Transformation Tuesday - Amanda

I Want to Compete.....

I hear this alot, being a coach of a fitness team, and exposed to many people in the gym, and in the fitness industry. Actually, what I get a lot is ' I would like to LOOK like I compete'. Sure, wouldn't we all, but a competitors body is not a suit you put on before you walk out each day. BUT, I digres...another blog for anothe day.

I met Amanda about a year ago. We had a meet and greet at Club Metro, in Jersey City. I train at this gym, had seen her there and spoken with her and seen her work out. I thought she was a prime candidate for the team. This is when she mentioned that she had thought about competing before.  My next question is always, what's stopping you?  Fortunately, this time, for Amanda, it was nothing.

We began training around September of 2014, not focused on a particular show, but thinking the spring if we decided to step on the stage. We decided and her 'want' becomes a reality in a little less than 3 weeks. 

Amanda has lost almost 15 pounds and come down almost 10% in body fat. 

I am a firm believer going after any dream, big or small, impossible ,etc. There are no guarantees in life, so why would you why would you assume something won't happen, and never try?

Amanda will compete in her first bikini show April 4th in Teaneck.  We are so proud of her and cannot wait to see what comes next!!!   Two and a half weeks out to showtime....!

TRANSFORMATION Tuesday

Ye of little faith...

In my years of training, coaching, 'transforming', I have found that people tend to fall within 2 buckets:

1. Believers

2. Doubters

These buckets are then broken up into two different types of people within the buckets

1. Believers

- Getters

- Talkers

2. Doubters

- Dreamers

- Non Believers

The BELIEVER is the one that knows it's possible. They know they can lose the weight. They know they can get ready for a competition. The difference in the believers are the DOers and TALKERs. We know the difference. Don't just talk about it, be about it. 

Then there are the people that don't want to put their faith in something that they haven't seen happen, or the doubters. The 'that's never happend to me' or 'I'm never that lucky' or ' that has never worked for me'. Of the doubters you have the NON believers. They don't believe in the process, the system, the universe, or themselves, and so usually they don't evern try or they say they tried but self sabotage the project. 'You see I told you'

The best of the four....the Dreamers.   The people that doubt,..but HOPE. They aren't sure, but DO. My transformation TUESDAY client is a dreamer. 

When we spoke about placing her on a new program 12 weeks ago, she told me she would do it, because she was curious to see where or if her body would change. She said though that she had a certain 'body type'. " It is what it is, but I will try" Ok, I said," that's all I ask."

Twelve weeks later...she is down roughly 20 lbs, 6-8% bodyfat, 5 inches in her waist, 4 inches in her hips, and 2 inches in her thighs. So, now we are done with her 12 week program and reassessing goals since we've demolished the 'smallest I've been since high school' goal. What's next? Look for us again during competition season next spring. 

I'm not asking you to perform miracles.....I'm just asking you to believe in them. :) 

Transformation TUESDAY!!!

​Today's feature is a private client and member of  The Elite Heat. How is she a member of the Heat and not competing? She has competed, but decided, for now, not to continue on within the world of fitness competitions. She is, however, a 'lifer' for her body and taking it to the next level does not always mean on a stage. She is now preparing for a trip, yes a trip, in February and wants to look even better than she does now. Read more about Sharilyn and her fitness journey as we introduce her for the Phoenyx

TRANSFORMATION TUESDAY

I moved to Latin America in September 2012,  and was excited at what I believed would be a “new start” post-graduate school. I had put on more than a few pounds since gym and yoga sessions were replaced with late night paper writing and thesis research. 

During my first few weeks in Argentina, I religiously worked out using my Shaun T ‘Insanity’ workout DVD’s. I noticed some changes in my body but I still wasn’t happy, and I definitely wasn’t eating well.  Trying to manage being a vegetarian in a country heralded for its' beef was NOT easy.   Around Halloween, I befriended a boot camp instructor who encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and attend a class.   I can distinctly remember that first session because I sincerely wondered if “death by burpee” was an actual thing.   Although I hated that first session, I decided to return a few days later. Two days per week quickly turned into three and before I knew it, I was there every single day.

By the time I got into the swing of it, I relocated to Peru and it was there that the magic happened – I was introduced to weightlifting by way of Cross fit. Power cleans, split jerks and dead lifts were insanely difficult at first but I quickly realized how AMAZING it  felt when I completed a heavy lift with proper form.

I continued to Cross fit when I returned to the US in May 2013 and began to “eat clean” after joining a Paleo challenge with others at my box. It was then that I realized I wanted, no, needed, a change. I didn’t want to simply lose a few pounds and get into shape.  I wanted to push myself further and harder than I’d ever done in the past. It was then that an old friend from college introduced me to The Elite Heat after I came across her fitness competition pictures on Facebook.

Malenna saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. Almost every single day I doubted that I could actually compete in a fitness competition but Malenna and my teammates were there every step of the way, providing support even when my family and friends didn’t understand what I was training for or why. In October 2013, I stepped on that stage and it was one of the most amazing moments of my life. I learned that being fit could be sexy and that that could be ME. Throughout this journey, I've gone from 173lbs and 35% body fat to 147lbs and 23% body fat and this is only the beginning. I am proud to be strong, “thick fit” and most importantly, healthy! 

Photo credit Omega Imagery . www.omegaimagery.com