Often, over time, fitness journeys start slow and eventually snowball into something bigger than expected.
These journeys may begin, or change course, at various stages of life for different individuals—the moment you begin a new sport, a new diet, join a gym or order some equipment to use to work out at home. Taking the first step doesn’t require one to be a certain age or in the best health. It does demand determination, dedication and discipline to get the most from it, though.
Jim Genet is a 58-year-old personal trainer at the MAC (Murfreesboro Athletic Club) and has proven that someone is never too old to start working out, or to begin a new career. Yes, shake your head and be amazed. Many who see him and who know his age will only say “man, you look freaking awesome.” And they often follow that up by asking him “what do you do?”
Genet traced his fitness journey back to his time as a teen when he was a competitive alpine skier in New England zooming down snow-covered slopes. He said he received Olympic-level training during that time and that he learned invaluable lessons in speed, focus, visualization and technical skills that help him in personal training now.
“I had to memorize the course from top to bottom and that concept taught me to do many things I see,” he explained.
Speeding down the slopes, Genet had to be very aware of different, precise body movements. Memorizing course after course repeatedly stuck with him and carried over to being a part of his life to this day.
He focuses on movement, balance and awareness with his clients. He said he feels that, oftentimes, “people are not connecting with their body,” and wants to emphasize that those seeking optimal health and fitness should truly “connect with your body; not just move.”
Some fall into a workout routine of mindlessly counting repetitions of a particular move that may only engage a very small muscle or muscle group. Genet wants to give his personal training clients some moves that not only challenge their whole body, but their mind as well.
Most of his training can be described as a combination of martial arts and yoga. He recommends for everyone to find their breath, center themselves and push the air into their body. From there, coming together with your palms and settling in is what it’s about, as the difficulty increases. His training starts at 30-minute intervals and can transition easily into an hour. His routines will work many of the joints in the body through movements that lead individuals into balancing themselves into different comfortable positions. While some of these positions take a lot of time time and patience to master, many clients will be amazed at the balance and strength they can achieve after just a few weeks of Genet’s routines.
Genet says he never really worked out in a gym until recently but has fallen in love with it. He understands how it can help others meet their fitness goals, but he also wants to point out that someone can give their body an incredible workout using only their own body weight, and roomfuls of fancy equipment are not necessary in order to connect with and improve your body.
Genet says his background in pastoring over 17 years, during which he recruited and trained leaders at a large church to teach others from many walks of life, still helps with personal training.
Learning how to lose weight is one part of the equation, and another big part is your trainer’s personality that motivates and encourages you.
Photos by Bracken Mayo
Genet says his fluid movements can make for a challenging workout for nearly anyone, whether its elderly lady with joint issues or a highly fit athlete, already in shape but looking to gain an edge, “often with the same moves!”
One individual may not be able to go as deep into a squat as someone else, or hold a plank for as long as someone else, but anyone can go to their personal perimeter, hold it, be mindful of it, and over time watch their perimeter change and increase.
Genet wants his clients to be mindful of their personal limits, to put just a bit of stress on their muscles, but to avoid injury and not overdo it. That will help those training to stick with their routine over a long term, and gradually observe their bodies improve.
Genet started running marathons at age 40 and in 10 years became an ultramarathoner. Consistency in knowing himself, his body and others has always played a part in his life at some point, and he said that while he wasn’t expecting to be where he is now, he is welcoming every minute of it and that everything he has done in life has built him for it.
If you are tired of doing the same old exercises and want some spontaneity, join him for a group workout session at 8 a.m. every Saturday at the Bragg Trailhead, 1540 W. College St.
Contact Genet at 615-427-3406 or jmg1448@gmail.com, or find him at the Murfreesboro Athletic Club, 710 Memorial Blvd. (he’s the lean, grey-haired man doing handstands on top of dumbbells).
