Arch body hold

[thecolin]

Here's my official reply by the way, if anyone is interested (posted on Reddit). I've had a 'live and let live' philosophy in regards to GB for a while. I was fine with Christopher editing and controlling his personal forums and Facebook groups however he likes. But when he used legal action to remove a critical but very fair assessment of his program from a public community, it really set me off. And I realized that while it's better for me to let these things pass, there are still a lot of people who are getting duped by this guy, and I wanted to be sure people know what they're getting into. A least I was fortunate enough to get into GB at a point when he was actually interested in training people, now it's just all about the money and prestige.

My apologies for dredging up something that has been a bit of a mess for a lot of us. But here are my final words on the subject:

 

[Kit_L]

Colin, sorry to hear this. Can you let us know how he used legal action to get a review of his products taken down? I have never heard of a review on a public forum being pulled that way; it can't be common. I have read some real hatchet jobs on line, but no one pulled them down that I'm aware of. But then the internet is a big space, and we can only see a little part of it. Taking legal action against a review is a worrying direction, in my view.

The reddit post above, if you click on it, will take interested folk to Colin's post there, as well as the many comments. Will reddit be forced into taking this down, I wonder?

[Rik]

The original post was taken down on the request of the original poster. The specific circumstances were that the original poster was an ex-employee of GB, and the legal trouble would be in the (alleged) violating of the NDA. In light of his work, which I'm told required government clearance, he really did not want to be sued, and hence asked for the post to be taken down. The mods did this in agreement with the OP. There still exists copies of the review, and the general gist is known.

What Colin has done, is post a review from a customer perspective. There is no reason to sue Colin himself, because he wasn't an employee. Furthermore, if Sommer wanted the post to be taken down by Reddit, he would have to sue Reddit, Inc., a rather large company, in a suit that would be completely frivolous. So I think it's highly unlikely this review will be taken down. It's been up for a while already.

[thecolin]

Yes, it's a special circumstance with the writer being under an NDA.

I've read the original review that was taken down, and in my understanding there's nothing in it that could reasonably be covered by an such a contract. But as usual, the threat of legal action is enough most of the time.

The original post was simply a review that could have easily be written by any GB customer. There was no material covering trade secrets or business plans. So while the special circumstances give the situation an air of legitimacy, it's purely a smoke screen to cover up another of Christopher's tantrums.

There are internet libel laws that people can attempt to use to go after people directly. Not that it's applicable in this case, as I didn't make anything up, I can confirm it all with third parties. But the NDA wasn't applicable either, and that didn't stop him.

[piotro]

You can read that earlier review here, for example:

http://archive.is/sSSiv

 

[Kit_L]

Thanks everyone who responded above on the coach thing. 

I must say that I was surprised to find that, on the first GB seminar I did, everyone was presented with an NDA they had to sign to continue, and this was before "Good morning". The absurdity was that there was only the one copy (so attendees did not get to keep a copy), and all were signed, and collected, before the workshops began. I am not sure an NDA obtained this way would stand up in court (no copy given to attendee). I should have known then and there which direction it was all going to go.

If anyone wants a glimpse of the turmoil I experienced when Olivia and I were initially banned (and this was after presenting four ST modules at four GB seminars, plus Olivia taught one too in Arizona, and endless hours of planning what product we could make on stretching and mobility that would fit his product line, all at his request), see a short post on my blog:

https://kitlaughlin.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/the-genie-is-out-of-the-bottle-and-she-aint-returning-any-time-soon/

Nonetheless, I am grateful for the experience: it led directly to the Mastery Series—once Olivia put her foot down and told me to get cracking. How amusing life is!

[Gym-Dave]

On 15 December 2016 at 11:45 AM, Kit_L said:

Colin, sorry to hear this. Can you let us know how he used legal action to get a review of his products taken down? I have never heard of a review on a public forum being pulled that way; it can't be common. I have read some real hatchet jobs on line, but no one pulled them down that I'm aware of. But then the internet is a big space, and we can only see a little part of it. Taking legal action against a review is a worrying direction, in my view.

The reddit post above, if you click on it, will take interested folk to Colin's post there, as well as the many comments. Will reddit be forced into taking this down, I wonder?

This law should prevent future episode like this....

President Obama signs the Consumer Review Fairness Act into law
https://www.engadget.com/2016/12/15/president-obama-signs-the-consumer-review-fairness-act-into-law/

[Emmet Louis]

Someone pointed out to me that the best critique of a product is to just make a better one. Stretch therapy already did this with the mastery series. I'm involved with a project to be released this year that will cover other aspects of the GB system. Why care what they are doing online when they're basically obsolete and what you're seeing is the death cries. 

[thecolin]

21 hours ago, Emmet Louis said:

Why care what they are doing online when they're basically obsolete and what you're seeing is the death cries. 

 

Because it's not about the product.

It's like saying that you have a wonderful line of green teas that are way better for you than Coke, so people are just going to switch to the objectively healthier option. Regardless of how much healthier your product is, people are still going to drink coke because it's driven by a relentless marketing machine that pushes a product that overrides their better judgement.

The original post that was illegitimately remove from the internet was a ration discussion about the quality of a product. The discussion is now 'post truth', which is why I started a conversation (that I had previously avoided) that cuts directly to the heart of the matter.

What you're seeing is not the death cries of a program. It is the transformation of a product from a source of information, to a brand and overall 'life philosophy'. The formation of a fitness cult. Train the GB way, think like a GB champion, eat like the GB elite so you too can get that six pack that will finally give you that deep life satisfaction you've always been searching for. Just supply your credit card number.

 

 

[Emmet Louis]

2 hours ago, thecolin said:

what you're seeing is not the death cries of a program. It is the transformation of a product from a source of information, to a brand and overall 'life philosophy'. The formation of a fitness cult. Train the GB way, think like a GB champion, eat like the GB elite so you too can get that six pack that will finally give you that deep life satisfaction you've always been searching for. Just supply your credit card number.

 

And this is exactly its death cry as instead of being a quaility source of potential info that would be in essence timeless in its application. You're now watching the bosuballification of the GB Brand. They'll have their time in the sun and then the consumer will fuck off to what ever is trending now once its precieved as stale.

By taking the quick cash they've written their own death note.

[thecolin]

52 minutes ago, Emmet Louis said:

And this is exactly its death cry as instead of being a quaility source of potential info that would be in essence timeless in its application. You're now watching the bosuballification of the GB Brand. They'll have their time in the sun and then the consumer will fuck off to what ever is trending now once its precieved as stale.

By taking the quick cash they've written their own death note.

 

Except these things still sell, and lots of 'passe' fitness trends are still profiting off of peoples hopes. You're falsely associating the lack of good information with the death of the product. One does not follow the other.

I'd prefer to take 10 minutes of my day to inform unsuspecting people so they don't scammed. I wish we lived in a world where brands and marketing didn't dominate, but that simply isn't reality.

[Kit_L]

"bosuballification"

Yes: that one has legs. It will keep on running for quite a while, I suspect. Nice one @Emmet Louis

I take the long view on all things. GB will die a natural death. Anyone wanting that kind of strength will search the net, find all the current and future references to GB, and then look for better products. The internet is a great leveller this way.

@thecolin: caveat emptor still applies: the unwary may get sucked in; the savvy do not. And reviews/comments/posts like yours help the innocent.

[AlexanderEgebak]

4 hours ago, thecolin said:

 

Except these things still sell, and lots of 'passe' fitness trends are still profiting off of peoples hopes. You're falsely associating the lack of good information with the death of the product. One does not follow the other.

I'd prefer to take 10 minutes of my day to inform unsuspecting people so they don't scammed. I wish we lived in a world where brands and marketing didn't dominate, but that simply isn't reality.

I appreciate your effort and will continue to spend time "enlightening" people about the real side of GB; cries of death or not people should not spend up to one year of push ups and chin grip holds for the price of 150$. Not everyone has the time or the level of immediate critical thinking that it takes to dig beneath the facade of GB, and these should have a gentle push towards the "truth" assuming that they are interested.

I look forward to seeing your product, Emmet. And Joshua's - depending on whether you collaborate or not, a lot of exciting secrets are floating around.

[Maksis Riley]

Hey all, my first post here.

 

I'm a quite long time follower of the GB curriculum and it's interesting seeing familiar names and faces on these boards. 

 

I had begun writing out my own review without intending to but I don't really think I need to. I tend to agree with most of the points raised here and in the reviews and I wouldn't be adding much by repeating then but rather just say, my experience has been similar.

 

What I will add, however, is that I am not bitter towards coach simmer or the GB curriculum. I have actually really enjoyed it and made relatively good progress with it. It is a shame, perhaps, that people will be seduced by the flash and coach's charisma, but it may introduce people to new things and encourage them to explore more possibilities. This is what happened for me and why I started following the ST content. 

 

I'll be looking for new approaches and information and have been gradually adapting my training to be a more personal endeavour. I very easily get stuck in rigid structures and seduced by promises of "The best method" and it's Something I aim to continue to break away from.

 

So with that said, I want to thank all the members and staff here who put out content to be learnt from and experimented With; Kit and Olivia, I loved your Into Stretch workshop as well as all your work on vimeo and Emmet your YouTube content is fantastic, I've been incorporating your H2T "protocol" and enjoying experimenting with it.

 

I guess this was a convoluted way of me saying hello!.... 

 

All the best

Max