McCohn Muscle March 2017 Client of the Month

Drum roll please!!!

We waited a while to announce this but here's our March 2017 Client of the Month, Ruth Pawlack.

Ruth is a registered nurse that just celebrated her 20 year anniversary working for Ohio Health. She has been training with us for three years now.

She began training with us to prevent gaining weight. She's managed to drop 10lbs and keep it off. She has increased her strength and endurance, and says her clothes fit more comfortably. Ruth's training is very unique because she deals with a severe case of scoliosis (curvature of the spinal cord).
This can make her workouts very uncomfortable, but she never quits.

She has kept a food journal everyday for the past three years as well. That self discipline is one reason she has earned this award. Even more than that, Ruth has made exercise and fitness a part of her lifestyle.

Ruth holding her own with the fellas.

She is not trying to rock a bikini onstage, or run a Tough Mudder, but she is living a healthy and active lifestyle. She has managed her hypothyroidism and blood sugar. One of the things I love about her is when she goes out to eat and tells me about the healthy decisions she made at the restaurant. Commitment baby!!!

Every vacation she sends pictures of her workouts.
Congratulations Ruth!

Olivia Skaates- September 2014 Client of the Month

 Olivia Skaates.....back on top!

Showing off her Champion ribbon at The Kentucky Horse Park a month after a serious surgery.

Olivia has been a consistent client since.........Oct 20, 2012. We began training at Urban Active Polaris. Then when I moved to Max Out Gym Columbus, Olivia, her mom, and big bro came along and trained with me there. Olivia is a beautiful young lady. She is an adept horse rider, and she also plays on her high school lacrosse team.

She used to ask me "when am I going to be 'Client of the Month?" I would laugh and tell her that even though she worked hard when she trained, people that earn "Client of the Month" have exceptional stories. Some have lost 20+ pounds, some have shed off a high percentage of body fat, others have trained hard and killed it at a competitive event.

Now she is Client of the Month for September 2014.
This is what happened.

Benign tumor from t2 to t12 next to thoracic spine. That's pretty large. The surgeon recommended surgery and said she would need to collapse Olivia's right lung to remove tumor on that side.
You can bet Olivia was doing some intense cardio a week before her surgery. If one lung was going to be down, that other one had better stay strong.
During surgery the expert hit a lymphatic duct that caused a chile leak. Olivia had to be on a fat free diet for a week. She was out of the hospital after that week but three days after been sent home her right lung filled up halfway with fluid plus 1200cc of chile fluid in chest.

Another surgery, another chest tube
TPN nutrition for 8 days (that's liquid meals in a plastic bag btw)
Fat free diet for 2 weeks and she's been fine ever since.

 Taking selfies during my adjustment though.

This is a different kind of "Client of the Month" right here. Even though she is athletic and trains hard, she is September's best because she endured a dangerous and emotional process. We've all been through those tough times where we are challenged spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Sometimes we feel weak and vulnerable while going through them. The thing is, most of the time when we get through, we are smarter, harder, and stronger than ever before. 
Congratulations Olivia on earning Client of the Month. Keep keeping your game tight!

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McCohn Muscle Client of the Month- August 2014

Look at that smile!

Our August Client of the Month is a blast from the past. I first started training Lauren Dieck when she was a student at Olentangy Orange in 2011. Butt kicking training sessions twice a week, combined with workouts on her own time pushed her to a 2nd place finish in her first triathlon sprint. 

Since then she has left to study business at Miami of Ohio. She has stopped back to train with me every summer since. This summer was a little more special. We started training in the beginning of June and Lauren was not at her best. The rigors of school not only caused stress but also left her with little time to work out. Her eating habits did not help and neither did the medication she was taking which is known to cause weight gain. She'd tease herself about having three chins. Yikes!

So we went to work. Two days of training every week, plus two to three days of workouts on her own. Lauren was to also enter her food consumption on myfitnesspal.com for accountability. The results were minimal at first as we worked out all the kinks. Lauren finally hit her stride when she gained more confidence during her workouts in the gym, and started running at Hoover Dam with her mom on the other days. Myfitnesspal wasn't convenient for her, so she just kept a food journal that she'd bring to her training sessions.

In two and a half months of training, Lauren cut around 4lbs, 3% body fat, and two chins :-) The award is not because of her statistics though; it is because of her effort and commitment. She never missed a training session. She gave 110% during the sessions as she always does. She stopped taking her medication that wasn't needed anyway. She show consistency with her grocery shopping and food preparation. She did not quit. She started the program and did what she was supposed to do all the way through. In the end, many of her friends and family members saw the difference and mentioned it to her, which seemed to be the best reward of all. Great work Lauren! Have a great school year.

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Make Your Presence Felt!

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month- June 2014

Jess DelRe's journey with McCohn Muscle Training has been like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy! It has been a 16 month journey that has included persistence, dedication, loyalty, patience, education, frustration, flexibility, focus, sacrifice, and good old fashion hard work.

Now you've probably heard several people say, "forget the scale. It doesn't mean anything." This is true in certain situations, but not all of them. The scale is a tool that tells a story. It also can be used to motivate people to make better decisions in the kitchen, and work harder in the gym. When Jess first started training, the scale said that she made some poor choices with nutrition, and was not spending quality time in the gym. By her own admission she lacked upper body strength, and from assessing her she also lacked core strength and cardiovascular endurance. So we attacked her training and nutrition with vigor. Training sessions 3x/week and homework on the weekends. Food journals were front and center every week. Jess did everything that was asked of her, however the scale was saying that there was not much change. So that dedication, focus, and sacrifice turned into frustration.

Anyone that knows me as a trainer knows that I have pride in what I do. I get results! So when someone is doing their part but isn't seeing results, it's a blow to my ego. A BIG blow. For a while, Jess DelRe was like the puzzle that could not be solved. Looking back on it now, it was just an obstacle we had to get through together. It required her to be flexible, me to educate myself more, and both of us to be patient.
After five months of training Jess lowered her body fat by 6.5% and improved her 1-mile run time by 4 minutes. She had also lost 8lbs, which isn't bad but we knew that more could be done. Jess began doing things she had never done before. Running 2-miles without stopping. Deadlifting and squatting over 100lbs in the same training session. Running 3-miles without stopping. Her performance was on another level. In the meantime I increased my service by generating meal plans courtesy of Evolution Nutrition. This was a game changer for Jess. She followed the plans to a T and the excess weight began coming off. Then Jess upped the ante. She wanted to get to a certain weight by her birthday at the end of May. Two weeks prior to her birthday we were 5lbs away from the goal. So we scrapped everything that had been working well, and implemented what I call the "Deadline Diet." Wouldn't you know......WE HIT THAT GOAL! I suppose I should add that she has lost a total of 23lbs and 12% body fat. This recognition of Jess DelRe is well deserved. It's also a testament to staying the course, even when it seems that what you're doing is not working. Great job Jess! Let's find another obstacle to knock down.

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month-May 2014

Mother, Wife, Leader, Doctor, Athlete, Yogi, Runner, Bike rider, Lifter, Coach, Nature Lover, Owner, Volunteer, Partner, Friend, Helper. Overall World Class Person. 

I heard her husband refer to her one time as the All American girl!

The first time I trained Dr. Laura Skaates she was already in phenomenal shape. Her vision was to be well prepared for the 2012 Arnold Classic Pump and Run. I gave her all types of tough exercises and high intensity movements and she took it all. It was easy to tell she had a competitive side.

What I did not know is that Laura is one of the most OUTSTANDING people on the face of this Earth. She is a young mother of three. I've had the privilege of training her two oldest and like her they are awesome people in their own respect. Her husband is one of the coolest guys in the world. She leads a healthy, good looking staff at Skaates Family Chiropractic on Cooper Rd. in Westerville. If you've ever been there you know what the atmosphere is like. Besides being a great business coach and client, Laura Skaates is an exceptional leader. If you've served in the US Army you've heard the expression, "Lead From the Front." That's what she does. She leads by setting the example; by showing more than talking which is becoming more uncommon nowadays.

She also has tremendous athleticism.

Insert inversion pic

She does stuff like this. Pull ups, box jumps, kettlebells, squats, sprints, balance and ab exercises; you name it, she can do it. Earlier this month Laura participated in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Pump and Run. For those that do not know, the Pump is bench pressing a certain percentage of your body weight as many times as you can. In Laura's case, 70lbs (we were training like it would be 85lbs for some reason). She pressed out 27 reps like a Boss. Wouldn't you know that 27 reps was the highest of any participant in the Pump and Run, male or female. Then her 5K RUN time was 25:30 which was 3rd best of all the female participants. So basically, SHE ROCKED IT! Funny thing is that she was still disappointed because her goal was 30 reps on bench press and a 24min 5K.

I guess that is how one sustains success though. 97% would be satisfied with finishing as the top performer at this event. She's not one of them. She's always keeping that competitive edge. So she possesses greatness because she uses it in everything that she does. Let's offer up some congratulations to Dr. Laura Skaates for all her success. She deserves it!

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month-April 2014

These ladies would make any trainer proud. They're perfect examples of hard work, sacrifice, and persistence. Their journey has not been easy by any stretch, but they are still enduring. And they are leaders that moms everywhere can admire.

Stacie "The Photographer" Bowers and Marta "Skull and Bones" Valente started #GutCheck BootCamp together on March 10th. Over the span of that month and a few days Stacie has dropped 7lbs and 3% body fat. She has done it the healthy way too. Not by skipping meals and doing excessive cardio, but by having healthy snacks in between her three main meals and consuming a nice balance of macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat).  She has shed over an inch off her waist and an inch from her hips. Stacie is also a regular participant at Skaates Family Chiro Pure Fitness class on Saturday morning. One of the coolest things about her in my opinion is she has 5 children. Five kids!!! And she stills make the time for her fitness and is outworking so many people. Quite the inspiration. Nice work Stacie!

Marta is a soccer mom for real. Her husband and children both love the sport. When she started #GutCheck BootCamp last month she did not have any exercise experience. Did you miss that? She had NEVER been to a gym before, but she was eager to make a change. Over her last month she has shed 6.5 lbs and lost over 2% body fat. She's made it to every 6am class which speaks volumes for someone that is not a "morning person." It's not just the exercising though, Marta is eating healthier than she ever has and drinking more water than she's used to. #GutCheck has just given her an avenue to continue to make many positive changes in her life.

All the hard work is paying off for them! You can make a change too. All you need is the right mindset and some unwavering commitment.

Let's stop calling HIIT "fat burning"

It tickles me when fitness professionals refer to high-intensity exercise as "fat burning." 

High intensity exercise burns calories; the fat is burned once the workout is over and the athlete partakes in a healthy nutrition plan that is very low on sugar and involves the proper calorie intake. 

HIIT(high intensity interval training) is a wildly popular way to exercise right now, and rightfully so. It's amazing benefits include boosting metabolic rate, high caloric burn, post workout after burn, and a serious endorphin high if you do it right. However, HIIT does not use body fat for energy, it uses carbohydrates, glycogen in the muscle, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Here is a brief explanation of why HIIT should not be referred to as "fat burning."

I’m going to be quick and try to use words that are simple as this is a science and the terminology can get kind of ridiculous.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is intense, sometimes 100% given bouts of effort followed by short recovery periods. It gets the heart rate up and burns a high amount of calories in a short period of time.

Now the body has three main energy systems and manipulating these systems during sessions is a big part of my training style. They are phosphagen, glycolysis, and oxidative. At any given time all three systems are active but the contribution of each system during training depends on the intensity and duration of the activity.

The best example of the phosphagen system at work is watching a sprinter. OR during a boxing match when a boxer has his opponent on the ropes. The opponent is obviously hurt so the boxer gives everything he has in an effort to drop his opponent. There is no strategy here, just all out effort. This is how the “working” part of HIIT should be performed; with all out effort. Now you can only do this for a short period of time, and the body cannot rely on oxygen so it is therefore “anaerobic.” Now out of all the macronutrients ONLY CARBOHYDRATES can be used for energy if there is not involvement of oxygen. Your body prefers carbs as source of energy because they break down 30-40% faster than fat. Have you ever tried doing HIIT on an empty stomach? Doesn’t work out too well.

Glycolysis is the breakdown of carbs- whether it be glycogen in the muscle or sugar in the blood. For the most part this is the energy system we are using when we work out. We’re giving intense effort but it is not 100%, and most of us don’t train for hours so it’s not prolonged exercise.

Now the oxidative system is where FAT is burned (used for energy). Lower intensity exercise, steady state work for a prolonged period of time. This is when the body shifts from using carbs for energy to using fats and protein. Yes protein too, that’s why it’s not ideal for muscle building and preservation.

Dr. Len Kravitz, Ph.D. is a well respected exercise physiologist in the fitness industry. He performed a lab experiment that gave these results: 66% effort over X amount of time burned 219 calories, 35 Fat cals and 184 carb cals. 74% effort over X amount of time burned 249 calories, 30 Fat cals and 219 carb cals. 83% over X amount of time burned 275 calories, 22 Fat cals and 253 carb cals. 

So basically what I’m saying is HIIT burns a lot of calories and you will burn fat but it’s not until AFTER the actual exercising (E.P.O.C.), not during. And I’m annoyed with people calling HIIT fat burning, ESPECIALLY exercise professionals. They should know better. But we all know that all fitness pros are not created equal.

Ready. Set. HIIT it!!!

Client of the Month Oct 2013

TRENDING: Caitlin L. Bogo

Hard work. Dedication. Discipline. Motivation. Inspiration. Fitness.

This young lady has been in full attack mode since we began training. Caitlin began training with McCohn Muscle at the end of April. She was 132lbs with 25% body fat. The week of her mid-October bikini competition, she weighed 113lbs and with body fat under 18%. She did it with relentless effort during her workouts and a ridiculously disciplined diet. A typical week included over 100 minutes of cardio on the StairMaster, 210 minutes on the treadmill, 1200 squats, and four football fields of lunges. That does not include the 2-3 grueling training sessions she did with Q. McCohn, and Fit Fighters class every Thursday evening at Max Out Gym. She never missed a session, workout, or class. Caitlin also maintained extreme focus with her nutrition for 18 weeks. Her staples included foods like egg whites, quinoa, cream of rice, green vegetables, and seitan. There were no cheat days or cheat meals. Her discipline is why she placed 3rd overall out of 12 in her first bikini competition.

Nice work Caitlin. Thanks for letting McCohn Muscle Training be a part of your journey.

Who's your Trainer?

Does your trainer have your back?

 

 

Say "No" if: they are constantly late to your sessions. They have no-showed you more than once. They are paying more attention to their cell phone screen than your form. They boss you, but don't teach you. They talk more about themselves during your training session than they do about how they can and will help you. They just give you a workout and don't ever coach you on nutrition. They are always sitting down while you are working. They don't give you any homework. They don't invest in more equipment to train you. They are not engaged in what you're doing. They're in poor physical condition.

 

Those types of people are not trainers, they're posers. They don't take their craft seriously and they make themselves look bad. "The way you do one thing is the way you do everything."

 

Look for the busy trainer if you're at a corporate gym. They're usually the best one. The one that is knowledgeable, encouraging, and motivated. Look for the trainer that is inspiring. The one that eats well and works out hard. Don't you want a fitness professional that practices what they preach? Look for the trainer that looks like they are having fun when they are training. Chances are, the person they're training is enjoying that workout too.

Warning: A great trainer will keep you inspired and will challenge you in different ways. However, they will not chase you. If you are not doing your part (eating clean, showing up for training sessions, exercising on days you're not training), don't expect them to break their neck to try to get you on course. They have other clients to worry about and other matters to handle. Staying consistent is your responsibility.