Saturday October 15th was one of the most exciting days of my life. It was a GREAT event and I’m looking forward to sharing some details of this event over the next few weeks.
- Josh, Gus, Jason, Al and Ken
I have to say that over the last year it’s been frustrating to try and explain equipment that no one has ever seen, much less experienced. There simply are not words to explain everything that we’re doing and this was never more apparent than on Saturday.
In the early stages of the event we actually found ourselves tripping over our own words and apologizing about the depth we had to go into before just showing how the machines worked. In our own minds it was as if we had to justify why we were there and why we’d done what we had. I believe much of this stems from the fact that we’ve come under such scrutiny for our work and because what we’ve been experiencing is just so different from anything that ever came before, even though the appearance may be similar to things of the past. But the reality of the situation is that the crowd did show up with their cup empty and everyone was more than willing to listen to and absorb every detail we could throw at them, leading up to the “hands on” part of the work shop.
I do not have words to express how satisfying it was to be in front of a group of people who were so intelligent, open-minded and READY to experience what we had to show them, and what we’ve been talking about all of this time. It was absolutely amazing to see the expression on people’s faces and the depth they went into as they expressed what was felt from the RenEx technology. FINALLY, all of the time, effort and money had paid off. The attendees of the conference were saying the same things and more, that we had been trying to express in writing over the last 11 months.
So, once again, I’m left without words to describe how good something can feel after seeing this thing come to life this past weekend. So I guess I’ll just repeat back some of the things that stuck in my mind from my conversations after the show:
“You guys are really on to something, thank you for doing this.”
“Josh, THIS WAS AWESOME.”
“I want to say thank you for an empowering and educational workshop. I was blown away with what I learned and have had my passion for training reignited. This new Renaissance will change lives and make a difference and I want to be a part of it.”
“What you are doing here is great…NEVER COMPROMISE.”
“Thank you for letting me be a part of this, it was great to be able to share this and be in a room FULL of geniuses.”
“You guys NEVER need to apologize for being geeks…it’s time to turn up the flame!”
“Man…Now what? How do I go back Monday and do what I was doing before?”
I could go on and on with this, but I think you get the idea. The unveiling of the RenEx technology was everything I could have ever hoped and the reactions of people who are completely uninvolved have the Ren X-MEN even more motivated than ever to deliver the thing that is so desperately needed.
The real highlight of the event for me was actually taking our guests through the machines. Each of the Ren X-MEN broke off to man a station.
Doug McGuff on The iPullover/iPull Down
Ken took Trunk Extension, I took Leg Press (and occasionally ran to Overhead or Dynamic Pull Down), Gus demonstrated the iPullover/iPull Down, Al took the Overhead station (I saw him doing a few rounds on Ventral Torso and Compound Row as well). I had a blast taking our guests through the Leg Press, nothing gets quite the reaction that the Leg Press does. I think I had an opportunity to get most of the crowd on this piece. I really enjoyed taking my good friend Randy Roach and the whole group of Canadians through this machine, these guys were great.
Boyer Coe on the Trunk Extension
It was absolutely surreal to see Boyer Coe doing the Trunk Extension. At 65 years old the man is STILL in awesome condition and I’ve NEVER seen a bodybuilder take to our protocol automatically as Boyer did on this machine…you could feel the mind/muscle connection that made him so great. The ladies from Johns Hopkins were such a pleasure and so open to learn. And it was an absolute blast to run some of the guys from the old SuperSlow guard through the Leg Press…without exception each guy got off and said something to the effect that these tools look much like what they’ve been training on (in some cases for 10 years), but the actual experience was so far superior or…” so that’s how you do the exercise.” 🙂
Just about every attendee was provided an in-service on at least one piece of equipment, and in some cases more. The expression, words, or inability to walk after an exercise made everything we’re doing and everything we’ve done all worth the time and resources. I feel like I’m rambling a bit…still bubbling over with excitement from what I saw this weekend.
I just want to thank you all for coming out…many of you made great sacrifices with your schedule and resources. I cannot thank you enough for coming and I cannot thank you enough for showing up with your cup empty, I truly enjoyed my time with each of you.
One more thing I’d like to add, after the presentations and workshop were over the RenEx team took Doug McGuff through the best we had, this was a tag team effort. The workout looked like this:
1) Trunk Extension: Our Founder, Ken Hutchins, ran Doug through…Doug reached true muscular failure and thorough inroad technique, which isn’t done during introductory stages of this exercise and makes the next movement shear hell…I can only imagine what Doug felt here. Ken’s final instruction to Doug once he hit the floor, “Run to Josh!”
2) Leg Press: I had the honors here.
Doug on the Ventral Torso
3) Pull Down: Gus took Doug through the “Upper Body Architect”.
4) Ventral Torso: Gus was the instructor here. The team had a miscommunication with the load, Doug was on the machine for some time and we adjusted the load up toward the end. None the less, we still got rid of him in 8 reps.
Doug on the Compound Row
5) Compound Row: Al took over here, I was surprised Doug was still holding up, when he said that he wished to perform these “Big 6”, I believed he’d tap out on or by the Compound Row, but he hung in like a champ.
6) Overhead Press: This was also instructed by Al and as you can probably imagine, with this sequence we were able to use a relatively light load for a guy as muscular as Doug…and as you can also imagine Doug was flat on the floor after slithering out of the Overhead Press.
Doug did a write up on his “RenEx Experience” over on his Body By Science page!
As always your comments are welcome, I’d especially like to hear from anyone who attended!
Joshua Trentine
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
==Scott==
Sounds like a cool day, wish I could have been there!
i feel bad that anyone who really cares about this stuff would miss this event.
i’m happy we kept the numbers down though, i think i got some one-on-one time with every person.
Drs. Rebecca Manno and Sangeeta Sule, “the ladies from Johns Hopkins”, were literally and figuratively floored by the quality of the equipment and are very excited about the prospect of using these machines to treat their patients with rheumatic disease. Because many of our patients have severe joint disease, the smooth, frictionless movements of the Ren-Ex machines should ensure that they can exercise thoroughly and safely. Our belief is that these patients will be able to reverse the muscle loss and body fat accumulation that comes as a consequence of the disease and the medications used to treat the disease.
Our division, Johns Hopkins Rheumatology, is putting 4 Ren-Ex machines right in the clinic so that study patients, and eventually, all patients, will have the opportunity to use them to improve their disease, body composition, and quality of life.
Well done!
Kevin,
I cannot wait to get this stuff into Johns Hopkins.
It is nice to see a research university actually on the cutting edge of things.
Congrats Josh & the Ren Ex team! You guys persisted and at the end have triumphed. The narration of Dr. McGuff’s workout is giving me chills. How desperately I wish I could have been there. This post has given me the necessary fire to pursue setting up my personal training facility in India. I do not want to sit and talk about this all the time without doing it. You guys have shown how to take an idea, refine it, remove un-necessary frills and provide a precision strength training equipment in its truest form providing what it has to and nothing less. PRECISION. Hats off to the Ren Ex team and congrats for the awesome launch. Seeing the pics of Dr.McGuff train is just beyond words. The intensity must have been phenomenal and the good Dr is “enjoying” every bit.
Karthik
Karthik, THANK YOU!
More to come!
You must open a facility
I hope the new equipment is going to be at Ren-X Austin when it opens. I’m really looking forward to trying it!
Jim,
The RenEx gear should hit Austin by late November, they had some issues with their build out.
Did anyone else notice how Doug “blew up” during the workout?
These pictures are actually still shots from some raw footage taken on a flip video, so the quality isn’t great, but you could literally see Doug expanding as the workout went on.
Btw the professional video team did get the full workout, but I haven’t seen it yet.
Joshua
Everything about the seminar was first class and well done.
I don’t know if I can qualify as SS “old guard” but I’ve had the Leg Press, Ventro Torso, and Pulldown machines in my studio for the past eight years and they are only similar in appearance and color to the machines of today. A giant leap forward that I didn’t imagine possible.
The instructional improvements are as exceptional as the equipment and have already made a major difference in my studio.
I mentally scoffed at Ken’s assertion that timed-static-contractions were the future of exercise, but after I did one round of it, I was wiped out. Could barely catch my breath or raise my arms. I get it now.
To wrap up: a great weekend, spent with the best in the business. I wouldn’t miss the next one if there is one. The RenX-Men (and women) are doing great work.
Hugh
Hugh,
It was a pleasure to finally meet you, thank you for coming to the event with an open mind and open ears.
Joshua
Josh super job! Wonderful attendees as well as super instruction by Gus and Ken!
I’ll echo Hugh’s comments…the level of instruction on the part of the RenEx team is simply phenomenal. It was great to have the opportunity to learn from the best in the business (for practically nothing- a couple hundred bucks and a night in a discounted hotel room)!!!
The TSC experience was unbelievable…couldn’t have ever, EVER, grasped that one without the experience…like Hugh mentioned, I was taken back when Ken mentioned TSC and future in the same sentence…boy did I feel silly for doubting as I crawled out of that machine, though!
Top notch event, put on by top notch people…it was a pleasure meeting everyone.
BTW, I’m surprised no one has mentioned Al Coleman’s workout…I mentioned before on this blog that observing him workout is ridiculous. He is a machine…no joke, it’s like he’s a Terminator and inroad is Sarah Connor…an unrelenting, focused pursuit…truly a sight to behold!
Joe A,
Thank you!
It WAS practically nothing…i love how we were actually criticized some places for asking for tuition, by the end of this thing we spent plenty , besides lecture we bought lunch and ended up buying dinner for anyone who stuck around. Like i said…a once in a lifetime event, realistically we couldn’t do it just like this again.
I believe we will do an educational event in Orlando at some point, it will be much more ‘formal’ and less intimate.
I LOVE the Al/Terminator analogy….you know i’m stealing that 😉
Joshua
Al Coleman’s instruction was fantastic too! His intensity was ideal.
I had a client come in during my previous post. The stop points with
squeeze technique as explained by Al is something I need to emulate.
Thanks again
Russ,
So true, every week I learn something from Al. I’ve never met a person more dedicated to the mastery of this craft.
Joshua
The new machines look phenomenal and no doubt there has been refinement of the protocol to take advantage of what you can do with them. Can’t wait to try them out myself.
Drew,
I wish I could explain how much time, money, work and experience have went into these machines and instruction, but I simply can’t. I’m so proud of our team. This has been the epitome of team work. We’ve all had to fall flat on our faces quite a few times, but looking back we’ve made some real inroads (pun intended).
Thank you for the advocacy .
Joshua
Josh, AL and the entire RenEx team
All I can say is congratulations and WOW!!!! You guys promised and you delivered. You said no one would leave disappointed and no one did. Most, in fact, left in awe that such improvements in already phenomenal machines could be made. All the doubters and scoffers who branded this team as elitist and other unflattering remarks can now be left in the dust. The amount of knowledge we were exposed to by you, Ken, Al, Gus and Jeff was of the highest order, as is the new technical manual. We have seen the future of exercise and it is now.
Ed H
Ed,
At OVERLOAD Fitness we have the motto “OVERdeliver”…we take this into everything we do, I’m so glad this showed through. I feel like it’s hard to make EVERYONE happy , but that is our goal…and then some.
When the smoke clears and all is said and done….what matters is that we gave everything we could to make this everything it can be.
Thank You for sharing your experience, this means a lot to me.
Joshua
Josh Great location! Affordable hotel rates plus the food was super.
Al’s brother was a great fellow to talk to, as well as Dave Golder at dinner!
Had the pleasure to speak to Doug Mcguff I hadn’t but a brief meeting with
him in Indiapolis a few years ago.
All in all a well done!
Russ,
Thanks…we went through at least 10 locations before picking this one….accessibility from the airport was important to me
Hey Team,
initially I couldn’t comprehend the magnitude of what the Ren Ex team is accomplishing, but after reading the follow up post describing the conference, I am flabbergasted.
I hate that I missed the conference. But, I wanted to let the team know that Mr. McGuff’s synopsis depicting the effect the new machines had, is very enticing. The fact that he describes the feeling while in motion on the machine as “pushing heavy air”, makes me regret that I was unable to make it to the conference.
I look forward to obtaining a similar, if not better, experience using new equipment at my next training session with Overload.
Again, I want to congratulate everyone involved in the Ren Ex endeavor, and I look forward to your inevitable success.
Great Job Guys!
Thanks Tiffanie,
This is only the beginning.
Joshua
The comments are so inspiring.
Im trying to absorb every detail and working with “delivery in abundance” as our motto, you seem to hit right on the spot.
Im going to US next year, will try to stop a couple of days at Overload if possible.
Now, when will the manual be up for sale?
//Jonas
Jonas,
Yes…i like “delivery in abundance” , I’m sure we’re on the same page with “OVER-DELIVER”…our language just fits closer with Overload fitness.
As far as the comments go….i saw a lot of jaws drop when people got off these machines, I’ve used them quite a bit and i remain in awe.
I can’t wait to share some video of these responses.
================================================
Our guests at the show were able to purchase the manual early and at a special rate…i think we’ll be up for Internet sales in a week or two tops.
Joshua
Dear Josh,
When are Al’s and Dr. McGuff’s training videos gonna be uploaded? For those of us, who could not be attend the event, this is the only chance to see the experience that they went through, as well as the machines in action.
PS: Have sent U an email. Pls check & revert
Karthik
Karthik,
I think i responded to this somewhere else, but i did get your email, i just haven’t waded through all of the emails I’ve got this week yet.
I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with the video from the show yet….right now we’re editing through all of the raw footage.
Joshua
Hey RenX Team
Sorry I missed the conference! I look forward to the Austin opening!
Any word on how one can get the RenX Manual??
Be Well and see you in Austin!
Terry
Hey Terry,
The latest I’m hearing out of Texas is that the opening is getting pushed closer to December…..there were issues with lease and build out.
================================================
Guests at the event were able to purchase the manual for a special price, we should have it up for sale online within two weeks…with the re-release of Doug McGuff’s ultimate exercise right behind that.
Joshua
Team Ren-Ex,
Thank you for the opportunity to experience this event. You must have been very proud at the unveiling of this equipment…and you should be. To read about this equipment is compelling in itself, but to actually see, touch, and feel the equipment was unbelievable. Thank you for the depth and detail that it took to explain everything. I learned a ton!
One thing that I believe deserves repeating is that the greatest aspect of this equipment is the way that it’s going to change people’s lives for the better. That’s the bottom line.
The people of Minnesota thank you in advance for what they will experience as we introduce them to this Ren-Ex equipment in about three weeks!
Best Regards,
Kevin Ness
Kevin,
I really appreciate you guys making yet another trip to Cleveland….and you hit the nail on the head; the greatness of this whole thing is the functional changes we’ll seen in our clients.
The equipment allows us to control more variables so that we can bring a safe, consistent and reproducible effect to out customer.
Nothing will compare to the experience we can give.
Joshua
Hey guys, just curious as we are not in the market (unfortunately) for the machines presently at Rock Bottoms here in Asheville NC, but, how can anyone hope to get the most from this equipment without an actual apprenticeship? I would think there would be a bit of a learning curve even for the McGuffs out there. Is instruction and/or certification included in the purchase price? Is there going to be continuing ed as well? I think this is finally the manifestation of everything Arthur may have imagined originally, how impossible to leap to this directly, how antiquated 1st gen Nautilus seems now. I feel a little melancholy honestly.