Back to the old nest: 45 years later the circle is complete. Last week, I was back at the old nest for a while.

Back to the old nest: 45 years later the circle is complete. Last week I was briefly back at the old nest.

I was a guest of Jan-Willem Stoker at his new location on Fascinatio Boulevard in Rotterdam. For me, it was more than just a visit to a gym. About 45 years ago, Stoker Fitness was the reason I decided to pursue a career in which I wanted to earn my living professionally with fitness. That’s where the first real thought arose: to turn my passion for fitness into my profession. Ultimately, I succeeded. I trained for many years, taught classes, worked within the fitness world, and had the privilege of collaborating with many extraordinary people around the globe. I visited gyms in different countries, observed various training methods, and above all, learned a tremendous amount from people, bodies, and the ways in which individuals engage with sports.

But my own career took a completely different turn at one point. I had a tear in my aorta. Not once, but three times. My aortic arch, my aortic tube, and my abdominal aorta were eventually replaced. That changed my life completely. But one thing has never disappeared: my love for fitness. That is still deeply rooted. Perhaps that's exactly why my visit to Jan-Willem Stoker this week was so special. Because when you return to a place after about 45 years that once contributed to giving your professional life a certain direction, you realize just how much has happened in the meantime.

But for me, this meeting meant more than just a nice memory. I stood there as someone who was inspired by this world 45 years ago and who now, after a life full of fitness, training, entrepreneurship, setbacks, and new challenges, is about to put their own knowledge and experience into a book.

The MTM method. From the old nest to a new generation. The circle is complete. And of course, Jan-Willem is part of that story. Of course, you don't contradict an authority in the field of fitness. Especially not when that authority in question acted in the 1974 film Dai Xiang Li Dai Nao Ou Zhou, better known to Kung Fu fans as Chinese Kung Fu Against Godfather. The role of that Godfather was assigned to Jan-Willem Stoker, founder and Godfather of Stoker Health & Reha.

The adventure of Jan-Willem Stoker began over fifty years ago in the heart of Rotterdam, says his son and my peer Willem-Jan Stoker. His father's business on Westewagenstraat was truly a landmark. In 1971, he opened his 'little shop' there with a big sign outside: STOKER FITNESS CLUB. (from left to right: Jan Willem Stoker, Michael R. Maljers, R. Maljers, Willem Jan Stoker, Dylan Stoker; new building and former building on Westewagenstraat in the center of Rotterdam)