Category: OUR STORY

Jeff Bao Nguyen is a dreamer and the creative one; a modern-day Renaissance man; a jack of all trades.

First and foremost, he is a visual artist. In his late teens, he had four art exhibitions–in New York City, Los Angeles, and Toronto. He sold most of his artwork as his realistic charcoal drawings had many think they were photographs. He attended photography classes to improve his lighting and composition techniques, only to fall in love with the medium and landed a job as a photographer for a modeling agency shooting up-and-coming models for their portfolios and did a photoshoot for Miss Canada. He also shot some weddings, including one for a high-profile craft beer maker and his wife, a local television personality.

Jeff loves to play tennis and can be found on the court for hours at a time, sweating it out, especially on a hot and sunny day. He got his certification as a tennis instructor with the Ontario Tennis Association and coached a few players one-on-one.

During this time, he washed dishes in a restaurant and worked up to becoming a chef. However, born a natural people person, he quickly grew tired of being stuck in the kitchen. His love for fashion had him opt for a career in retail where he would outfit customers at Banana Republic and made the elusive Million Dollar Club (selling $1M in one year). Being one of only three people in the country that had this distinction at the time, he quickly climbed up the ladder and into management. He was the youngest manager in the company at age 21. He led a team of over 100 people, focusing on visual merchandising, human resources, and teaching other store managers how to train their staff using the company’s sales techniques.

Jeff later accepted a job as a Counter Executive at Barney’s New York in New York City in 2003. He lived there for the next five years, traveling across the US, opening new counters and training employees. After realizing that traveling for work wasn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, he left that company and started his own graphic tee shirt company, selling to small boutiques in the high-end New York neighborhood of Chelsea. He also worked part-time at a smoothie bar in a gym. But this wasn’t any gym… this gym was home to some of the most awarded and biggest bodybuilders in the nation. He was impressed by their workout regimens and it inspired him to focus on his own physical fitness. Being 120 lbs. soaking wet, he didn’t have genetics on his side and faced challenges in gaining muscle mass. But with consistency and trying all the different protocols that were used by his idols, he slowly grew to over 180 lbs., earning the nickname, Tank.

In 2008, after returning to Canada and looking for a new start and career, Jeff used his sales experience to get a foot in the door at Goodlife as a Membership Coordinator with the intention of becoming a personal trainer. He specialized in kettlebell training and kickboxing and after a year of being one of the most sought-after and well-known trainers in town with a wait-list of potential clients wanting to get whipped into shape, he opened his own fitness studio, simply called BAO–his middle name.

While at BAO, he developed a 90-minute small-group class called BaoFIT90 that combined 30 minutes of kickboxing, kettlebells, and a sequence of poses called Yoga Stretch–which came about after attending years of yoga classes and finding that certain muscles weren’t being stretched. People loved it! So much so that after a year, his program was acquired by a local gym. They made him their fitness and design director, tasked to incorporate BaoFIT90 into their existing offerings as well as to redesign and rebrand the shabby facility into what is now known as The BAO Institute For Healthy Living.

At the same time, Jeff also served as a contributor and writer for a European Automobile Magazine where he shared about his travels across North America attending the prestigious Roll Royce Owners Club events and other car shows.

After a couple of years, he left the fitness industry altogether to open his own branding and design firm, The BAO House, a play on the German design movement, Bauhaus. He designed several international book covers, launched some small artisanal brands, created a series of posters for an academic department at Duke University, and worked on a fitness brand started by a colleague named Adam Robert McDonald. This is where he influenced and greatly impacted the trajectory of his soon-to-be best friend’s company, ARM Training Systems. After three years of designing posters, brochures, and service menus–and using his expertise in the fitness industry–in 2015, Adam convinced Jeff to work for him, not only on design but in the fitness department as well. Over the next few years, the company evolved to what is now ARM SYSTEMS and the intended 3-month short-term gig turned into a flourishing business partnership with no end in sight.

Jeff is now the Vice President, Wellness Director, and Design Director of ARM SYSTEMS. As the Wellness Director, he personally consults with clients about their eating habits through daily food journaling, weekly webinars, and monthly meetings. He also coaches clients–enrolled in the ARM Academy–on their entire lifestyle ranging from career, relationship, community, charity, adventure, and whatever matters to them most.

As the Design Director, his design process involves everything from the brand-identity system to human-resources policies; from the way they train their own team to the way they sell, market, and promote themselves throughout the GTA; from their menu of services to the nature of their delivery; and far beyond.

He is currently working on his autobiography, to be released by the end of 2018.

Adam Robert McDonald is the engineer and the analytical one; the expert on the physiology of physique; the methodical entrepreneur.

Unlike most fitness professionals, Adam grew up with a passion for logic and systems, which originally lead to him attending Seneca College for software engineering.

After spending countless days (and nights) behind a computer screen, he unsurprisingly found himself in rough shape—constantly exhausted with a growing waistline.

Because of this, Adam decided that enough was enough and joined a local gym in Milton. Very quickly he developed a new passion for the fitness industry as he used his unique systematic view of the world in a new industry. This is where his journey into the fitness world began.

Realizing that software engineering was no longer what he wanted to pursue, he dropped out of his program at Seneca College to pursue a diploma in Health & Fitness Promotion at Humber College.

After graduating from Humber College, Adam pursued advanced degrees in Kinesiology & Psychology at York University. At the same time, he was hired as a strength coach by a private training facility. Not just any private training facility… This one was owned and operated by Charles Poliquin, a world-famous exercise-and-nutrition expert responsible for training dozens of Olympic medalists for twelve different sports.

Working at this world-class facility inspired Adam to start ARM Systems. He saw a gap between the quality of training that athletes received compared to most traditional personal training programs.

Almost a decade later, ARM Systems has now evolved into something much more than this—creating a whole new category of personal training for those who have not been successful with the traditional model.

Due to his personal and professional experiences in the fitness industry, Adam has come to view exercise as a discipline that can empower clients’ entire lives.

As the Fitness Director of ARM Systems, his roles include: personally consult with clients seeking tailored exercise and nutrition solutions; design and modify plans and programs on a highly individualized basis; designate each client to the trainer (or trainers) best suited to his or her goals; and monitor everyone’s progress to ensure instant satisfaction and on-going success.

As the President and Business Development Director, his responsibilities include all activities in the areas of: sales, marketing, and advertising; publicity, promotion, and partnership; and education, communication, and technology. He also guides the design process, introduces new customers into the delivery process, and on a day-to-day basis leads the deployment of the organization itself.

Adam is known for his belief that people are happier and healthier when they endeavor to constantly educate, improve, and otherwise challenge themselves.

Appropriately, when he’s not at ARM, you’ll probably find him pursuing advanced studies in psychology, kinesiology, and health science.

Today we will be sharing the details of ARM 500, the fifth and final course in our ARM ACADEMY curriculum. If you don’t know about our new curriculum please click HERE for a recap.

WHAT IT IS

ARM 500: REFINEMENTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS follows ARM 400: ADVENTURES & TRANSFORMATIONS. It’s a year-long course that teaches you to survive and thrive, no matter what. During the course of ARM 500, we help students cultivate winning habits, maintain what they’re already achieved, and accomplish even more–despite life’s inevitable challenges, difficulties, obstacles, and interruptions.

Students are given continued support to enable them to achieve those difficult but possible-to-reach, multiple benchmarks. Through the course’s many and diverse programs, students get to learn what works for them and understand where their unique preferences lie.

The stages you and fellow students must go through in this course were designed to test your limits; to push you until you break those limits and attain new heights. With dedication and commitment, the transition from student to expert will take little over a year or less.

The ARM 500’s course is designed with programs that are incorporated into your life; it becomes a natural way to express yourself, in the end possibly becoming a lifestyle.

We have a motto we truly believe in: “Living a life well lived”. It speaks to everything the ARM 500 aims to help you achieve, and make it a reality.

More than your physical and emotional state of being, the ARM 500 also extends to exert a positive effect on social life, because it builds communities and forges relationships through social events, retreats, and more. Thus, you are presented with an opportunity to invite friends and family to experience that same unique culture you’re experiencing.

For nutrition, it’s less about being so strict and more about allowing particular indulgences. At our course, you’ll learn to source, prep, cook and enjoy foods that leave you nourished and satisfied, ultimately leading to better health and optimal body composition.

Your coaching appointments will be as follows: 3 times per week for most people, as this will permit everyone to have enough time to focus on other aspects of life. The monthly tutorials supplement the appointments too.

WHY IT’S WORTHWHILE

This course gives you an opportunity to make the most of your life, enjoying it and exploring things about yourself you’ve never known before. You get to express yourself in ways you never have.

Through the ARM 500’s vigorous yet effective activities, you acquire great and sustainable results. Give it your all and marvel at the positive results you get.

SOME OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

Mandatory completion of the ARM 400 is required before participation in the ARM 500 can be possible.

Training with friends, relatives, colleagues, and anyone you want is a very real possibility-it’s encouraged even, because it is expected taking such an action will further motivate you as you go through the course. What’s more, partner rates are extremely attractive-sometimes, the tuition rates can be cut as low as by 50%.

Tuition is as diverse as it is affordable. Three different types of scholarships are available. Each one fits a specific requirement so all interested parties should please contact us for details. Financing is also available for those looking to commit to our entire curriculum with fixed, monthly payments.

Completion of the ARM 500 marks the successful completion of The ARM Academy Curriculum. This means that if you so wish, you now have the option to review and once more partake in any of our courses and programs at a reduced tuition rate. We further compliment this by giving you invitations to all of our social events, retreats, etc.

Today we will be sharing the details of ARM 400, the fourth course in our ARM ACADEMY curriculum. If you don’t know about our new curriculum please click HERE for a recap.

WHAT IT IS 

ARM 400: ADVENTURES & TRANSFORMATIONS follows ARM 300: FOUNDATIONS & FUNDAMENTALS. It’s a quarter-long course that teaches you to set and meet a major projected objective. During the course of ARM 400, we help students design holistic, strategic, altogether realistic plans to objectively, measurably, and impactfully improve their bodies, selves, and lives.

ARM 400 is less about correcting imbalances and eliminating weak links and more about putting the “pedal to the metal” and getting great results for your efforts. During the course, we will place emphases on the most effective modality for your goals.

Unlike the ARM 300 Series, which consisted of a single corrective plan, the ARM 400 Series will focus on incorporating a three-phase program executed in stages and with strategic progression.

Having addressed the major digestive issues, clients are primed and ready for a more aggressive Primal/Paleo/Keto protocol to push them on in their bid to acquire an optimum body composition.

Your coaching appointments are scheduled to be held three times per week, as it is for the majority of your fellow students; with bi-weekly tutorials dedicated to other areas like stress, sleep, nutritional, and lifestyle.

WHY IT’S WORTHWHILE

The course opens up new avenues for you to see what’s possible; it makes you aware of your limitations and capabilities, further enabling to strategically outline schemes that will prove even more beneficial to your wellbeing.

The benefits accrued from the course’s activities will keep students motivated all through to the end. Significant results are seen and appreciated from day one.

SOME OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW 

To participate in ARM 400, you need to complete ARM 300 first, which is itself preceded by the ARM 200 and ARM 100 respectively. 

If you want to train with friends, relatives, colleagues and anyone else that you believe might make the experience better in whatever way, please inform us. Partner rates are extremely attractive–sometimes, the tuition rates are slashed by as much as 50%.

Speaking of tuition, three different types of scholarships are available. If you’re interested in applying for one, please let us know. Financing is also available for those looking to commit to our entire curriculum with fixed, monthly payments.

After completing ARM 400, you’ll also have the option of graduating to the year-long ARM ARM 500: REFINEMENTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS, where we help students cultivate winning habits, maintain what they’re already achieved, and accomplish even more–despite life’s inevitable challenges, difficulties, obstacles, and interruptions.

Hello once again! It’s been a while since my last entry, we have been busy implementing all of the recent changes at ARM and having some wild success with our clients in the process!

Today I will be sharing the details of ARM 300, the third course in our ARM ACADEMY curriculum. If you don’t know about our new curriculum please click HERE for a recap.

WHAT IT IS

ARM 300: FOUNDATIONS & FUNDAMENTALS follows ARM 200: EXPERIMENTS & DISCOVERIES. It’s a month-long course, during which our team of experts will help you correct, improve, and bring balance to your levels of mechanical, adaptational, and constitutional fitness.

The way we do this is by identifying where your body is out of balance (discovered in your ARM 200 series) and correcting the weak links with a synergistic and effective program. What do I mean by this? Well, let me give you an example—if you have a nagging shoulder injury it is typically a result of tight anterior muscles of the shoulder and weak posterior muscles of the shoulder.

During your ARM 300 series, we will be focusing on losing the tight muscles of the anterior shoulder through the use of constitutional exercises and strengthening the muscles of the posterior shoulder through the use of mechanical exercises. We will also be including adaptional exercises as well to ensure your body’s cardiorespiratory system is in top shape as well!

Your coaching appointments will be scheduled 3 times per week for most people with weekly tutorials dedicated to other areas like stress, sleep, nutritional, and lifestyle. During this phase, most clients will benefit from a detox protocol when it comes to nutrition to ensure their body’s are able to absorb essential nutrients, eliminate harmful toxins, and improve its overall effectiveness.

WHY IT’S WORTHWHILE

Often neglected ARM 300 gives you the essential components for long-term success. Preventing future injuries, correcting muscular imbalances, and building a strong baseline are just a few examples of where this series shines.

SOME OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

To participate in ARM 300, you need to complete ARM 200 first.

If you want to train with friends, relatives, colleagues, whatever, let us know. Partner rates are extremely attractive–sometimes reducing tuition by up to 50%.

Speaking of tuition, three different types of scholarships are available. If you’re interested in applying for one, please let me know. I’d be more than happy to provide all the details.

You may also want to ask about our financing options. At most facilities offering personal training, financing comes at a cost, sometimes up to 50% more. We’re different. We want as many people as possible to start and complete our curriculum. So our financing plan–which involves set monthly payments over the course of your time with us–comes with a 15-20% discount built right in.

Finally, when you complete ARM 300, you’ll have the option of graduating to the quarter-long ARM 400: ADVENTURES & TRANSFORMATIONS, where we help students design holistic, strategic, altogether realistic plans to objectively, measurably, and impactfully improve their bodies, selves, and lives.

If you don’t know about our new curriculum–which replaces all of our old offerings–please tap/click HERE for a recap.

If you haven’t yet read my sneak preview of ARM 100, the first course in our ARM ACADEMY curriculum, please tap/click HERE and give it a quick review.

WHAT IT IS

ARM 200: EXPERIMENTS & DISCOVERIES follows ARM 100: INTRODUCTIONS & CONSIDERATIONS. It’s a week-long course, during which our directors, Adam Robert McDonald and Jeff Bao Nguyen–along with our team of coaches, trainers, and other experts–will help you come to know and understand your body, life, and self in a whole new way.

This new level of self-awareness–sharp, specific, and sometimes surprising–is achieved through a combination of one-on-one tutorial appointments (our own fitness/wellness/performance-oriented version of life coaching) and coaching appointments (in other words, personal training). Along the way, we’ll conduct a BIOSIGNATURE analysis as well–more than one if necessary. This is to help us understand your metabolism and how to work with it for optimal results. Of course, if you have any sort of test results from your family physician–the results of your annual check-up, for example–that’s extremely helpful as well.

Your coaching appointments are rarely with one person, as it’s important for you to experience our range of styles and personalities. It’s also important for you to experience your own body performing different types of exercise. To that end, we’ll make sure that you get equal portions of what we call adaptive, metabolic, and constitutional activity. In each case, we’ll be assessing where your strengths and weakness are, with an emphasis upon factors (such as mobility) that are almost impossible to gauge by oneself.

Throughout your experience, you’ll be guided through the process of designing new possibilities for yourself in the areas of fitness (how lean, quick, strong, and flexible you are), wellness (how calm, focused, centred, balanced, well-rested, and stress-free you are), and your performance (which may take the form of bold new ambitions at home, at work, in love, or anywhere else in life–that part’s up to you).

We haven’t mentioned nutrition yet. In all of the courses following ARM 200, there will be specific nutritional programmes for you to follow. However, while you’re in this course, we’ll want you to eat whatever you want, as much of it as you want, whenever you want it. One catch: You’ll have to photograph what you’re putting into your body–every last drop and crumb–and show it to us.

Please: Don’t be shy–and don’t for one-second fool yourself into believing we haven’t seen it all before. (We most certainly have.) Honestly, even if you eat nothing but ice cream and potato chips, and even if you eat way too much of it, knowing that–especially if you can tell us what time you scarfed it all down–truly helps us understand your cravings, your digestion, sometimes even circadian-rhythm disturbances you would never have imagined. Which is terrific, because once we know what you’re dealing with, we can suggest some adjustments to have your body crave new things, at new times, in different ratios and proportions.

WHY IT’S WORTHWHILE

When we launched ARM 200, the first few people to whom we pitched it to were confused. I’d go so far as to say some of them were upset, angry, and/or incredulous. They couldn’t wrap their heads around what seemed to them like a whole bunch of talking, playing, dreaming, and measuring. What they were used to, and what they were expecting, was to jump right into hard-core, results-oriented training.

Feel the burn. No gain without pain. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. So on and so forth. You get the picture: all that junk you see on Facebook, accompanied by fitness models so lean their reproductive systems have probably shut down.

But here’s the deal: Sometimes, what seems like “common sense” is objectively, provably, repeatedly wrong. That’s what each and every one of those bitter, hostile, suspicious clients learned. Yes, hard work, straight out of the gate, may make you feel good. It may help you feel proud, worthy, like a champ. But, if it happens in the absence of some preliminaries, it’s usually a waste of time.

What are those preliminaries? Brief but vital activities that should be familiar to and valued by any businessperson: orientation, research, insight, and strategy. During ARM 200, we won’t be using those exact terms. But, basically, that’s the process through which we’ll be taking you–and, I can’t say this enough, it works on a sustained basis, and that’s what counts.

Lest you think we always held these opinions here at ARM, let me tell you something: All of this is relatively new for us. Like everyone else, we used to think it was best to jump right in. Fortunately, training dozens if not hundreds of people from many different walks of life eventually taught us otherwise.

Here’s what we saw: Initial results were sensational–and they happened so quickly. Unfortunately, this was always followed by a phase of rapidly diminishing returns. (Sometimes injuries too.) Disenchantment came into the picture, as enthusiasm went out the window. Of course, objectives never got achieved, leading some clients to a sense of disappointment that took months or years to overcome. In a nutshell: not good. We refuse to let that happen to you–and, with this course, it won’t.

SOME OTHER THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

To participate in ARM 200, you need to complete ARM 100 first–but that’s free, so no worries there.

If you want to train with friends, relatives, colleagues, whatever, let us know. Partner rates are extremely attractive–sometimes reducing tuition by up to 50%.

Speaking of tuition, three different types of scholarships are available. If you’re interested in applying for one, please let me know. I’d be more than happy to provide all the details.

You may also want to ask about our financing options. At most facilities offering personal training, financing comes at a cost, sometimes up to 50% more. We’re different. We want as many people as possible to start and complete our curriculum. So our financing plan–which involves set monthly payments over the course of your time with us–comes with a 15% discount built right in.

Finally, when you complete ARM 200, you’ll have the option of graduating to the month-long ARM 300: FOUNDATIONS & FUNDAMENTALS, where we help students correct, improve, and bring balance to their levels of mechanical, adaptational, and constitutional fitness.

Hello, everyone! Adam here. If this is the first time you are reading about our core curriculum please go HERE and HERE to get caught up, then come back and keep reading this.

Are we all back yet? Fantastic! Now let’s pick up the conversation where he left off, at ARM 100: INTRODUCTIONS & CONSIDERATIONS, the hour-long, one-on-one, totally free, truly educational tutorial we’ve designed to replace our old, conventional sales-meeting format. It’s the first course or module in our new fitness-and-nutrition curriculum, and it’s like nothing else you’ve ever done.

WHAT IT IS

During the course of your ARM 100 experience, you’ll be tutored by an executive-level educator who will guide you in a review of and discussion about your life, work, and health; problems and challenges you may be facing; goals and solutions you may want to consider; risks and consequences you may want to avoid–in an intimate, informative, and interactive manner.

WHY IT’S WORTHWHILE

By the time you’ve completed your ARM 100 experience, you will have learned something that’s yours to keep and use, regardless of whether or not you choose to take the next step through our curriculum. Specifically, you’ll learn to look at your self, your health, your life, and the options available to you in a fresh new way. You’ll see patterns you never saw before, identify connections you never made before, uncover opportunities you never imagined before, and finally figure out what’s at the core of your relationship with your own body and what it’s going to take to make and keep that body healthy.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

About three-quarters through ARM 100, you will have assessed your own health and what it’s going to take to get you where you want and need to be. If your tutor thinks ARM’s people and programmes can help (spoiler alert; nine times out of ten, we can) he or she will take a moment to review our curriculum with you–along with information regarding tuition, scholarships, and financing plans available. He or she will then invite you to register into ARM 200: EXPERIMENTS & DISCOVERIES, where we help new students understand their bodies, selves, and lives in a new way–and to evaluate what’s possible for all three. The choice of whether or not to do so will be yours–and regardless of your choice, your hour will have been well-spent, with the new view and observational tools it has given you.

Hello, everyone! This is Isaac. Adam introduced me to all of you a month or so ago. I’m the interim design director at ARM Systems, as well as the interim manager of our indulgence practice–“indulgence” being our way of describing cuisine, apparel, publications, supplements, and other items that clients and customers can take home and enjoy as reward for all their hard work on the gym floor.

Recently, we’ve been getting lots of questions about our new curriculum, which replaces the relatively basic, standard, conventional menu of services that we used to offer. I totally understand; our curriculum may represent a quantum leap forward for the entire fitness industry; but it’s so new, so radical, so completely “out there” that it’s hard for people to wrap their heads around it.

It’s hard for us to wrap our heads around it as well sometimes. For example, we’re not offering “initial consultations” anymore. As you may know, in the fitness industry, “initial consultation” is code for “sales meeting”. When we did offer them, they were fairly basic. We would review our offerings with prospective clients, provide some evidence that we did great work, and attempt to convince as many of them as possible to sign contracts with us.

To be clear, I’m not ashamed to sell, and I don’t think anyone else at ARM is either. Businesses, after all, need to make money–or they fold. Plus we were honest, we never resorted to the vanities nor insecurities of our guests, and (in my opinion) we really were the best bet in town.

So why change?

Because we knew there was a better way–and I’m going to tell you what made us so confident about that.

Flash back to 2009. I was asked to write and design new promotional materials for a major university’s visual-arts programme. The dean said something to me I’ll never forget. It’s become my approach to absolutely everything I do as a writer, designer, and consultant–and now that I’ve shared it with everyone at ARM, it’s their approach too. Anyway, here’s what she said:

“This is a place of learning. I don’t want us to be selling anyone on anything. It’s cheap, it’s tacky, and it’s beneath us. Which means that your job is to be a teacher. You need to help prospective students understand what we do here and not just how we do it but why. And even that’s not good enough. You also have to provide them with an education in getting an education. You have to show them how to pick a school, what they should be looking for, how their choice is going to impact their future, and what it means to be an artist in the first place. If you do a great job, students will want to come here naturally. You won’t have to force them. But even for those who walk away and go somewhere else, you will have given them something they never had before–and that’s what matters.”

In other words, what I learned from that experience is that, for a certain type of service–ones that are critical, personal, intimate, requiring major commitments of time and money; services like ours–selling and convincing isn’t enough. Educating people–giving them something of value that’s theirs forever, no matter what–is where it’s at.

So that’s what we’re doing now, in two different ways. First, we’re using the metaphors of the education industry, not the fitness industry, to organize our business. There’s a curriculum, there are courses, each course has requirements, objectives, so on and so forth. It’s immediately familiar–and tasks like goal-setting and time management start to get easier. Second, even though it scares us, we’re ditching selling in favour of educating. We’re making a bet that when people are well-informed and empowered to choose for themselves, they’ll make the right choice more often than not. Third, we’re making sure we’re the right choice, by offering profound new insights and exceptional opportunities for growth every step of the way.

Thoughts? I want to hear from you; please let me know!

Hello, everyone! Thanks for choosing to read this.

I’m going to make it worth your while with this post–because I have lots of fun facts and good news to share.

If you’re local–a team member, one of our clients, someone thinking about your fitness and wellness and how to improve it–the items I’m about to share will change our relationship, forever.

On the other hand, for those of you who don’t me yet, this may be the start of a relationship. But there’s no relationship without introductions so…

My name is Adam Robert McDonald, and I’m the owner of ARM Systems. On a day-to-day basis, I’m responsible for business development as well as our established fitness practice.

When this company launched in 2011, I have to admit, we were kind of basic. There really wasn’t anything different about us. I’d like to think we were better than the big-box gyms–and a better value too. But different? Not so much.

Around 2013 or 2014, things started to change. Our approach became more holistic, our identity a little more sophisticated. We started attracting a different type of client–and that’s when things got interesting.

That’s because the people who were coming to us were living these big, impressive, but also really difficult lives. Their responsibilities were gigantic in every area–home, family, the office, local community groups, churches and other houses of worship–and the pressure was intense.

As we expanded beyond fitness into wellness, we realized that, without some recharging of the batteries, burn-out would be a serious, if also predictable, problem for these clients. So we introduced a variety of luxurious amenities–Italian espresso bar; cooling aromatherapeutic towels; shakes and smoothies included with training services; et cetera–to ease their tension, minimize their worry, and give them little bits of joy when they needed them most.

It worked–and now, there’s even more to do.

This is where the news begins.

Some of you already know Jacques Bao Nguyen. (Those who do usually call him Jeff.) He has been with us for a couple of years in a variety of roles–and even longer than that if you count the years he contributed to our brand as a vendor.

Like all of us, Jacques has experienced difficulties in life. It’s his love and practice of various wellness modalities that got him through. Now he’s ready to start sharing what he’s learned with all of you–and, to help him do that, we’re giving him an upgrade.

Effective immediately, Jeff is a partner here at ARM, and his responsibilities have been whittled down to something a little more specific and manageable: Leadership of our evolving wellness practice, combined with direction of the way we actually deliver our services.

Taking over some of Jacques’ previous responsibilities is another former vendor, Isaac Ignacio Schlesinger. For the moment, Isaac is going to collaborate with us in the capacity of visitor, with a scope that includes business design and interim direction of our emerging indulgence practice.

Speaking of our indulgence practice–the division that curates our fine retail assortment of apparel, bodycare, supplementation, and more–we’re firming up plans for an exclusive meal-prep service that’s totally local, organic, healthful, and delicious. Please stay tuned for more on that.

Right now, it’s time for the main event.

Effective immediately, we’re replacing our entire menu of fitness services with a curriculum. The name may change–again, we’re test-driving–but right now, we’re referring to it as THE ARM ACADEMY.

But wait! What does that mean? Here’s the deal…

Over the course of the past year, we’ve been doing our absolute best and most to create a dynamic, fascinating environment for our staff members; a worthwhile, value-packed service offer for our esteemed clientele; and a laboratory of luxury and innovation to inspire our community of local entrepreneurs and businesspeople.

As we on-goingly reviewed our successes and failures, as well as feedback from loyal customers, we realized that what’s wanted and needed in the fitness industry–but what’s totally missing right now–is an all-inclusive solution that’s about much more than training on the floor. People want and need (A) lifestyle coaching, (B) access to complimentary wellness resources, (C) a sense that specific goals are being set and met, and (D) a progressive approach–not just the same type of training month after month, no end in sight. No, what we’ve heard, time and time again, is that people love a sense of graduation from one strictly defined level to another.

At first, we thought we could deliver upon these wants in the context of large-group fitness classes. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out; we weren’t able to deliver the level of personalized, individualized service that’s our gold standard.

(PS, by the way, that’s why we won’t be offering them anymore–unless, of course, a group comes to us requesting one, in which case we’ll gladly oblige.)

Instead, we’ve scanned the global marketplace for business models from which we might borrow structures and/or metaphors. After a full month of exploration, we were surprised but delighted to realize that the organizational model best suited to our wants and needs was that of the college or university.

For example, THE ARM 100 SERIES: INTRODUCTIONS & CONSIDERATIONS is kind of like the informational sessions sponsored by most colleges, institutes, and universities. In our case, it only lasts an hour or two, and it’s completely free of charge. Conducted at our Milton campus (that’s what we’re calling it now) on a one-to-one basis–or in a group setting at your home, office, whatever–ARM 100 isn’t a sales meeting. There’s some actual value there, no matter what you choose to do next. That said, for those who want to move forward, appointments do close with opportunities to apply for ARM 200.

THE ARM 200 SERIES: EXPERIMENTS & DISCOVERIES is a week-long course that opens your mind and makes new things possible–kind of like an associate’s degree. During the course of ARM 200, we help new students understand their bodies, selves, and lives in a new way–and to evaluate what’s possible for all three. This is achieved thanks to an innovative teaching-and-learning format involving five one-on-one life-coaching experiences and five one-on-one personal-training experiences.

THE ARM 300 SERIES: FOUNDATIONS & FUNDAMENTALS is a month-long course that makes sure your mind and body are exactly where they need to be to make it “out there”–kind of like a bachelor’s degree. During the course of ARM 300, we help students correct, improve, and bring balance to their levels of mechanical, adaptational, and constitutional fitness. As with all of our courses, nutritional counseling is fully integrated–no additional fees nor charges.

THE ARM 400 SERIES: ADVENTURES & TRANSFORMATIONS is a quarter-long course that teaches you to set and meet a major project objective–kind of like a master’s degree. During the course of ARM 400, we help students design holistic, strategic, altogether realistic plans to objectively, measurably, and impactfully improve their bodies, selves, and lives.

THE ARM 500 SERIES: REFINEMENTS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS is a year-long course, that teaches you to survive and thrive, no matter what–kind of like a doctorate or professional degree. During the course of ARM 500, we help students cultivate winning habits, maintain what they’re already achieved, and accomplish even more–despite life’s inevitable challenges, difficulties, obstacles, and interruptions.

Honestly, I’ve just top-lined our new curriculum for you. There’s so much more to share, for example: all of the luxurious extras that are included with tuition; our small-group learning options, which can reduce costs by as much as fifty percent; our merit-based scholarship program; and our financing options, which make it easier than ever to get ARMed.

Want to know more? All you have to do is ask! Here’s my email address: adam@ARMsystems.ca

Meanwhile, please remember that, when it comes to your fitness, wellness, and performance, the best step is usually the next step.

— Adam