaking 2: Electric Boogaloo.” He was around thirty years of age when he starred in those films and he has only gotten better in health & fitness with age. After confessing many shortcomings on the long road to wholeness and peace, he said that he keeps his focus on the “why-factor” when it comes to fitness. He discovered that he wants to live long enough to enjoy his children and grandchildren. He wants to love and respect the individuals who are in his life, and he wants to help all those he comes into contact with. He loves putting smiles on people’s faces and he enjoys challenging the masses worldwide.
Some people do what they do just for money but Shabba-Doo does it for the love of dance. He has trained people in his community at no charge for many years because he believes in living a fit life, sharing that belief with others, and making it fun. HHHHHHis love for dance and fitness have crossed paths to create an amazing fitness program that achieves maximum results in burning, anywhere between, 500 to 1000 calories per workout. Shabba-Doo calls his workout, “FUNK SHWAY.” I believe people will fall in love with “SHWAY,” which will be released on a dance workout DVD this fall. Within the first week, “FUNK SHWAY” will have you feeling stronger, healthier, and more confident. Shabba and I discovered that we both share common goals, which are to teach people how to live healthy, encourage them to press past every barrier, and to see them experience an abundant life.
Shabba-Doo will be holding a Casting Call in Toronto, Canada to film his upcoming instructional dance video. For more information log on to: www.Shabba-Doo.com or email him at: dance@shabba-doo.com. For more information about healthy living or to download a fitness plan, please visit www.soulsofnoblecharacter.com or contact me for upcoming seminars at: taryn@soulsofnoblecharacter.com.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with prior written permission of Myra Wallace, LLC 2009.
Website by MichaelBelcher.com