Viva Brighton October 2015 Issue #32

HEALTH & FITNESS
......................................
Alex Backhouse
PT to the PTs
The pop artist Derek Boshier has a mixed media
piece entitled In California everyone goes to a therapist,
is a therapist, or is a therapist going to a therapist.
If we substitute ‘Brighton’ and ‘Personal Trainer’,
then the PT at the end of the equation is likely to
be Alex Backhouse.
After ten years of facilitating the fitness of all
shades of martial artists, sportspeople and gymphobes,
Alex set up his own studio this summer.
During those ten years he learned directly from
behemoths such as Charles Poliquin and JC Santana,
and is midway through an MSc in Strength
and Conditioning.
Of course, most PTs have a bunch of qualifications,
and CLR James’ rhetorical query ‘What do
they know of cricket, who only know cricket?’ can
come to mind. Not so with Backhouse. A former
professional musician with a residency at the Casablanca
jazz club, he spent much of his mid-to-late
twenties hitting and getting hit in the boxing ring
and mixed martial-arts cage, he can explain what
Narcissistic Personality Disorder is, has a good
handle on the hormonal impact of particular foods
on particular people, and he brings all this to the
training table.
“I was a guitar-playing geek, which was all about
putting in the hours to achieve mastery. Learning
an instrument is a perfect analogy to fitness and
nutrition: one hour a day, four or five days a week
for three months will get you much further than
staying up all night trying to cram like you might
for an exam back at school. You can’t cram how to
play the piano!”
That doesn’t always sit well with folks coming
along believing that a ‘beasting’ is the instant and
only solution to their fitness situation.
“I’ve got a reputation that I’ll destroy people, and
you get the monster guys saying ‘Come on and
fuck me up!’ but the point is anyone can break
something, it takes an expert to build it back. The
key is building a good enough foundation, and
then, and only then, people surprise themselves.
I’m so obsessed with form, with getting technique
spot-on, that I’m not going to allow ‘bad’ destruction.
‘Do no harm’: first week, first year ethics! I
don’t drop anyone in at the deep end until they’re
ready to swim against the tide, but when you’re
ready - be prepared for a dunking. You might not
think you are. But that’s the whole point.”
Therein lies the art, rather than science of what he
does, the becoming attuned to the potential of a
specific client, rather than counting out a set number
of reps like they tell you in the mags. Something
metaphysical, in addition to the getting ludicrously
strong and ripped, can then occur.
“This higher state of consciousness that people
seek through many mediums, can only be achieved
by passing through a certain door. I do hate the
phrase ‘comfort zone’, because it implies what’s
beyond the door is uncomfortable. Comfort is
now irrelevant. Beyond the door - that’s where the
magic happens.” Andy Darling
Alex Backhouse Training Studios, Langfords Hotel,
Third Avenue, Hove BN3 2PX (07786 552011)
alexbackhouse.com
....91....