S1 · Ep 29: Building Strength and Community — Creating a Life That Fits (Part 1) | Coach Phil Green | The MindSpa Podcast

In this episode of The MindSpa Podcast, Tina Wilston and Michelle Massunken sit down with Phil Green, CSEP-CPT, founder of bodiesbyphil, to explore how strength, structure, and community can shape not just fitness outcomes, but an entire life direction.

Phil reflects on the personal turning point that led him into the fitness industry, and how what began as small backyard boot camps eventually grew into a thriving Ottawa studio grounded in one core philosophy: serious fitness in a supportive, human environment. The focus is not on intimidation or extremes, but on sustainable effort, authentic coaching, and building relationships that last.

The conversation outlines the four pillars that guide Phil’s approach to long-term results: fitness, nutrition, accountability, and community. We discuss why change rarely happens in isolation, how nutrition is often tied to personal history and emotion, and why accountability only works when communication is consistent. Phil shares how creating an environment where people feel both challenged and supported leads to lasting engagement,  with some members training alongside him for over a decade.

Tina, Michelle, and Phil also talk about time, priorities, and the realities of balancing parenthood and entrepreneurship. For those starting or restarting a fitness routine, Phil encourages beginning with one manageable weekly session and building gradually. Strength training forms the foundation, with metabolic conditioning used thoughtfully to complement busy schedules without overwhelming the body.

This episode invites listeners to consider what sustainable growth looks like in their own lives. Whether the focus is fitness, nutrition, accountability, or community, steady, realistic effort often leads to the most meaningful change.

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The MindSpa Podcast

Thoughtful conversations about mental health, relationships, identity, healing, grounded in clinical expertise and steady human insight.

Hosts

Tina Wilston, M.Ed., Registered Psychotherapist 

Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre

LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook

Michelle Massunken, MSW, RSW

Co-Owner, MindSpa Mental Health Centre

LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook

MindSpa Mental Health Centre

Ottawa - Kanata & Gloucester

themindspa.ca

LinkedIn, instagram

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Transcript

Meet Phil And His Mission

Tina Wilston 0:02

Okay, welcome back. Today, we are speaking with Phil. He is a passionate personal trainer and entrepreneur based in Ottawa. He is the founder and owner of Bodies by Phil, a group training studio grounded in a serious fitness and a not so serious environment mindset. Through his proven four-pillar system, fitness, nutrition, accountability, and community, he helps clients of all levels build strength, burn fat, and develop sustainable habits in an inclusive, high-energy atmosphere. As a new dad and business owner, Phil brings a unique perspective on balancing fatherhood, entrepreneurship, and fitness culture. He lives what he coaches: high performance, thoughtful recovery, and connection. Welcome. Thank you. We are very excited to have you here.

Phil Green 0:46

I'm very happy to be here.

Michelle Massunken 0:47

Yes. So let's start with the basics. Let's get to the foundation. We want to know, our listeners want to know how you started off being a coach and how you even started off with launching Bodies by Phil. What is your origin story?

From Loss To Triathlons And Sobriety

Phil Green 1:02

Yeah. Um, I mean, I grew up playing sports like a lot of kids. I was a big baseball player, soccer player. Um, and when I got older, I got into things like cycling, stuff like that. My dad was always a big cyclist and cross-country skier. So uh that was part of my childhood growing up, all that. Um and I guess uh this this is an interesting story. It takes a bit of a sad turn, I guess. Uh when I was 18, my mom passed away. Um she had cancer, and I guess you know that was a pretty tumultuous time for an 18-year-old, especially, you know. So um I I kind of it things kind of got bad for a little bit there. So I was a little bit, you know, I kind of ditched high school, eventually went back and finished, but um, and you know, kind of got into alcohol, maybe drugs a little bit, that sort of thing. And so it was it was bad for a couple years. And um when I was, I think I was 21, maybe 22, on a whim, I signed up to do a triathlon. Wow, on a whim. I I think I I think I maybe was drunk when I signed up. Okay. God. Um anyway, uh, but after I signed up, it was kind of like I guess I better get my shit together and like figure this out. Uh so I started training and I started, you know, biking, running, swimming, doing my training, and I I actually stopped drinking altogether. Um and I I don't know, I just I decided to do this thing, and I just for whatever reason was like really got into it. And um, so I really trained a lot and yeah, stopped doing all the bad stuff.

Tina Wilston 2:51

Um up till that point you hadn't really been working out or doing anything at all?

Phil Green 2:55

Not really. Okay. I mean, I I had I had been casually going to the gym. Yeah, I had a gym membership, but like it wasn't anything super serious.

Tina Wilston 3:05

Okay.

Phil Green 3:05

Um but yeah, I started taking that training really seriously at 21 or 22, much to the chagrin of my friends who were just like drinking beer every night and whatever. And I was like, nah, not doing that right now. Um anyway, the time came. I did the triathlon, I did pretty well in it. Amazing. And I immediately signed up to do another one.

Tina Wilston 3:25

Wow.

Phil Green 3:25

And I think I did two or three more that same summer.

Tina Wilston 3:28

Wow.

Phil Green 3:28

Um and I really got into the training aspect of the whole thing. I really enjoyed uh the programming of it, figuring out what my training was going to be like. I was kind of doing things like heart rate training, and I really got into all that stuff.

Tina Wilston 3:45

And it's like you found your passion. Yeah, I guess.

Phil Green 3:48

And you know, and it it it was also this thing that kind of like got me out of all these bad habits too, you know, and like um so it I feel like it really helped me get out of this bad place too. Um anyway, eventually, you know, I I had been uh working full time, I was working at a coffee shop full time, and I had been saving a little bit of money because I knew I wanted to go to school eventually for something, but I didn't know what. And so I was like, well, I'm really enjoying this fitness stuff and like training and that sort of thing. So maybe I'll find something I can do in fitness, and I did, and I um I ended up taking the fitness and health promotion program at Algonquin, which uh was fantastic, and I nailed it. I got like straight A pluses. It's funny how when you're passionate about it when you care and you're passionate about something, shout out to Algonquin, we love Algonquin. Like I remember just like being a sponge at school. I was just like, give me all the info because I find this so cool. Um, and even I remember when I I did this program, I paid for everything myself and all this, and I was like, Well, I'm paying for all this schooling, and I feel like there's no losing in learning about fitness. Like, even if this doesn't turn into a career, yeah, that's a good perspective. It's still good to learn all this stuff, and I feel it's like it'll be helpful for me anyway. Um but yeah, it turned out it did turn into a career. Yeah. And so uh I started doing kind of just one-on-one personal training and small group personal training before I even graduated. Uh, so before I graduated, I ended up getting my personal training certification. And at first I was just training friends and like my friends' moms in their backyards and you know, it was stuff like that, and just very, very simple stuff. I was doing outdoor boot camps and things like that. Uh, and eventually I started um I started coaching one-on-one clients at a small personal training studio downtown. And um that's where I mostly got really busy. I started getting a lot of one-on-one clients there. Um, and then eventually I bought in to that uh training studio. So I bought half of it.

Tina Wilston 6:08

Okay.

School, Certifications, And Early Coaching

Phil Green 6:08

Um, so I co-owned that personal training studio for it was five years. Um, and while I was there, I started teaching small group training, just for it was mostly just for fun. I kind of like I had always been teaching group stuff, like outdoor group stuff. Uh, so I started teaching small group at the studio, and that's what really blew up for me. Um that got really busy and I very quickly outgrew that studio. It was a very small studio. You know, I wanted to teach more classes and I wanted to have more people in my classes. Um, and I could only do my classes in the evenings, for example, because otherwise the gym was full of the personal training schedules. So I couldn't run classes while there was people doing personal training. So I was limited in the scheduling too, which led me to eventually open the first Bodies by Phil. Okay. Uh on Albert Street. And we've been there for seven and a half years now. Amazing. There you go.

Tina Wilston 7:03

And how long have you been in Kanata? Because you're also Kanata.

Phil Green 7:06

Yep. So we have the the Kanata location as well now, and that's been there for what is it now? Three and a half years or so that Kanata's been there. Yep.

Michelle Massunken 7:16

So you have some people that you've been working with from day one that you continue to see right now.

Phil Green 7:21

Yep. So there's people who come to the downtown location who uh are still around from those days when I was teaching those small, small groups. Um I actually still have some clients who were doing uh when I was doing outdoor boot camps and stuff.

Tina Wilston 7:38

And that's gotta be that's gotta be maybe like 15 years ago now, and there's still some of those people that come to the gym and that's so telling though on the results that you get because to to stick with somebody that you trust and that you know is gonna, you know, help help you meet those fitness goals.

Phil Green 7:54

Yeah, I think that's it. And like if I don't know, or I guess if people find someone doing fitness that they really like and they jive with, then it's kind of like that can sometimes be a lifetime relationship. Like I know coaches who have had clients for 20, 30 years, you know, like it's pretty wild. Yeah.

Michelle Massunken 8:14

And I think that's a key thing. I think when it comes just even thinking of me, when I find that I'm doing a group class or whatever, it's the instructor, like it's the coach, it's their personality, it's their energy that really pushes me towards it. And I think as much as it's like personal training, it's like the personal piece is what makes the difference and being able to actually know the person, you know, know how their daughters are doing or know how the work is going. But that personal touch makes a huge difference and it does become like lifelong relationships. I can totally see that.

Phil Green 8:41

Yeah. And I I definitely convey that to our coaches at the gym. Um, whenever I hire coaches, I always tell them this is funny. I always say, I don't want to hear your trainer voice. And what I mean by that is kind of everyone's got a, you know, like uh where you're on. Yeah, and you're like I'm per I'm performing right now. And I tell them, I'm like, I don't want that here. Like, I just want you to be yourself. Like imagine you're out having beers with your friends, you know, and like that's how I want you to teach your classes. Just be yourself.

Tina Wilston 9:10

Be accessible.

Phil Green 9:12

And I think that you know, that speaks to people more and it's definitely it's more connection and they're they're being real, they're just being themselves, that sort of thing. And and that's what I want. That's that's because that's part of the environment at Bodies by Phil as well.

Tina Wilston 9:27

That is a perfect segue into the next question because one of the things that you like to focus on is that culture piece, that serious, what what is it? It's the the serious fitness in a not so serious environment. Can you tell us a bit about like what what is that cult what why is that important to you? Why does that speak to you?

Phil Green 9:43

So that that came from, I mean, so going back to when I was when I was teaching those small group classes in the personal training studio, uh, I I taught all the classes. It was just me. And I think as a coach, I'm silly. Uh I am just making dad jokes the whole time, swearing like a sailor and just I don't know, uh playing stupid music, or you know, we're doing uh booty focus class, and all the songs we're playing are about butts, for example.

Tina Wilston 10:15

Just it's stuff like that.

Phil Green 10:17

Um and I don't know, I I think that's just me. Like I wasn't doing anything other than just kind of being myself. I'm just a silly ass, and like I brought that to my fitness and coaching.

Tina Wilston 10:30

So doing what you were asking your coaches to do as well, like you're bringing yourself the way you want them to bring themselves.

Launching Bodies By Phil

Phil Green 10:35

Just doing it how I would, you know, I I want to enjoy what I'm doing too. I don't really want to put on a performance, I just want to hang out with these people and get them results. Um, and we can maybe have some LOLs at the same time, you know? Great. Um and I I wasn't doing anything on purpose. I think that just spoke to people and they it created uh a comfortable environment where it felt like, you know, um we're not being just like drill sergeant by this guy and just like being told what to do and yeah, yelled at if we can't figure something out. Um, and I guess like in my classes, it was yeah, we're pushing people to work hard, but it's also I don't know, if you come and do a class at Bodies by Phil, the coaching is a lot more nurturing than people are probably thinking. I think a lot of people think that like group fitness coaching is just like yelling at you until your heart explodes.

Tina Wilston 11:35

Yeah. And no, it's super caring. It's not that.

Phil Green 11:39

It's more like, you know, like if you're having trouble, the coaches are gonna be like, is everything okay? Or do you need a modification? Or like, yeah, is this hurting your knees or something? Do you need help with that? Yeah. Or let me help you with your form and help you figure this out. So I and so I think that environment of just you know it being relaxed and silly, and you can be yourself and you can swear and you can make jokes and all that um just really made the environment uh welcoming for most people.

Michelle Massunken 12:10

Yeah, and it creates a community, is what it sounds like as well, right? It's not just uh a group, but becomes I'm sure they all become friends and you guys get to know them different ways, and that community piece becomes a big part of the foundation, what it sounds like.

Phil Green 12:22

And I'll I'll hear about like I I don't know, like now these people are all friends, and I'll see on Instagram a group of like people from the gym hanging out together. And I'm like, oh, I didn't know you guys knew each other, and they're like, we don't. Yeah, right. But we do now, and like they all just kind of met at the gym and they hang out, and I love that. We've we've had a couple people get married through the city.

Tina Wilston 12:44

Wow, oh that's amazing. On these by Phil marriage.

Phil Green 12:48

Um hashtag don't come to the gym if you want to get married. That's not what we do.

Tina Wilston 13:01

New tagline.

Michelle Massunken 13:02

Right. So that forms that I guess that that forms part of the the four pillars that again are foundational, right? Community being one of them and creating that community environment. Um and then you have nutrition. Uh, there's fitness, and then the fifth one, the other one is accountability. Can you tell us a little bit about the four pillars? And do you find that some are more challenging for others?

Coaching Style And Culture

Phil Green 13:35

Yeah. Uh yeah. So those, I mean, the those four pillars, I think, I mean, it makes sense. I mean, when whenever I I show people or I'm doing a consultation with someone, I'm telling them how the gym works. And I show them before I show them those four pillars, because we've we always do a little slideshow for people and we show them how the gym works. And I I always say, I'm gonna show you these four pillars, and when you see them, you're gonna say, Yeah, duh, that makes sense. So I think it's pretty, it made makes perfect sense that those four pillars apply to what we do. Um and it really depends on the person. Some have a lot of trouble with some things, some others, but uh most people I think have the biggest trouble with nutrition and accountability more than anything. Yeah. Um, you know, whenever I meet with people or I just chat with people from the gym and how's it going and all this, and uh they are just they love the workouts. Right. Workouts are great. I could I love them and I look forward to them and I want to do them, and the coaches are great and all that.

Tina Wilston 14:39

I can attest to that. I can attest to that.

Phil Green 14:41

And and uh it's true. It's that the workouts, yeah. I and for some people listening, it might be hard to believe, but they're fun. They have fun, you know, like you kind of have fun when you come back.

Tina Wilston 14:52

I had to get up at six in the morning, which I wasn't doing before starting. And at no point was I ever lying there being like, do I go? Do I not go? I was just like, oop, yeah, didn't matter how tired I was. I'm like, I remember you saying that.

Michelle Massunken 15:02

You're like, I never feel like I don't want to go. I might never that's a good thing.

Tina Wilston 15:05

That's never actually happened to me before my workout life, though. Before that never happened to me.

Phil Green 15:10

Yeah, the workouts are fun. They're fun. And um, nutrition, people have there, but there's a lot of stuff there. You know, people might have uh really, really poor relationships with food, or they might, you know, they might have had a previous eating disorder. And these are all things that we have to take into account when we're kind of coaching people through nutrition. And yeah, sometimes it's it's quite an uphill battle for people. And with no judgment, it's just it depends on you know what um what your past is and how you grew up and you know what your perceptions of food and everything are. So it's it's a tricky one. Um and accountability is uh yeah, it's it's kind of like that comes down to uh people's ability to uh communicate. And I always say, you know, when I'm an accountability coach for someone, I say, like, you better not ghost me. Like do not ghost me because uh, you know, as an accountability coach, the less communication I have with people, the less I can help them. So I'm like, you're not talking to me. I don't know what's going on. I cannot help you. You gotta tell me what's going on. Um so yeah, I think those two are are likely the ones people have the most issue with.

Tina Wilston 16:23

I can see that.

Phil Green 16:23

Yeah.

Tina Wilston 16:25

I we are curious. One of the things we know about you is that you're a new dad. You have a five-month-old baby. Three and a half, or three and a half, sorry.

Phil Green 16:32

Yeah, three and a half or three and a half about three and a half months. Yep.

Tina Wilston 16:35

Okay, so brand new dad.

Phil Green 16:36

Yep, and our first, yeah.

Tina Wilston 16:38

Right. So so how has that been? Like as a business owner, you know, especially for fitness in the sense that um like you have to keep that piece up too, your own fitness, business owner, new dad. How's that been?

Phil Green 16:53

Uh it's been wild. It's a wild ride for sure. And uh, you know, I'm I'm sure any parent would agree that uh once your first kid shows up, it's just it's quite shocking.

Tina Wilston 17:07

Uh it was just like, oh my god, wow. It's a totally new life.

Phil Green 17:11

In many ways, right? Uh but I I have to say it's been amazing so far. Uh I'm he's the best. Uh our yeah, our son Holland is his name. Oh, that's cute. Um and yeah, I guess I just wasn't expecting the like sudden like, oh my god, the I I've only known this kid for like, you know, when he was a newborn, I've known this kid for a week, but I would kill anybody and mess with him. Right.

Tina Wilston 17:40

How does that work?

Phil Green 17:41

And like I was just, I yeah, uh my partner, Katie and I were just so fascinated by the like instinctual connection with him and all this stuff. Like I found that all very fascinating. Um, but yeah, okay. So being an entrepreneur, being a small business owner and a fitness coach and all this stuff, uh the the tricky part is yeah, finding the time to be with this little guy. So like, you know, when when he first showed up, I only took two weeks off. Wow. Um, and that's by the way, that's the longest I've ever taken off ever as a business owner. Yeah. The most I've ever taken off.

Michelle Massunken 18:19

Is that including like off of your workouts? Or you still worked out?

The Four Pillars Explained

Phil Green 18:22

Uh no, I still worked out. I still worked out not nearly as much as I normally would for those for those two weeks. Uh, but uh yeah, off work basically. And um I guess uh so yeah, timing is huge. And I I didn't realize at first, and of course I didn't realize, but uh where I wanted to prioritize my time with Holland too, you know. So I obviously have to work every week, every day, sort of thing. And it's kind of like when do I want to prioritize my time that it is with Holland? Is it like in the morning, or do I want to be there for bedtime all the time, or like what's the most important? And I couldn't answer that at first. I didn't know, I had no idea, and I didn't know how this was all gonna roll out. And you know, Katie and I have to are still kind of figuring out how this is gonna go and what my schedule is gonna look like. And I've decided that I really it's really important to me. I want to be there for bedtime because I like I like bedtime for getting him a story and putting him to bed and stuff. I think I don't know, that's important, at least for me. Um, so yeah, it's kind of like I'm trying to reschedule like re-manage my schedule so that hopefully I can do that most days of the week. And um I'm kind of like actively hiring people to take some stuff off my plate so I can make that happen.

Tina Wilston 19:48

Right.

Phil Green 19:49

So yeah, it's definitely a shift in uh uh my timing and what where my priorities are. And you know, now that he's here and I'm I'm feeling all these, you know, new parent, new dad feelings, I'm really feeling like I want to prioritize some more. Of my time with him than on the business. So I'm kind of like, maybe this is a good thing, and I probably should have done this years ago anyway. But um, you know, I'm kind of ready at this point to kind of pass off not everything, but delegate a little bit, but delegate some more stuff to other people so that I have more free time to be with my son and my family.

Michelle Massunken 20:32

Yeah, I feel like kids will do that to you. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Like after every mat Leave, I went down like part-time and the one day a week and just only because you want to make sure that you're able to be there for those years. Yeah. They go by so quickly.

Phil Green 20:42

Yeah. And you know, I I knew right away what having those two weeks off when he was born was not nearly enough. Um, and I think it I can't remember exactly, but I think after those two weeks, I went back to work for two weeks, and then I think I took another week off.

Tina Wilston 20:57

Yeah.

Phil Green 20:58

Um not to do anything, just to be with him and Katie. And because I really felt like this was way too quick. And it also felt like it felt unfair. Yeah. You know, like, oh, Katie's at home with a two-week old and I'm not there to help. I this I gotta be there. Like I can't. Um so yeah, it really like puts things in perspective big time. And you know, uh owning this gym and running the gym has been my my life for the last I don't know, 13 years or so.

Tina Wilston 21:34

Right.

Phil Green 21:34

Um, and it still is, but now there's this other big part of my life that like another chapter, I guess. And I'm I'm kind of ready to put some more time into that. I love that.

Michelle Massunken 21:45

Yeah, I love that. Um, so now that we're all in this parenthood thing, and even as entrepreneurs, right, we recognize that life gets busy. And so what are your thoughts, or how would you advise someone who wants to still incorporate fitness? You were able to do it even during your two weeks off, but how do we incorporate fitness into the busyness of parenthood? Yeah, the busyness of entrepreneurship. How does the balance look for parents and entrepreneurs?

Phil Green 22:11

Yeah, and I think being realistic with yourself is the biggest thing, you know. I I don't know. I I think a lot of people, especially when they're starting a fitness journey, um, they just go too big too fast, you know? And so you start slow. You start like if you're not doing anything really fitness related right now, and you're a parent and you're busy, it's like just start with one day a week of doing something, even just walking. I don't know. Anything that's more activity in general than you were doing the week before, yeah, is a bonus. It's progress, it's progress, it's going in the right direction.

Tina Wilston 22:49

And it's gonna make a difference, right? Like any change actually makes a difference.

New Fatherhood And Priorities

Phil Green 22:53

More of a difference than people think, too. You know, I I think people, uh especially these days, there's so many, you know, there's like there's crossfit, there's high rocks, there's like there's all these crazy fitness competitions out there that are so high level, and people are like, Oh, I'm gonna do that. That's what I'm gonna do. So I'm gonna start training for high rocks. And it's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay.

Tina Wilston 23:14

Just start with a simple triathlon. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Phil Green 23:17

Be like me and just drop the hammer on a trial, I guess. Um but like yeah, like you just start slow, you know, and make and okay, once you can consistently do that one thing a week and you're in kind of a pattern, then maybe you can add another thing. Maybe you can um and you know, for me, my fitness stuff is in my calendar, like it's in there. And that's that's a meeting. That's an no one can book over that. No, that's workout time. Okay. And you know, people who know me know me that like that's you can't touch them.

Tina Wilston 23:54

We're not moving that.

Phil Green 23:55

We're not touching that. And you know, and for me, it's uh it's many things that are a priority. I very much I'm one of those rare breeds that I actually enjoy working out. I like lifting weights and I like sweating and working out.

Tina Wilston 24:09

What is your routine like then? Like, what is your workout routine like?

Phil Green 24:12

What's my workout routine? Uh it evolves over time, I suppose, but um I typically do I'll do three to four strength training workouts a week.

Tina Wilston 24:22

Okay.

Phil Green 24:23

Um, that are I don't know, anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour or so.

Tina Wilston 24:29

Okay.

Phil Green 24:30

Um and I I do usually two cardio or conditioning based sessions a week, too.

Tina Wilston 24:38

Okay.

Phil Green 24:39

So it's a lot. Yeah, you know, and not saying everyone go out and do that. Uh, you know, and I did at one point work up to doing that. Yeah. Um, so yeah, that's that's my thing. You know, I'm I'm mostly mostly what I do is kind of strength training. Um I do a lot of lifting weights and cardio and stuff. So I'm pretty traditional. Do you have a go-to cardio? Um not really. Late, I mean, I'm not a big runner. Uh my knees don't enjoy running. Uh, so you know, I I just I'll do random things like I'll go on the elliptical for half an hour or something like that.

Tina Wilston 25:19

But uh for cardio-ski erg is the worst. What's that? The ski erg?

Phil Green 25:22

Oh, ski erg, yeah. Is that the one that's like the it's just arms.

Tina Wilston 25:26

Yeah, it's like it's like you're pulling. Yeah.

Phil Green 25:30

A ski erg is awful. And it's you know, like I I mean you can go you can go for long bouts on a ski erg if you manage kind of your speed, but I I would say a ski erg, at least in my experience, is more of like a high intensity tool than anything.

Tina Wilston 25:44

It's kind of okay, short burst. Oh, yeah. That makes more sense. I can't imagine doing that for or it's the rower at least. The rower you can do.

Phil Green 25:51

And but at least as far as cardiovascular stuff, I mean, I enjoy more conditioning type exercises. And what I mean when I say that is um yeah, using things like a ski erg or a rower or doing sled pushes.

Tina Wilston 26:05

Oh, you know, yeah, those sled pushes are easy on the cardio.

Phil Green 26:10

So like I I like stuff that um gets your heart rate up, but also is like a bunch of very different movements too. Instead of, you know, so like instead of running on a treadmill for half an hour, which is the same thing over and over again, it's just the same movement on repeat, no judgment to anyone who does that. Um I just would prefer something a little bit more varied and engaging, you know. So I like doing maybe like a circuit of a few things, you know, like sled push, kettlebell swings, rower, and then like I'll do that in a circuit. Okay. So switch it up a little bit. Give myself 20 minutes and get through as many rounds of it as I can.

Tina Wilston 26:48

So you do like a burn, because that's your your workouts are upper body at the gym, our upper body, lower body burns. So that sounds like you're describing what a burn session is. I am describing a burn class. You're right.

Realistic Fitness For Busy Lives

Phil Green 26:58

Uh one of one of the three class styles that we do at Bodies by Phil is is burn, which is uh a conditioning. It's called a metabolic conditioning class. They're fun. We do all that stuff in there. And yeah, that's what I tell people when I meet with them. I'm like, it's like cardio, yes, in the sense that it gets your heart rate up, but it's not gonna be what you typically think of. Oh, because there's weights involved, there's yeah. Um I think people do get it twisted too, sometimes because they think like just because I'm holding a weight means I'm doing strength training. And that's not really the case. Depends really what you're doing, and it depends the intensity, it's all that. Um so and that's kind of what I mean, sort of what conditioning is metabolic conditioning is you're still using weights and you're using resistance training and you're you're doing all that, but in a much more of a cardiovascular way.

Michelle Massunken 27:47

Right.

Phil Green 27:48

Yeah.

Tina Wilston 27:48

And fun.

Michelle Massunken 27:49

Yeah. So let's ask some rapid fire questions on that note.

Phil Green 27:52

Wow, okay.

Michelle Massunken 27:54

Do it on that note. What is your lightning round? What is your favourite go-to workout?

Phil Green 27:59

My favourite go-to workout. Um, you mean as far as like upper body, lower body, or exercise, or what are we talking about?

Michelle Massunken 28:08

Um let's go with exercise.

Phil Green 28:11

Favourite exercise is probably barbell deadlifts. Uh I don't know. That's just why do I say that? Uh I mean deadlifts work so many muscles in your body. They're such an effective exercise to do. Um and it's usually if you if you get pretty good with your form and you really like concentrate on getting better at them, um you can usually pull some pretty heavy weight, which also makes you feel like a badass. So like, I don't know. It just is like a satisfying exercise to progress in, I would say. Okay. Um can you see the results quicker with it? It gets you results and it it's just like has so much benefit for doing them. And um yeah, it's also, you know, it's a big exercise. It's one of the the big three they call, right? Which is back squat, bench press, deadlift is the third one. Um and uh yeah, I don't know. That's my favourite. I just like those.

Tina Wilston 29:17

I love it. And so um what we're gonna do actually is we're gonna take a pause because we are going to break up today's um session into two episodes because we have so many more questions. So we're gonna take a quick pause right now, and then we're gonna all our listeners are gonna tune back in next week for the rest of the amazing questions we're gonna ask you.

Phil Green 29:40

Okay.