Gorila Fitness - Canadian Fitness Brands

Gorila Fitness

1.      Can you tell me a little about yourself and your brand?

The whole idea was to bring quality equipment in Canada and save Canadians the ridiculous shipping fees of international orders. We're two brothers; Vincent & Martin Roy, we love training and a couple years ago discovered and fall in love with Crossfit method. So when we wanted to train at home our parents gave us the shed for a home gym. Shopping around for a squat rack, everything was too expensive (mostly because of the USD, shipping & custom) so we opted to build it. My brother (Vincent) has a background in mechanical engineering and welding so we've designed a simple squat rack for our home gym, roughly painted and everything. Probably a week after that, a friend of our parents (Luc Marotte, now our partner in the company) was looking for a squat rack and asked us to build it and we did. After that a gym owner contacted us and asked for a rig, then a sled, and the demand just never stopped growing so we started a company and bought some tools and stuff.

2.      What was the “spark” or start of your company?

We just knew we could build something as good or even better then competition for the same price or even sometime cheaper but saving our clients the shipping and customs was enough to convince them to buy local! We are building every home or commercial gym as if it was ours, I think that gives a more human touch to the fitness equipment industry. Plus, almost nothing was made IN canada, obviously there was a lot of Chinese products on the market and the quality was not at all what we wanted for our clients: poor quality and construction equals poor longevity, less movements possibilities and less options.  Today, 80% of what we do is Canadian made in our facility in Chambly (South sore of montreal) guaranteeing not only the quality but also functionality, design and most of all, accessible customer service!

3.      Where did the idea for your brand come from?

We were inspired by big companies in the USA and wanted a badass name and logo to compete with them so we were searching for big fierce animals. The gorilla was our first idea but we knew there was a few Gorilla Gym and stuff and didn't want people to get confused. After weeks of research we thought "let's just remove one "L" from there for trademark issues and move on with Gorila Fitness", so we did!

4.      What is the goal, or main priorities, of the brand and company (outside of financial)?

The ultimate goal is certainly to be known for our quality and become a reference in Canada for Strongman, weightlifting, crossfit & training equipment in general! That's precisely why our client's satisfaction is our top priority and I know it sounds cheesy but it's true. Anything our clients are not happy with, we're not happy with. That's how we've been thinking since day one and I think that's part of our success. Finding the perfect products that would meet all the special needs of our customers!

5.      How do customers/athletes, and their opinions, influence or impact your brand?

A LOT! We're always asking around for reviews and ideas! We try a lot of them and most of our new products comes from client's suggestions or athlete's tips. It's a never ending process and we know we can count on our clients honesty to improve our quality of service and products. Everybody's needs are different and the goal is to find the product that will fit most perfectly. That's precisely where the "custom" part of what we do is coming handy, being able to customize pretty much anything to client's specs is a huge plus for us!

6.      Where do you see your brand in one year and in five years?

In one year we would like to improve our client base in western Canadian market & military market and give our customers more variety. We are also working on improving our website & social media platforms! Now in five years we'd like to be the reference in Canada, we know that's still probably a bit short term but I believe in our team's capacity to do it and I believe in the quality of what we do.

7.      What is the impact of social media on your brand and business?

I think social media plays a big role in pretty much every business today and we're no exception. We were a bit struggling at first but still were getting a lot of orders through our facebook page. Now that we have a social media team, the goal is to give our followers creative and interesting content every day.

8.      How does your brand innovative and rise about many of the others in the industry?

The "Made in Canada" tag is a big deal for us. We take huge pride in that and I know it's very important to our customers, knowing they can buy a canadian product at about the same price as an imported product.

Now equipment wise, the big difference is in the quality and durability without a doubt. We won't settle for products that won't last a lifetime, that's especially why we've established a satisfaction guarantee. We use the best materials available and make sure the fabrication is done perfectly from start to finish. We're also always asking ourselves how to improve a certan product. For example, how could we make a flat bench into a ghd for home gym purpose (might be coming soon, might not ;) )

That said, the branding is also a big part of our difference I think, the logo is freaking badass and people love it.

9.      What is a priority for you, as an individual and as a brand, moving forward in fitness?

Having fun! Whether it's in training, at work or in life. Almost all the marketing in fitness is about being fit and badass and we want to change that, we do not want to take ourselves seriously.

10.    If you wanted people to know one thing about the clothing (art, fit, durability, etc).  What would it be?

We had a hard time finding the right blend for our shirts and tank tops because we wanted people to wear the shirt while training and going out with friends. Very proud of the blend, seriously super light and comfy plus the colors are awesome.

11.    As a Canadian brand, what do you feel is the most important piece of information to    leave with your community?

I want people to start doing more things in Canada. Over the years, we've learned that although it can be a bit more expensive at first, it's totally worth it. Shorter production & shipping time, a lot more control on quality and design, faster customer service, much easier to deal with the suppliers and clients love it!

High Intensity Interval Training - HIIT - 40-20 Challenge - May 2017

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Workout
40-20 Challenge
40 seconds
20 repetitions

The challenge works as follows:
Eight (8) exercises total
Four (4) exercises that are cardiovascular based
Four (4) exercises that are strength/weight based
40 seconds of work on the cardiovascular exercises
20 repetitions of work on the strength/weight exercises
Complete in pods of two (2) as follows

Mountain Climbers (40 seconds)
Rotational Bicep Curls (20 repetitions)

Burpee (40 seconds)
Dumbbell Floor Chest Press (20 repetitions)

Reverse Lunge (40 seconds)
Overhead Press (20 repetitions)

Flutter Kick (40 seconds)
Bent Over Dumbbell Row (20 repetitions)

May the Fourth Be With You Workout - 2017 - Star Wars

Liberte Lifestyles Training Gear - Canadian Brands for Canadian Athletes and beyond.

1.      Can you tell me a little about yourself and your brand?

I am an Australian who moved to Canada with my husband and 2 children in 2015. I quit my corporate job to come to Canada and was at a crossroads career wise. I wanted to do something that would give me the freedom to juggle family responsibilities (my kids are 4 and 6), train (I am a competitive masters CrossFit athlete) and also be fulfilling mentally. I had the idea for this business back in Australia but it took me 6-12 months to decide to go for it.

My brand, Liberte Lifestyles, is all about stylish fitness products. Fitness is a lifestyle for most of us and I wanted my products to be fun and stylish, while also being high quality and functional. Knee sleeves are my main product line but I also do calf sleeves (for rope climb and box jump protection) and non-slip headbands. I have a couple of other products set to launch in a couple of months.

2.      What was the “spark” or start of your company?

The idea for my company came while I was training CrossFit back in Australia. I was talking to my friends at the time about knee sleeves that didn’t fit properly and didn’t have colours and prints that we really liked. I had a friend who was small and she couldn’t find any knee sleeves that would actually fit her. The idea got sparked then but I didn’t actually do anything about it for another 12 months when I relocated to Canada with my family.

3.      Where did the idea for your brand come from?

I wanted a brand that would reflect me and what I liked. I consider myself to be my own customer. I train hard, I spend money on training clothes and accessories and I want them to be functional and look good. I like edgy and fun things but they must also be classy and stylish. I knew that there must be more people out there like me so my plan is to stick with what I know and what I like.

4.      What is the goal or main priorities of the brand and company (outside of financial)?

My goal for this business is to grow it to a point where I can employ other Canadians and in that way give back to the community. Creating a business where you can give someone else a job, a livelihood and a career is hugely satisfying.  I also what to do what I can to support local CrossFit boxes, whether that is sponsoring competitions or helping out with charity events. I prefer to give back to people that I have direct contact with – it makes it a lot more real and fulfilling when you can touch and feel what you are doing.

5.      How do customers/athletes, and their opinions, influence or impact your brand?

Customer feedback on my products is huge. Without customers, I am nothing so knowing what they think about my products is essential. I recently asked for some feedback and ideas from my Instagram followers and am happy to say I am bringing out some new products based on that feedback.

In terms of athletes, I have tested out my products on a range of athletes from the recreational CrossFitter to Games athletes. In the end though the products need to work the same for both – one just might use it a bit more.

6.      Where do you see your brand in one year and in five years?

I started this brand from zero and so the next 12 months is really about getting my brand out there and building some brand recognition. In 5 years, the goal is to be a household name in the CrossFit/Weightlifting/Training worlds, to have an expanded product range and to be employing other Canadians.

7.      What is the impact of social media on your brand and business?

Social media is the biggest thing for my business – it is how people can find us and see what we do. Instagram is the main platform, followed by Facebook and Pinterest. I have been experimenting with what content to put out there and what people like. I don’t want to be another company that just puts up photos of people lifting or doing CrossFit. I personally don’t mind a bit of that but if the whole feed is that type of content I find it boring so I have been trying to mix things up and not be a typical business feed. For example, I love clothes, especially training gear and I have a lot of it. I started out doing some layouts with my knee sleeves and creating an outfit from my clothes. It has turned out that these posts are some of the most popular that I do. People get bored easily so I think it is important to try and mix it up sometimes.

8.      If you wanted people to know one thing about the clothing (art, fit, durability, etc).  What would it be?

Our products are about quality and style – you will get both. I also stand by my products. If someone gets an order and they aren’t happy then they can send it back no questions asked.

I also pride myself on giving excellent customer service. Any orders received by 2pm will ship out the same day. We ship free to Canada, the USA and Australia so there is nothing hidden there. I wrap all my orders and write a personal thank you card. I respond to all emails and message requests promptly. There is nothing fancy about any of this but many companies do not get it right.

Sorry that was more than one thing!

Repsol Push Program - 8 Station Circuit Training (BOSU, BANDS, RESISTANCE, BATTLEROPES, MEDICINE BALLS, SLIDERS, TRX)

During convention, I had the opportunity to participate in the Repsol Sports Center Push Program.  It culminated with an 8 station circuit where we performed each exercise for one minute and then rotated through.  The circuit is carried through for two rounds.

Banded Squats

Medicine Ball Slams

TRX Rows

Battle Ropes (single arm)

BOSU Lateral Jumps

Exercise Ball Hamstring Lifts

Incline Push Ups

 Abdominal Sliders (army crawl dragging your feet)

Practical Guide to Eating Healthy - Darebee.com

Practical Guide to Eating Healthy

A reasonable guide to eating just a little bit healthier by changing our eating habits and not going broke in the process. That’s all we all want. When it comes to eating we just need to know what kind of food we can find in a local supermarket, that’s tasty and affordable but healthy at the same time.

Have a high protein breakfast. What you want at the beginning of the day is high protein food. Proteins are complex molecules that break down slowly during cell respiration (the ‘burning fuel’ process that helps keep you alive) keeping you full longer and give you energy while keeping your blood sugar low. When you eat sweet baked goods, like waffles, pancakes or cereals for example, you get a quick energy boost and a sugar rush, but the effects very soon wear off and you end up feeling hungry again much sooner and in some cases you may also start feeling psychologically down (the so-called sugar rush mood swing cycle). If you combine protein rich food with some complex carbohydrates you can set yourself up for the day. The slower conversion process of proteins and carbohydrates into sugars the body can use for energy make you feel energized and able to go about your day, longer.


Breakfast ideas: oatmeal with nuts, spinach and banana smoothie, homemade protein bars, eggs, low fat (not fat free!) Greek yogurt with honey

Pre-make your lunches and plan ahead. We only eat junk because it’s accessible; it’s an easy just-reach-for-it solution. If you make healthier lunches just as accessible you will eat a lot healthier, naturally. If you pre-make your lunches and take them to work with you and have easy-to-reach-for snacks on hand you are less likely to want to go and buy doughnuts or low quality ready-meals from a fast food joint.


If you have a fridge at work you can make lunches and take them with you in a tupperware. Sandwiches aren’t evil either, especially if you make them yourself and put some fresh vegetables in them like lettuce and tomatoes.  You don’t need to spend a lot of time and money to put it together, especially if you do it beforehand and just grab it & go in the morning.


Lunch ideas: turkey or chicken + vegetable wraps, pasta with vegetables, light no-mayo Caesar salad, tuna or smoked salmon sandwiches, sweet potato with cottage cheese and broccoli, a variety of vegetables with ham


Make healthy dinners by basing them on vegetables. We slow down in the evening and so does our metabolism so we don’t need the extra calories after the sun goes down. Unfortunately, we often end up going through the entire day either feeling hungry or being too busy and simply forget to eat and when the evening comes we either overeat and/or we pick the kind of food that is fast and comforting, like pizza or several burgers and a beer. These would not be so bad as an exception but on a daily basis they will not help you stay healthy and fit. So, if it comes to it and you end up feeling really hungry in the evening do have a big meal, just make it 60-70% vegetables. Make a big salad and stick to lean protein as a main course, in the evening carbs are no longer your friends. Protein is broken down into amino acids that go into making other proteins (i.e. muscle) with excess amino acids deaminated and converted into glucose, ready to enter glycolysis which burns them up for fuel. The point is it takes a lot of meat to create that kind of scenario and when you mix protein with vegetables you are unlikely to overeat.  


Most basic vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, green beans and lettuce – are easy to find and they are not expensive, especially if you buy them locally at a farmers’ market or/and buy seasonal fruit and vegetables – they are always cheaper.


Dinner ideas: large lettuce salad with grilled chicken, baked eggplant with tomatoes, pork steak with sliced tomatoes, pork meatballs with mushrooms and green beans, peppers stuffed with pork mince, crustless quiche in the oven, baked fish with broccoli.


General advice: get some fish or meat (preferably lean or at least cut the visible fat off it) grill or bake it in the oven and add some vegetables on the side, as many as you want.

Choose relatively unprocessed foods when you can, if you can. Practically everything you eat is processed in some way but not all of it is processed equally. Heavily processed food is often loaded on fat, sugars and salt, but is very low on vitamins, minerals and fiber. The stuff is designed to make you feel good because, due to the high amounts of fat, sugar and salt, it tastes delicious, at least until you retrain your taste buds to recognize what real food tastes like. The simpler the item you buy and the closer it is to its original form, the better, basically. You don’t have to buy everything this way, but the more natural foods you add to your menu the more likely you are to get the most out of what you eat beyond just getting the energy required to stay alive.


Pick a Treat Day. There is nothing wrong with chocolate and ice-cream as long as a) you don’t eat too much (we’re talking pounds) b) you don’t eat too often – like every day with every meal. You will actually value these more if you make them treats instead of a standard addition to every dinner.


Denying yourself treats all together is not a great idea either, just choose them wisely, don’t add them to an already complete meal and don’t eat too much in one go.  If you are watching your figure, the best way to manage sweets is to pick one day a week when you are allowed whatever sweets you want, in reasonable amounts, and that will help you not just manage your sweet tooth but also give you something to look forward to. It’s a lot easier to deny yourself something when you know exactly when you will be able to have it.


Also, if your diet is balanced and you eat plenty of protein rich foods you don’t crave sweets so much.


Stock up on healthy snacks. And keep them where you can see them in a ready to eat kind of way.  If you buy healthy food it doesn’t mean you are going to eat it unless you make it easy for yourself to reach for it when you need it. If you buy fruit, wash it and put it in a bowl where you can see it and have raw nuts on hand as an easy pick-me-up or homemade nut or protein bars for a more serious snack. The same goes for quick-snack vegetable packs like peppers, baby tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers, if you slice them up for the day and keep them in the fridge at home or work it’ll be a lot easier for you to grab them. That extra step of not needing to prepare food when you are hungry can make all the difference.


Snack ideas: any kind of fruit and nuts, apple slices with peanut butter, cheese sticks, tomatoes with mozzarella, ham & cucumber rolls, Greek yogurt, deviled eggs with light cream cheese.

Tips

• Aim to stay away from fast food and make your own meals as often as you can.
• Try to avoid sweet sodas and energy drinks altogether. Most of them are just sugar in liquid form.
• Try not to get to the point when you are so hungry you no longer care what you eat, snack mindfully throughout the day and keep your main meal portions small. Anything your body doesn’t use up goes into storage.
• Pick unprocessed food or as less processed as possible when you can. 
• Try to eat at least one type of fruit and one type of vegetable a day. If you can’t fit them in, make a quick smoothie: 2oz spinach, 1 ripe banana, 1 medium apple blended with 2 cups of water. If you don’t want to eat meat every day, consider swapping it for a plate of giant beans in red sauce once in a while or make a large salad with lettuce, eggs and nuts in it.
• If there are some vegetables like spinach or broccoli that you can’t eat in any form but you would like to, consider adding them into a smoothie with some fruit e.g. bananas and apples.
• Try to include sea food in your menu at least once a week. You can buy frozen salmon that can be baked from frozen in less than 30 minutes.
• If you feel hungry really late at night eat a small portion of low fat plain Greek yogurt with some cinnamon on top – it’s the perfect midnight snack that curbs hunger.

In general, it’s not so much about weight as much it is about feeling good, having more energy and potentially being in a better mood. You can lose weight while eating unhealthily if you eat in small amounts. It’s the deficit of food that makes your body optimize and drop the pounds. Healthy food is not necessarily low calorie or low fat, it’s food that is good for your body – after all it is what is used to build it.

Top 10 Affordable Protein Sources from nutritionists at darebee.com

10 Top Affordable Protein Sources

• Canned Tuna [40g protein per can]
• Eggs [6g protein per egg] 
• Pork Mince [20g protein per 100g]
• Chicken Breasts [31g protein per 100g] 
• Frozen Wild salmon [25g of protein per 100g]
• Peanut butter [23g protein per 100g | 5.3 protein per serving] 
• Greek Yoghurt 2% [10g protein per 100g] 
• Milk 3% fat [8g protein per cup] 
• Canned giant beans [6g protein per 100g, 15g per can]
• Whey Protein [1 scoop of whey is 25g in which around 20g, depending on the brand, is protein] At two scoops a day a 10lbs container will last you around ten weeks. 

If you buy discounted meat with 30% off you’ll save a significant amount of money. There is nothing wrong with meat that was full price yesterday and is discounted today. The clever thing to do is to buy in bulk whenever there is special offer or a promotion and freeze the meat. Make your own burgers from pork or turkey mince and freeze them for a later date. Meat can be frozen for up to two months just make sure you separate the portions so you don’t have to defrost the entire container – once you defrost something you can’t put it back in the freezer.

When it comes to dairy, buy low fat milk and yoghurt simply because you don’t need the extra calories. If you are skinny and you need to gain weight go for full fat. If you drink a litre of full fat milk a day it’ll help you gain higher muscle mass.

Frozen wild salmon isn’t all that expensive especially if you wait for better offers at the nearest supermarket. Try to buy wild salmon and have it at least once a week with rice and steamed vegetables. You can also find it canned which will be an even better option than tuna. Also keep in mind that tuna is high in mercury so it may not be a good idea to eat more than 250g a day.
Beans may not be everyone’s food of choice but they are cheap, accessible and easy to make (re-heat in the microwave and you are done). Cans of giant beans in red sauce are the perfect quick, cheap, nutritious meal to have during the week with whole wheat tortillas. A plate of hot, giant beans + 2 tortillas will give you 25g of protein.

When it comes to protein powder bodybuilders buy, most people are skeptical. Most people do not intend to get bulky and anything that comes in powdered form, comes with its own set of question marks attached. The truth is however that there is only so much you can physically eat all day and still have time for a life. This is why we looked at protein powders.
Whey protein which is in fact a by-product of cheese production and that seemed to make more sense than some of the more medically formulated options available. There are different types and health claims (anti-inflammatory or anti-cancer properties) attributed to whey protein powders and there aren’t any actual drawbacks to speak of except of milk allergies some people might experience. It can be used as a supplement for post-workout protein blends, blended with a low fat yoghurt, fruit or berries of any kind it counts as a micro-meal. Basically, that’s just enriching an ordinary yoghurt with high amounts of protein. Ordinary whey protein is preferable here to any super mixes or engineered formulas.


For a great taste and the feeling of satisfying your hunger try low-fat Greek yoghurt. You can eat it with a little bit of cinnamon sprinkled over the top and it’s an awesome hunger-killer.
The more muscle you have the more calories you burn daily – muscle is kind of high maintenance energy wise. People who try to lose weight often overlook the importance of muscle growth that will actually aid them in burning the fat later on. If you are afraid to get bulky make sure you get enough cardio in your training. As your body optimises the muscle density is not going to increase so you stay lean. Long distance runners can’t get huge muscle because of that, for example.
Your body is smart and it optimises itself for the lifestyle you lead. If you eat carbs and sit on your arse all day long it’ll take the shape of your sofa. If you run daily and you eat protein you’ll get a lean muscled body. It’s very smart that way. If growing big muscles and gaining weight is your goal you’ll need to eat extra high protein meals during the day for higher calorie intake. The more calories you eat the more building material you’ll have.

If you need to lose weight protein diets are the best. Low calorie diets may work fast but you lose too much muscle in the process and then gain fat back a lot faster. If you keep your meals high protein and low fat you’ll not just lose weight but you’ll get to see the muscles you already have. Long-distance runners usually carry an extra few pounds for their long runs but if they need to drop them they often use protein diets to shed the weight.

Combat Obstacle Course - X Warrior Challenge Calgary - May 13, 2017

Combat Obstacle Course Training - X Warrior Challenge - May 13, 2017

Obstacle Course Training Workout - X Warrior Challenge Calgary, May 13