When people ask me what I “do” and I tell them that I am a personal
trainer, they automatically start spewing excuses as to why they are
out of shape and unhappy with their bodies. I don’t have to ask a
thing. I am suddenly a shrink. Personal facts surface quickly and
without reserve. Mind you, all I have said is that I am a personal
trainer. Suddenly I’m their life long best friend. “I don’t have time…
I have kids… I go to school… my job wears me out… I just have no
energy… I used to workout…” I’ve heard every excuse in the book.

One day I was talking with my neighbor, and like many conversations
that seem to find me, she starts to go on and on about how she is
overweight, out of shape, unhappy, etcetera, etcetera. After about ten
minutes of attempting to justify her lifestyle, I simply say, “You
have to make it a priority.” Something clicked. She was silent, (which
is rare for this woman). We have lived next door to each other for
about a year now. Not even two hours after I said those words, she was
making her first of many appointments with me.

She made it a priority. Like taking care of her children, her husband,
her job…Finally, she made her health a priority. She didn’t just make
a time to workout, she was suddenly empowered. Her voice automatically
had more confidence. She made a healthy lifestyle choice for herself,
and it’s like the world was completely different, just like that.

After one month of dedication, her body fat dropped 7%, her strength
significantly increased, and her energy skyrocketed. She had more to
contribute to life; more energy and strength to play with her
children, more confidence in anything she attempted, she controlled
stress better, and her husband even told her she looked skinny. She
made it a priority, and the payoff was more than she bargained for.

Her program was inspired by Pavel Tsatouline’s book, From Russia with
Tough Love, Kettlebell Workout for the Femme Fatale. She met with me
three times a week for a program based on two basics of lifts: squats
and dead lifts. All additional lifts introduced into her program were
based on the mechanics of these fundamental drills. My client was new
to this hard-style of training, so we focused on total body tension
and moving the weight safely from start to finish. This is personally
important to me, because as a trainer I want the reassurance that my
client can safely and effectively workout by themselves.

In addition to basic drills, I would throw in a modified Department of
Energy “Man-Maker,” every now and then for a good “cardio session.”
The DOE Man-Maker consists of a series of Kettlebell snatches
alternated with running. I modified the snatches to swings and the run
to either rowing or some type of walk with the bells. The Kettlebell
walks included anything from farmer’s walks to double overhead walks.

This client, like many, wanted more “ab work.” So, we worked on things
like get up sit-ups, circle sit-ups, and power breathing crunches at
both the beginning and end of our sessions. If a lift is a priority,
it should be done first in the series. To further drive home the fact
that I acknowledge her requests, we added the ab drills to the end of
her workouts, as well. (Needless to say, she has not made any more
personal requests.)

In the end, it was the client’s dedication to, and commitment at each
session that improved her overall quality of life. She made her health
a priority, and it ultimately paid off in all other aspects of her
life. If it’s important to you, you have to make it a priority. It’s
your choice.

Jacob started the week out by basically telling us week 3 means no mercy, shorter breaks, longer reps, and we better keep up. So you can pretty much imagine that Tuesdays workout just about killed me. By Wednesday, I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it through- it was so cold, so dark, I could barely breathe. Thursday was more of the same. Those damn burpees!! WHY do you do this to yourself Joy (I know this is what you are thinking!) The thing is- no matter how hard it is, or how tired, or sore, or cold you are, you are doing for YOU.

Being a wife, Mom, and now a working Mom (woohoo! I went back to work this week, just 2 1/2 days, but still woohoo!) you rarely get to do anything for you. So this is my ME time. Yes, it happens to be at 5:30 am, and my hair looks ridiculous and the mascara still smeared a bit (it’s dark out though people, so who cares?) So for someone who never really enjoyed working out, I have come to love the fact that as hard as it is, I am working on ME. For ME. And I deserve it.

How much weight have a lost? That’s a tricky question, and Jacob will tell you not to ask it. The first session of boot camp (and for me this is like a first session again since I took like 7 weeks off in between), your body is learning what you are doing to it. Muscle weighs more than fat right? So stepping on the scale is a no-no. It’s about how you feel in your clothes, and how you look, not what the scale says. I admit I peek, and I don’t love the number this week. BUT, I can see the changes in my arms, in my legs, and I keep getting into those smaller sizes. Here’s what Jacob says about it on his blog…

“Typically, your body takes about 4 weeks to adjust to any changes. Whether it be dietary changes, exercise routine changes or even a medication protocol. This is why most things are prescribed in 4 week increments. Ever get a prescription from the doctor? What is the usual time frame he prescribes you to take that medication? 4 weeks. Right? If you obtain an injury and it requires physical therapy what is the usual prescription? 3 times a week for 4 weeks? Right? Well the same goes for diet and exercise. Your body will take approximately 4 weeks to adjust to any changes in these components as well. Just be patient in that regards.”

So week four is here, and Friday is the big day. TEST DAY. I can’t wait to see how much faster and stronger I am. I can already feel it. My weights are getting lighter and the runs are getting easier. My husband told me this week my legs looked like “chicken legs”. So not true, but it sounded great! My boot camp girlies said I looked “skinny” on Saturday night. Again, not quite true, but I’ll take it. Somehow that just makes it all worth it. After all, it is all about ME right ?

So what happens next? Week four is here, which means the end of the session. There is a week break between sessions, but Epic offers all of us hardcore campers another option. On the off week, they will hold boot camp a few days so you can still keep up your workouts, and just pay by the day.

So who out there have I inspired to join? Why not take a risk and try a free session? Just email phillybootcamp@gmail.com and tell them Joy from Chescomoms or Montcomoms sent you. You can do it. You need it. You’ll thank me. I promise! Visit www.epicbootcamp.com today

For the 2nd week in a row, I actually worked out on a Monday morning. Which has like never happened, ever. Thanks again Chesco Moms My husband had a scheduled business trip to New Orleans from Wednesday to Saturday this week, so in order to fulfill my 3 days a week at boot camp, I had to go THREE DAYS IN A ROW. Yes, there are many of you out there that exercise 7 days a week, I am not one of you. But this week I gave it my best shot!

Monday was HARD. Jacob apparently woke up and decided to pull out some weapons, those being the ridiculous 7 minute long circuits where you go from 50 jump jacks to 25 squats to a sprint, to jump squats, to squat thrusts, to a sprint, repeat, repeat, repeat. AGGGHHHH. You get the picture. I don’t know if my face has ever been redder. But what a way to start the week! Tuesday was more of the same, with more squats, jump squats, and pop squats than I think I have done in a week much less a session. According to Jacob “we’ll thank him later”. LOL, seriously. By Wednesday I couldn’t feel my butt or my triceps, but I powered through and again amazed my self at my ability to keep up.

A few things happened this week that really surprised me.

1. I pulled my back on Tuesday during stretching, and it REALLY hurt. You know the kind of pull where you think you might not be able to stand up straight. Not only did I power through and finish the whole workout, I woke up the next day and did it again. I am still in pain, but nothing a little ibuprofen won’t help.

2. I hate mountain climbers with a passion. That actually doesn’t surprise me, I just had to say it.

3. When you can’t do another push up, and then your trainer tells you to do another 30 seconds of push ups, the F word will just fly out of your mouth unexpectedly. Yes, even at 6 in the morning. Sorry to all my fellow boot campers, but sometimes there are just no other words.

4. For the first time in a long while, I found myself feeling guilty on Thursday that I couldn’t fit in any sort of workout. So today I braved the Philly Zoo by myself with both kids, and did a good 2 1/2 hours so I could get at least get a good walking workout in. That double stroller is heavy! (I promise I’ll do some squats too as soon as I finish this blog)

So here I am on Friday afternoon, worked my butt off this week, my jeans are falling down around my hips (yay!) and the number on the scale is back where it was at the beginning of August. And only after 2 weeks!

So now I set my sights on what I really want to accomplish by the end of this session (well it may take a LITTLE longer than that). An adorable little plaid skirt with pink lace lining that my husband loves, and I haven’t worn since our honeymoon in Ireland 5 years ago…I will fit into that skirt if it kills me! But of course I’ll need a new pair of high boots to go with it…

Epic Boot Camp – Week 1
I’ve never been the “boot camp” type, or what I thought that type might be. Actually I’ve never really been the workout type in general, unless you count the plastic Gold’s Gym badge on my key ring and the handful of times I’d been there in the past year, mainly just for the childcare break. I do enjoy working out once I’m in the moment, it’s just the build-up of it and fitting it into my schedule I have never been a big fan of. Until I found Epic Boot Camp.

The founder and CEO of Epic, www.epicbootcamp.com, Jacob Right, happens to be one of my husbands fraternity brothers from Slippery Rock University. Jacob also happens to have spent a year in Iraq, has been a professional bodybuilder, is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet and truly cares about helping people become more physically fit. He actually makes working out at 5:30 in the morning in the dark fun, if that’s at all believable! The group is very diverse and includes men and women from all fitness levels- the sessions allow you to work at your own pace, and Jacob offers alternative exercises to make you more comfortable if you are experiencing knee pain, etc. Epic offers boot camps in 4 locations in Philly, at either 5:30 am or 6:30 pm. The locations are Black Rock Park in Oaks, Green Tree Park in Malvern, Eagleville Park, and Palmer Park in Skippack. The sessions are four weeks in length, you can do 3 days a week or 5 days a week, and they offer a Saturday morning boot camp session for $10.

When Sarah asked me to contribute a blog reviewing Epic Boot camp, I was thrilled, mainly because I took the last 6 weeks of the summer off from boot camp after going to the May, June, and July sessions. I treated August like one long vacation and seriously did not workout once. Not once. So you can imagine how tough it was to get back on the 5:30 am horse this week. But I did it! Thanks Sarah So each week for the four weeks I’ll bring you some thoughts about how it’s going, and hopefully encourage one or two of you to think about joining. If I can do it- anyone can do it!

Week one…alarm goes off at 5:00 am on Monday. I think it’s a cruel joke, but reality hits and I crawl out of bed, get dressed, choke down my peanut butter toast and get on the road to Black Rock Park. It’s pitch black, so once we start running for our warm-up, it feels like it’s still the middle of the night. Jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, push-ups, stretching. I’m already tired. Fifty minutes to go. But once the music starts playing, the weight exercises kick in, then some cardio, some more weights, you can’t help but get in the groove. Then it’s abs, and as soon as Jacob says “and rest” and I lay there and look up at the finally somewhat blue sky, I feel AWESOME. Mainly because I am laying still and not jumping or lifting or running in that moment, but also because I just worked out for one full hour as hard as I could, and it’s done. Over for the day. And it’s only 6:30 am.

By the end of class on Monday I am back in the swing, knowing I won’t be able to walk on Tuesday, or Wednesday, but knowing how good it will feel. And it’s true…when I show up for the first MOPS meeting Wednesday morning, I am starving (because that’s what boot camp does to you) and I can barely sit due to the probably 100 squats we did that morning. For me, it doesn’t matter how sore I am, it just proves how hard I worked. By 9:00 every night I am falling asleep, and can’t wait to climb into bed and sleep hard- harder than I have in weeks, and pray the baby sleeps through the night so I can stay in the amazing dream-state as long as possible. Friday morning comes and it’s test day: run your fastest mile, hold your longest plank, do as many push-ups, crunches, and burpees that you can do in 1 minute. On the fourth Friday we’ll do the same test and see the improvement. I am surprised at how well I did, considering I hadn’t worked out in 6 weeks. So here are my numbers- let’s see how strong I get in 4weeks!!

1 mile: 10 minutes 31 seconds
Plank: 1 minute 37 seconds
Burpees: 13 (these are torture)
Push-ups: 31 (on the knees of course)
Crunches: 54

I think what I loved most about this week, is that by Friday night, I was back in jeans that were too tight the week before, my arms seemed a little tighter, my face a little thinner, my energy up, my skin glowing. I had more patience with my almost 3year old and 14 month old, and got a lot more accomplished around the house than normal with less coffee! Next week I’ll start trying on all the pants in my closet that were too tight the week before, and jump up and down when they fit. Any my husband will look on and say he’s proud of me, and that he’s willing to get up with the baby 3 mornings a weeks for as long as I want just because he loves the look on my face when I fit into a pair of jeans I haven’t worn in 2 years.

We have heard these stories many times from our campers… How that dress they have been trying to fit in to now fits, or how their pants from high school now fit, or how their husband has made comments about how good they look in their clothes. These comments are the best comments that anyone can make. To get the recognition from your significant other about how happy you have been or more patient you have been around the children is priceless.

Myself and all of the trainers here at Epic pride ourselves on these types of comments. To see the smiling faces before and after workouts lets us know that we are in the right business, the people business.  We are glad that we can provide the motivation and guidance to help people succeed and feel better about themselves. To be honest with you, all the different gyms I have worked at will never give you that or even care about it.

Keep those testimonials coming! We will be glad to post them on the website!