In January of 2017, I had a heart attack at age 39 followed by a quintuple bypass surgery. I was slightly overweight and knew I had to make some life changes after. For the next year, I started walking daily and gradually running some. I joined a gym and would go almost daily. Eventually, I got to a point to where I was no longer seeing any results from walking on a treadmill and I was lacking motivation to push myself. Side note- I also really hated running (still do) 😀 I did feel physically better than I had in a long time when it came to walking or jogging. However, my strength was still lacking from the surgery (even a year later). Like I said above, I had reached a point where I felt like I wasn’t improving anymore. I didn’t really have any clear goals or a plan and I was lacking motivation to push myself. I knew I needed to try something different. My wife Lacey & I decided to try the Versus 6 week boot camp in 2018. The Downtown train station Bootcamp has given us something to connect with together as a couple. I’ve seen many improvements since joining Versus. I am stronger and have improved balance/strength. I could barely do one sit-up when I started and I didn’t even know what a burpee was. Now, I can handle whatever the workout brings.
My heart rate has improved, especially during high intensity sets. I’ve lost over 25lbs! I feel better and healthier than I ever have. I've lost inches in my waist and gained inches/ tone in muscles. I’m more motivated and committed than I’ve ever been.
I believe Versus has helped me create a new level of commitment and mindset. With this new shift in mindset, I believe I can push my body beyond my perceived limits.
I have more energy throughout the day even though we meet at 6:00am on Monday, Wednesday, & Friday. I have never been a “morning person” so at first it was a challenge to wake up that early. Now, it’s a habit & I look forward to it... most of the time :) My new mindset has shown up in my teaching. I pass along what I’ve learned in Bootcamp and motivate my students to stay committed to their goals. I have used some of the exercises with my own students when we are working on strength & conditioning for marching band and drum line. The first time I started doing all of the exercises with my students, they were pretty shocked that I was doing everything I was asking them to do!
Versus has been great to share with my wife. It is something we enjoy doing together and we have enjoyed learning together. She trains for triathlons, so I definitely can’t hang with her, but this is something we can enjoy doing together. Lastly, as far as workouts are concerned, I am able to do more reps and heavier weight than when I started. But I would say the biggest accomplishment would be my mindset change towards exercise. It has become something that I do every day because I enjoy it. Sign up for Bootcamp today!
