Trainer Spotlight: Ryan Parr
What are your credentials?
National Academy of Sports Medicine – Certified Personal Trainer
National Academy of Sports Medicine – Corrective Exercise Specialist
C.H.E.K. Institute – Integrated Movement Specialist II
C.H.E.K. Institute – Holistic Lifestyle Coach II
Functional Patterns – Human Foundations Practitioner
What do you love most about working in the fitness industry?
I really enjoy working with others to help them improve their ability to move and function pain free. I look at myself as a mechanic for the human body.
Whether it’s someone trying to get out of pain from an injury or someone trying to improve sports performance, I live for the ability to help them get there through applied biomechanics.
What separates you from others in the fitness industry?
I take an approach that is relevant to human functionality over muscle development and/or weight loss. I see proper training as a way to achieve optimal health while gaining muscle and losing weight are a side effect. There is no reason you have to sacrifice your health in the long term to look good. Sustainable results take consistency with relevant training/lifestyle habits.
What is your favorite area in fitness and why? (Strength Training/Marathon Running/ETC.)
Sprinting and throwing are my favorite areas in fitness. I really enjoy these movements because they are some of the most complex movement humans.
What is your favorite training modality? (Kettlebell/TRX/ETC.)
My favorite training modality would be using the cable machine but clubbells are a close second.
What do you consider to be the greatest accomplishment of your life?
The thing I consider to be my greatest accomplishment so far would be becoming pain free after a bad back injury when I was 20 years old. I had everyday chronic pain for close to 5 years. Each year that I put in the work, things got better and now I can now run, jump, and play sports with minimal pain, if any pain.
If you had to choose one exercise for somebody to do what would you pick and why?
Step Press.
It allows someone to work on one of the most important functions for humans which is gait (walking/running). Gait is a very complicated movement pattern which is why it takes a child some time to learn how to walk and even longer to do it well enough to get to high speeds (run). When this exercise is done properly you can rewire the way your body functions to make it work more effectively while having a large carry over to most other movement patterns.
In the end what would humans do if we couldn’t walk/run well?
What’s your secret to staying in shape?
Balancing diet, movement, sleep, and relevant core values.
What’s your favorite workout song?
Tool – invincible or 7empest
What are you passionate about? What are your hobbies?
I enjoy working towards living a healthy lifestyle.
Spending time outside, eating high quality food, adequate exercise/movement, getting quality sleep, spending time with friends/family.
What’s one thing that surprises people about you?
I broke both of my wrists at the same time.
What’s your favorite T.V. show?
Game of thrones
If you could only pick one thing to eat for the rest of your life what would it be?
Liver
If you were stranded on a desert island and could only bring 3 things with you what would they be?
Machete , hammock, big box of matches