Plant Kind

Hey honeys!

I don’t talk a whole lot about fitness usually on my blog (other than surfing), but it’s definitely always been part of my life. Recently, I’ve been getting more and more questions from you guys about what exactly I do for exercise and I thought I’d finally share it here 🙂 

For the past two years now I’ve been training with Kyle den Bak, also known as The Plant Based Trainer. Kyle trains clients at The Health Club in the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa and also offers training services online.

I started working with Kyle because I wanted to improve my surfing performance and also for general health and continued learning. I felt like my body couldn’t keep up as much as I wanted it to in the water. My arms gave out after about 30 minutes of surfing and I wanted to change that. I also felt like I needed some more motivation at the gym and I wanted someone to help guide and teach me new exercises and techniques. 

So, I reached out to Kyle and started training with him with under his Plant-Fit Kickstart program. We did an initial fitness assessment and goal setting session which consisted of testing where I was at with mobility, strength and endurance and I explaining that I wanted to ultimately improve my surfing. Kyle is super patient, and takes the time to explain why the movements he has you practice are important. He is rich in knowledge and I particularly appreciate how he breaks down the exercises step by step to really get you to understand. 

What I love about working with Kyle is how simple all the workouts he creates are. We usually focus on mobility exercises for the first 10-15 minutes, then move into our strength building movements. The below elements are an example of what my workouts consist of:

Turkish Get-Ups 2-3x on each side

Ketllebell Swings 5 sets of 10

Goblet Squats 3 sets of 10

Military Press 2-3 sets of 5

Hard Style Plank 2-3 sets hold for 10 seconds

Kyle really believes in training folks for everyday life. He always say’s that the movements we do shouldn’t drain us of our energy, in fact just the opposite, they should energize us. Since beginning to train with Kyle, I’ve definitely shifted my strength training mentality to this and it’s helped me enjoy going to the gym more.

To give you an idea of what my week looks like fitness wise, I’d hit the gym at least 2 times per week, swim 1 to 2 times per week and go to 1 Flow Yoga class and 1 Yoga Mobility class. 

Obviously if I’m near the ocean, I mainly focus on just surfing everyday, but when I’m back in the city this is the type of routine I try to work with. 

It’s been two years since I’ve been training with Kyle now and I honestly feel so much stronger both in and out of the water. I can actually last through long surf sessions and my performance in yoga, swimming and tennis has significantly improved. 

If ever you’d like to like to try personal training and live in the Ottawa area, I’d 100% recommend Kyle. Let me know if you give it a go, and I’m happy to answer any other questions you might have on this topic 🙂

Talk soon!

xo Gaby

* Photos by @ofwilddawnphotos