I had intended a very different blog post today.
That was until a friend and former colleague passed away suddenly last week, and I felt compelled to write this instead.
Most of you have likely never heard of Darren Oliver. He’s never written any books or appeared on mainstream TV shows. However, in Canadian bodybuilding, he was fast becoming a legend.
And in the fitness industry, both in Toronto and Montreal, he was a mentor to many.
To me, he was an inspiration.
Evolution Fitness would likely not be what it is today without this man’s influence.
I first met Darren in the summer of 2004 when I began working for Extreme Fitness at Yonge and Sheppard. He was big, barrel-chested, red-haired, and always wore a red baseball cap. He walked slowly and had a unique cadence to his speech, always putting a lot of emphasis of certain words. I could tell right away he was a colorful character that I’d enjoy getting to know.
I’ll never forget our first meeting for the sheer warmth with which he greeted me and shook my hand. From then on, he always had a huge smile and a kind word for me whenever we saw each other. In fact, he was like that with everyone. He had a truly unique ability to make other people feel important, which quickly gained him the respect and devotion of everyone he met.
Watching him on the gym floor as he worked with his clients, you knew you were in the presence of greatness. His energy, enthusiasm, and passion were electric, his presence, undeniable.
Everyone in the gym knew who he was, if not by name, then as “the guy with the hat”. I quickly identified him as someone I wanted to learn from.
It felt like he took an interest in me, as I’m sure it felt to every single trainer that worked there. He would observe quietly, smile, and always had a genuine compliment of some sort. If he were to correct you, somehow it never felt like a criticism. It was never judgmental. He had this uncanny ability to teach AND make you feel good about yourself in the process.
Although Darren’s greatest passion was always to train bodybuilders, he was really in the people building business. He knew how to make you feel great about yourself. You felt that he always believed in you, and this helped you to believe in yourself. No matter what he was doing, he always had time for a kind word, a smile, an affectionate handshake, or a hug.
At the time I met Darren, I was struggling professionally. I’d become somewhat disillusioned with the industry, and had lost a great deal of my passion. Darren’s energy and dedication to his craft was like a shot of adrenaline to me.
On many occasions, we were the last two trainers in the gym (we both worked late, 10PM on most nights). We’d spend time after work just chatting about training, and about life. I remember those conversations with great fondness. It was the kind of friendship that you cherish.
If you’ve ever appreciated the kind of passion and dedication I bring to my work, a good chunk of that I owe to Darren. He helped bring me back up when I was down. I’ll never forget that.
Personally, I thought he was a genius, and well before his time. He had very little in terms of formal education, but I’ve never met anyone with his level of sheer intuition about the body and how it moves. He had the ability to look at someone, and in a glance be able to visualize how they would do any exercise – before they’d do it. Not only that, but he knew instinctively what minor “shifts” would make that exercise more effective for that person.
Good trainers can do that – I can. But not with the level of precision he was capable of. He was the Michelangelo of bodybuilding. Every body was unmolded clay, waiting for him to put his touches on it.
It’s no wonder that he had such a devoted following of clients. In recent years, Darren was building quite a reputation in the bodybuilding world, having trained a number of Canadian champions in both bodybuilding and figure, not to mention a few of Canada’s top pro bodybuilders such as Mike Van Wyck, Ben Paluski, and Renaldo Gairy.
You have complete creative control over your body. That’s what he taught us to believe. Your body is unique and special. It is to be respected and admired. No two people are alike. Your destiny is to be the best YOU that you can possibly be. This is achieved by tapping into the unique mechanism of movement your body possesses.
You can love the process of training as much as the outcome. Most people try to force themselves to perform movements in a way that is not natural to them. He would train people to discover a new awareness of their bodies that allowed them to experience their workout in a new way, and in a way that flowed more with their natural structure. This ease and flow can make training a more enjoyable experience, even to someone who typically doesn’t enjoy exercising with weights. In other words, when you feel it where you’re supposed to feel it, you begin to get a sense of your own creative control over your body. That’s fun.
Celebrate your individuality. He taught us to love our bodies for what they can do, as opposed to focusing on what we don’t like about them. Within the integrated system that your body is, your strengths are catalysts for change, and your weaknesses are opportunities to create. You are only limited by your imagination. Also fun.
I really believe that the world has lost one of its true originals. Darren Oliver elevated the business of personal training to an art form. More than that, he did it with heart.
He touched the lives of many, which is evidenced by the massive outpouring of grief and appreciation happening currently on Darren’s Facebook page. He was the type of person that made a positive impact on every person he crossed paths with. He will be sorely missed.
I am so eternally grateful to have had this remarkable man as a friend and mentor. I am happy for him that he is at peace. Our loss is heaven’s gain. I am equally thrilled that his influence will reach far and wide in this industry for many years to come. His legacy is unmistakable. We feel his presence still.
Here at Evolution Fitness, we’ll be sporting the signature red baseball caps all week, as a parting tribute.
I’ll miss you Darren. Rest in peace my brother. See you in the next life,
Conor
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