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Move better and build your foundation Peter Levidis (co-owner of Sport Specialists)  answers our questions to get to know him better.

• Golf Biomechanics Specialist 😳, how did you decide to do that?

My wife and business partner, Melanie and I went to California back in 1997 (!) to learn more about golf and fitness conditioning for golfers as not too many people were talking about golf fitness or if they were it was basically a rehashing of old bodybuilding principles.  The CHEK Institute in Encinitas California was an invaluable tool to help us work with golfers in need of proper movements to help them not get injured.  Fast forward 19 years, we are lucky enough to have been able to help juniors, pros, seniors and recreational golfers from all over and are considered as the go-to people for golf training and conditioning!

• You work with all sorts of athletes, from Hockey teams to elite swimmers, water-polo players, runners, triathletes, canoers and kayakers.  Is there a common thread that you recognize in high performing athletes?

Their will to succeed is there and that’s what sets them apart from the recreational athletes.  They have skill.  Tons of it.  Sometimes, however, they lack the proper physical preparation for their sport and adequate mechanics.  Their skill allows them to get away with it but we want them to excel further. We don’t teach skill.  That is what their coach teaches. We coach them on attaining their best physical abilities so that they can use the skill they already have!

• 2012 Olympics in London!  Tell us about THAT!

That was nothing but an amazing experience.  I was fortunate enough to be the Athletic Therapist and Strength Coach for the Clarke-Bjorn Sailing Team for the London 2012 Olympics!  Tyler Bjorn, from Dorval (his brother Kai and his father sailed in the Olympics multiple times as well) was introduced to me through B2TEN, an organization which supports Olympic hopefuls.  We hit it off and we began our training and travelled from Corpus Christi, to south of France, to Spain, to Australia and to London multiple times to prepare for the event!  

It is so impressive to see these athletes perform at that high level and how serious most of them take their eating, sleeping and training! We gained a lot of experience working with them.

• They say that real champions are the ones that are able to sustain the trainings, day after day, the dedicated ones.  How do you help keep those athletes motivated to reach their goals?

Accountability is number one!  Being accountable to a coach, a trainer, a therapist will allow that athlete to continue to strive for perfection.  This is akin to going for a run with a friend.  If you knew they were going to ring your doorbell at 5pm to go for a run, you would make it a point to not disappoint them.  This is accountability! Writing their progress and tracking it is motivation as well.  Whatever gets tracked gets managed.

• Stress in a big topic nowadays, how does training or being physically active fit in?

Stress is almost impossible to avoid but totally possible to control.  Mindset and a physically active body allow the body to destress both physically and mentally.  The happy hormones kick in and we feel good about ourselves which then puts us in a frame of mind that we can deal with the daily grind with a clearer head, ad make better decision and more rational ones as well.  Any injury, any argument with a loved one, or finances will create a stress to the body but being in a good place in your body and mind will allow for you to be constructive.  Once this is set in motion, it is easier to keep on going!

• Your list of accomplishments seems endless, tell us about the best seller book you co-authored: Get With The Program: The World’s Leading Fitness Experts Reveal Their Best Workouts to Help You Get Lean, Happy and Healthy in No Time Flat! 

That was in 2013!  A group of colleagues from our fitness business mentorship got together to write chapters in a book and we successfully got Best Sellers List for 4 topics related to health and fitness!  It was such a rush to be acknowledged and to be able to go to Hollywood for a red- carpet affair and be presented with the awards!  Truly an experience and we would love to begin the process on writing another one.

• You also regularly contribute to a magazine?

Yes!  Another fun venture!  It all started with us writing a congratulations letter to Best Health Magazine Canada for an article they produced and they ended up putting on their editorial page.  From there, we asked if they would ever want some informative fitness related articles on their page and we were lucky enough to contribute once every 3-4 issues.  They recently contacted us and asked if we would like to have our own monthly “Ask The Fitness Expert” column and we couldn’t pass up that chance! 

• What’s your personal next challenge?

On a personal front, after having successfully climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in January 2018 for the West Island Community Shares, it would be fun to get out and see the Great Wall of China or perhaps another hike up a challenging mountain.  

On a business front, we would definitely want to be promoting more movement awareness for everyone out there.  Whether it be offering more seminars, workshops, the whole point is that we want to help people move better and build their foundation, which is exactly our hashtags and taglines!

• Are you a goal setter or a ‘see what life throws at me’ kind of guy?

I used to be a happy-go-lucky-fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants person but as I got into the real world, planning and being a bit more organized was definitely a necessity!  With 2 kids, goal setting is a must not only for planning our days and our future but also setting an example for them as well!

• Community seems to be high on your list of priorities, starting with the vibe you’ve created in your gym.  What does community mean to you?

Community = family!  Human beings essentially always are striving to be connected with a purpose and a community.  So whether it’s a sports team, or members getting together to come to one of our many fitness classes, the togetherness creates an amazing bond.  We have had many members become very close friends as a result of them meeting at our studio.  They often go out to breakfast together after a workout!

• ​Finally, what about children?  Do you have any tips on motivating the younger crowd? How to get them moving and staying active, setting them up so they can thrive?

Young kids should be motivated by getting them to PLAY.  In order for them to develop confidence in their movements and in their bodies and improve their abilities to play sports, they should and have fun while getting together as a team will help them motivate them (along the lines of their own community).  They will thrive on their own (with some help on our part) and they will gravitate to the activities that they enjoy.  The more they enjoy it the more they will participate!

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