Jon Jon Park is the CEO and founder of Legacy Gym, a state-of-the-art personal training center in Los Angeles.

Jon Jon has channeled his 30 years in health and fitness to develop an impressive collection of exercise and nutritional programs for his clients. From competitive athletes and actors to individuals aggressively pursuing weight loss and strength building to clients that use his on-site physical therapy as they recover from serious injuries, he is well-equipped to handle it all.  Jon Jon’s work with world-class athletes includes core strength, balance, flexibility and cardio-vascular conditioning.

Jon Jon has devoted time to designing successful remedial and rehabilitation courses for the aging, physically impaired and those inflicted with sports-related injuries.  He provides high risk pregnancy clients with pre/post-natal exercises and correct and ergonomic breathing techniques. Clients who prefer to train in the comfort of their own homes rely on Jon Jon to design their home gyms selecting appropriate equipment for their customized workout.

Prior to launching Legacy Gym, Park founded World Private Exercise in 1992, an exclusive personal training facility catering to a celebrity clientele. Fifteen years of hard work and dedication produced relationships with an array of renowned sports superstars including Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather, Vlade Divac of the NBA Sacramento Kings and WBC Welterweight Champion Michael Cotto.

The apple does not fall far from the tree

Jon Jon Park possesses an extensive history of fitness that he shared with his father Reg Park, the legendary bodybuilder, three-time Mr. Universe winner and mentor and inspiration to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

As a former member of the British National Swim Team, Jon Jon participated in the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal. He later won a series of bodybuilding titles such as Mr. South Africa Maccabiah and Mr. Golden City. He has spoken on a number of issues including: pathological body image in the athletic arena, eating disorders and steroid abuse. He has been a guest lecture for the UCLA psychology department on exercise and nutrition and has been a panel member representing the American Psychiatric Association addressing the International Society for Sport.  In 1995, Vogue magazine included him on their list of the top 55 trainers in the U.S.

Jon Jon’s fitness and health expertise will turn anyone into pinnacle shape.

Jon Jon Park currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Michelle and three children, Trent, Travis and Savanah.

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a new training program geared towards getting children into shape for doing the sports they love. We help kids develop core strength and integrated balance and coordination to enhance performance in skateboarding, surfing, paddling and dryland training.

Trends in fitness or business that excite you?

Fitness trends have evolved quickly and dramatically in the past ten years. Some exercise equipment that excites me are the new portable systems with handles and pulleys. These portable systems can be packed into small bags so that individuals can stay in shape while traveling or sitting at home.  One can achieve the same functional training and strength as they do in Pilates on these portable machines, by attaching them to a door handle, bar, beam or hook to the pulley. Duplicating these fitness moves allows one to achieve the same strength, balance, endurance and skeletal benefits as functional training pulley machines. The most recent portable machine on the market enables one to work each side of the body independently as opposed to both at the same time.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I bring ideas to life by experimenting with specific exercises and asking clients and trainers if they are interested in implementing this workout into their fitness program.

What is one mistake that you made, and what did you learn from it?

I have made numerous mistakes but the reason we make mistakes is to further our knowledge and to not repeat the same errors twice. As a trainer, clients trust that you understand the best exercises and will avoid injuring their bodies. Therefore, I try to keep my fitness exercises simple by avoiding heavy weights and body strains. Instead I focus on technique and posture because there is very little room for error with fitness and health.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

The best business idea is to provide customers with extraordinary service and to be cognizant of their specific needs and limitations.

What is one book and one tool that helps you bring ideas to life?

Many books, articles and websites offer great information on fitness. I am constantly reading, participating in continuing education classes and speaking to fellow professionals, physical therapists, osteopaths, doctors and nutritionists to expand my knowledge. Individuals can never stop learning and many books help you bring new ideas to life.

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Legacy Gym

As a Sport Psychology Consultant, Paige Dunn counsels and educates athletes on the mental component of athletic experience through her private practice, Xcel Sport Psychology Group. In her practice, Paige teaches various Sport Psychology techniques to enhance performance: goal setting, motivation, imagery, confidence, relaxation, focus & concentration, effective team communication, and more. She currently works with athletes in individual and group sessions.

Paige Dunn is also a freelance writer specializing in sport psychology, cycling, triathlon, sports, fitness, and wellness. Currently she is a Regional Editor with Competitor Magazine and a contributing writer to Road Magazine. She is currently working on her first book which focuses on advances in goal setting and is continuing her post graduate research on elite endurance athletes and pain management.

When she is not working with athletes, writing or lecturing, Paige is probably on her bike. This past year she completed a 600+ mile bike ride with Specialized to raise money and awareness for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She also just completed a 100 day/100 run challenge and is looking forward to her next adventure yet to be determined.

What are you working on right now?

I’m working with a great new group of athletes this year. I am thrilled to be supporting an elite open water swimmer with his “Oceans Seven” adventure. The athlete I am working with will be swimming the Irish Channel, the Cook Strait, the Moloka’i Channel, the English Channel, the Catalina Channel, the Tsugaru Channel and the Strait of Gibraltar. I’ll be providing Sport Psychology support along the way. I’m also going to be supporting a brilliant endurance sports coach and will be working at some great cycling camps this year. And there may be a chance you’ll see me at the epic mountain bike race, La Ruta de los Conquistadores, in Costa Rica later this year.

3 Trends that excite you?

1) Increased awareness around the benefits of Sport Psychology. In the past there has been a stigma attached to our work. For some reason athletes and coaches thought there was something negative about working with Sport Psychology professionals and that athletes had to have something wrong with them to need our services. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Smart athletes who are committed to being the best in the world know the benefits and are speaking out. Elite marathon runner, Kara Goucher recently shared her thoughts around how her career has dramatically changed through working with a Sport Psychologist. Word is getting out and more and more athletes are willing to do whatever it takes to be the best.

2) Increased focus on women’s products and women in general in the cycling industry. Cycling is a passion of mine and I love the idea of recruiting more women to enjoy the sport. Companies like Specialized are doing great things to provide more access and education around the sport.

3) Twitter. I love following athletes through Twitter. As a Sport Psychology professional, Twitter provides me an inside look in to the lives of athletes that I don’t directly work with and I’m always learning something interesting.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I set clear, specific goals. I am a strong believer in goal setting and spend a great deal of time teaching goal setting tactics to athletes as well as conducting goal setting workshops. I set daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, yearly and 5-year goals. I constantly review and revise my goals to make things happen.

Goal setting is clearly important to you. What are some of your longer term goals, professional or personal?

I’ve got a long list so I’ll share a few – finish my first book, work with swimmers at the 2012 Summer Olympics, work with a pro cycling team every year, Sport Psychology TV Correspondent, and produce a sports focused documentary. Those are top of mind right now.

In addition to working as a Sport Psychology Consultant you stay active as an athlete as well. What’s next for you?

Having my own own athletic experiences is something that is important to me. First of all, participating in sports is what makes me smile and enjoy life. But more importantly I know how much value it adds to my professional life. How could I possibly understand what an athlete goes through if I didn’t have some perspective? Last year I had a great six day cycling adventure and rode with a team from Morgan Hill, CA to Las Vegas, NV. The 600+ mile journey was something that was extremely challenging for me but I loved every minute. That experience is going to be hard to beat. I’m not sure what my next adventure is but I’m sure it will involve a bike and a ridiculous amount of riding.

Connect

Paige Dunn’s company: www.xcelsportsgroup.com
www.paigedunn.com
twitter.com/XcelSports
Paige Dunn on Twitter:   twitter.com/paigedunn

Ian Murray grew up in Aspen, Colorado and had an alpine skiing career before moving to California and launching into triathlon. Ian is one of only 15 level three certified triathlon coaches in the US and does coaching education for USA Triathlon as well as coaching of the US Team at triathlon events around the world.

Ian has been a full time triathlon coach for over a decade and helps everyone from the first timer who has never done anything athletic to the elite who is gunning for the Olympics and everyone in between. He’s the host and writer of Triathlon Training Series.

Ian’s passion for the sport is evident in everything he does – racing 20+ events every year, traveling to speak other coaches, lead camps and clinics, acting as head coach and founder of one of the nation’s largest triathlon clubs – the LA Tri Club.

What are you working on right now?

Working on my next column for Triathlete Magazine. There are always new athletes coming into the sport and my fantasy is to write a piece that covers the basics for them while still dropping in a nugget or two for the veteran readers. Then I have to keep in mind the shooting script as each article becomes a TTS webisode on the Triathlete Magazine web site.

3 Trends that excite you?

1) The new “word of mouth” – since day one a service provider (such as a triathlon coach) or a product (such as Triathlon Training Series) has been dependent upon a reputation. With communication as it is today and the speed and coverage of facebook and twitter it’s all the more critical that every customer is treated like royalty.

2) Lower emissions and alternative energy – cyclists and runners are the canaries in the coal mine. We are right there on the road side, immediately aware of the differences between what comes out of the tail pipe of a late 70s land yacht and a modern hybrid (bring on the plugins!!)

3) Fixies - no matter what, cycling is cool. The fixed gear purists will complain that it’s gone mainstream now that you can buy a bike at hipster clothing stores. I don’t care, any bike option is a good bike option even if that means the rider is wearing skinny jeans with boxers hanging out!

How do you bring ideas to life?

I like progressions. It’s hard to make dramatic, sweeping alterations in some areas of life so I’ve come to prioritize the elements needs and then progress through each of those by way of perfect practice. For me, that’s been about athletic education but this is an idea that can be applied to other fields as well. Each sport can be broken down into a prioritized list of skills. Then each skill can be obtained through perfect practice. Those skills become muscle memory then they are automatic and the mind can go on to focusing on the next skill. This is an adult pathway to mastery.

You help athletes set their career goals, what are your career goals as a coach?

1. Create a youth and junior program that gives kids an opportunity to discover triathlon and pursue it.
2. Add years to peoples lives through active an active lifestyle.
3. Produce two Olympic medal winners for the US.

You and your wife have been together for over 14 years and have incredible joy in your relationship, any thoughts on that?

Alexandra is the perfect partner for me. She raises my game by inspiring me to be a better person in all areas. We’ve been together for 14 years and it feels as fresh as 14 months. We communicate very well and never leave anything to fester into resentment. The only “work” in our relationship is matching schedules so that we can create more time together and that work is fun.

Connect:

I’m always open to hear from folks.

Twitter – @triathlondvd

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