January 2020- McCohn Muscle Client of the Month

Heather’s story began back in 2013 when she started having some pretty serious health issues. After several appointments with doctors and specialists she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. UC is an autoimmune disease where the immune system basically attacks the digestive system, cause inflammation and as you can imagine, some pretty crappy symptoms (yes pun intended haha).

There is no cure for UC, but for most people the disease can be managed through medication, healthy lifestyle, and diet. However, since the disease can't be cured, it's very common to experience flare ups where symptoms become pretty bad as well as periods of remission with little to no symptoms. It was pretty devastating to learn in her mid 20's that she would have a health condition that couldn't be cured, and that it would affect every aspect of her life.

For a long time she was just getting by, but she didn't really have the motivation or energy to do much of anything. Fast forward to January 2018 when she reluctantly signed up for McCohn Muscle's 6 Week Transformation Challenge with Q. McCohn after her coworker (shout out to Astrid) convinced her and another friend to sign up.

Suad, Heather, and Astrid = Team Dynamic

She was nervous, but also excited to see if the exercise and accountability for healthy eating would help her feel better. Long story short, it did! She felt healthier in 2018 than she felt in a long time- she lost weight, gained muscle and her UC almost seemed like a bad dream.

At the time she was trying to run in several 5Ks throughout the year, and she really wanted to push herself to run a half marathon. It was something she never thought she could do, but her year of working out with Quentin gave her the confidence that she could.

More struggles came while training for her half marathon. Things started getting really stressful for her at work, and the stress from work combined with her ramped-up training schedule caused her UC symptoms to creep back in.

She was in denial since she had been feeling so good the past year. She thought that things would get better quickly, but they did not. During her half marathon she felt so sick she ended up missing her goal by almost 7 minutes. She knew it should have felt like an accomplishment that she pushed through and finished, but she wasn’t feeling the fact that she didn’t achieve something that she had trained so hard for. Then there’s that internal depression or sadness of being sick again after a year of feeling so great. On the outside she looked fit and healthy, but inside she was slowly falling apart.

Things took a turn for the worse on July 4th 2019 when she went to the ER, where she was then admitted to the hospital for 5 days. During this time she lost over 15lbs (including most the muscle she had spent the last year building), and she was told that she would have to have surgery to have her colon removed if things did not get better soon. She was put on a new treatment plan and sent home to work on getting healthy again.

Her road to recovery took a lot longer than she was anticipating. Even as her digestive issues were getting better, she started dealing with severe joint pain and swelling. The iron in her blood dropped to the point where she was close to needing a blood transfusion. Her hair started falling out, and the steroids she was taking cause her to gain 20-25lbs. It was one thing after another and she struggled mentally with getting back to the level she was in the past year.

Even though Heather endured these health challenges, she did not give up on her dream of being the healthy, fit, happy girl from 2018. She knew that if she could get her health back on track, she could have another chance to find that girl again. She could have a another chance to reach her half marathon goal. Even through all the sickness, she was determined to do all she was physically able to.

For a long time, she was only able to take short walks around the block, but her walks gradually got longer and longer until she felt confident enough to go back to the gym. It definitely wasn't easy- there were several weeks where she almost passed out during every workout. The key is: she never gave up.

At McCohn Muscle she approached every workout with intention. She never knew when her health issues would flare back up, so she pushed herself every day to do her best, and she was super motivated to come back stronger that she was before.

She saw the mental focus pay off in November when she got a new 5K personal record that was almost 2 minutes faster than her previous record, and then she beat this record by 30 seconds a week later.

Ask Heather what her journey has taught her and she will likely say that she appreciates how fortunate she is. She takes the time to count her blessings and focusing on the positive helped her get through some pretty rough times. Also realizing in a big way what a negative effect stress can have, it's easier for her to not get worked up over little things.

We have teased her about becoming a Personal Trainer because she is always encouraging others to do and be their best. While training at McCohn Muscle she was able to

1. experience the relief that she is accomplishing her goals

2. understand that living with an ailment would not stop her from reaching her goals

3. learn that illness is temporary, and good health is not something people should be willing to give up on

Now she is back to her dream of being the healthy, fit, happy girl from 2018. She is finding that healthy girl again. She has another chance to reach her half marathon goal, which she is training for now.

This is exactly why we are passionate about health and fitness. There is someone reading this that is struggling with their health just like Heather was, and perhaps you may have even given up on the idea of being that healthy, happy person you once were. Heather is proof that with an ounce of determination, you can change it all around. Let McCohn Muscle help you find the confidence you need. Hit the link below and get more information about our 42 Day Transformation Challenge.

https://www.mccohnmuscle.com/sign-up

Coach Mo- Future Fitness Superstar

Last month, June 2019, Mo hit his one year mark training at McCohn Muscle, the top training facility in Worthington, Ohio.

There had never been a trainer that lasted longer than three months with us, so naturally Mo has created more IMPACT on our fitness family than anyone else other than Q.

From his first full day as a trainer, Mo has brought a unique set of gifts to our training family. First he is sculpted better than the ancient Roman and Greek statues, and it shows his obsession of putting himself through grueling workouts and practicing disciplined nutrition. His physical appearance represents the way a trainer should look.

His workouts and training style don’t just come out of thin air either. He learned different training styles from working at a gym and observing how serious competitors and power lifters came in and maximized their training with the equipment they had available to them. Mo has a gift of creating exercises for “hard to reach muscle groups” using equipment outside what it was originally intended for.

He’s also shown different ways to use resistance bands for training. For many years, McCohn mostly used bands for basic resistance moves and stretching. After Mo started, it became a common thing to turn basic moves into exceptional ones by adding resistance bands.

Even though Mo is not loud and ra-ra, he still has lots of enthusiasm, and he loves to have fun even if he looks a little silly in the process.

It is uncommon for someone so young to be so good at training. Working at McCohn Muscle and helping the diverse group of people that train here has helped Mo develop his skills in coaching, his ability to deliver challenging workouts, and his voice in the fitness industry.

Even while training mornings and evenings at McCohn Muscle, and sprinting the home stretch of his Public Health degree at Ohio State, Mo hasn’t lost his passion for the pump. After attending the IDEA World Fitness Convention for the first time in Anaheim, CA, Mo stayed in Cali and worked out at the legendary Gold’s Gym on Venice Beach.

Q. McCohn told Mo one time that he would break down walls in the fitness industry. We’re not saying that he’s a dangerous force, but there wasn’t anything on the news about earthquakes in California this year until Mo went out there.

It’s important to know that Mo has had his challenges like the rest of us. He wasn’t born on swoll. He did not just show up with six packs abs and cuts in his legs. He was a small, skinny dude that had a hard time gaining weight. He made the decision to be disciplined with his training regimen and nutrition, and that’s why he’s on the level his is today. Just like he made the decision to take action, you can do it too.

Mo, we appreciate all the gifts and good energy you bring to McCohn Muscle, and the strides you make to for the best team of personal trainers in Columbus. Hopefully we will continue to build on this momentum for many years to come.

March 2019 Client of the Month

Our Client of the Month for March 2019 is Catrina Chanthasene.

Most people that train here have nicknames…..we call her Cat. Her husband calls her Cati. She started training at McCohn Muscle in June 2018. Her main goals were weight loss and muscle tone. She was already physically active since she had been running two miles, twice a week. She also was 10 months postpartum, and had the desire to look great and feel good about herself again.

She’s had a few medical issues she’s had to battle during her program, including migraines, joint inflammation, and swelling in her legs, ankles and feet. There was a time when Cat was training and she shared that she dealt with pain in her body (not workout related) every time she came in to train. What was amazing about it to me was that she never once showed it or complained. That’s when I knew she deserved extra energy and effort poured into her fitness and training program, because that’s what she gave, without grumbling. She fully embodied that McCohn Muscle culture of focus, dedication, and hard work. She was a perfect fit to work with a couple of the best trainers in Columbus.

Cat is FOUR MONTHS PREGNANT! McCohn Muscle has a few fitness babies around the city. The mom trains with us before she gets pregnant, continues to train while she is pregnant, then gives birth to her fitness baby. Cat is going to have the newest member of the gang in a few months. Even with her medical challenges combined with the difficulty of that first trimester, Cat stuck with it and is still in the gym pushing through every workout.

Besides being a great ambassador of McCohn Muscle and staying engulfed in our culture, Cat has gotten some great results with her training. In her annual health screening at work, she’s lost 26lbs from 2017 to 2018, 16 of those were while training here. Her body fat percentage dropped 8.8%, her BMI went from 29.5 (nearly obese) to 24.2, and her total cholesterol dropped from 184 to 156. We are proud of her success and we looking forward to more successes with her in the future. For now we’re going to focus on safely carrying this fitness baby while getting the most out of each workout.

Congratulations Cat!!!

Cat also participated in our Refer-A-Friend challenge we created at the end of 2018. She referred her husband, Pete, who is making his own run at Client of the Month

February 2019 Client of the Month

Our Client of the Month for February 2019 is Shamara Page.

Shamara started training with us at the end of June during our Fit Over 40 campaign. She had been following us on Facebook and Instagram for two years before she came in to start her training program. She was using the information she learned in our Facebook LIVE videos and posts to help improve her health. She can tell you how to find a good trainer to coach you, what vegetables will give you superpowers, and how women should train while on their periods to maximize results. You could say that Shamara was a good student/trainee before she started.

When she began in June, she had no weightlifting or training experience. This is an important part of the journey. Like many people out there, she probably had her insecurities about starting a training program. “I don’t know how to lift. I don’t know what exercises to do. I don’t know what weight I should use, or how to perform exercises correctly.” Her first success was that she started in spite of all these doubts, and her second victory was that she put in the work to learn how to squat. She learned how to deadlift and bench press with correct form. She knows how to swing a kettlebell, perform pull ups, and bicep curls, etc. She did not let her lack of knowledge stop her. She allowed herself to be coached and did what was asked.

Her started her training around 157lbs, with a desire to get to 145lbs. She’s currently at 142lbs. Her body fat percentage has dropped 7%, and she’s lost a total of 10.5 inches. In July, she did a 3-mile run in 36:25. By December we got that bad boy down to 31:35.

What’s next for Shamara? That’s a good question. We think she is a perfect candidate for the Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, or even something more intense like the Spartan Race. Either way we are going to keep pushing her to get better. If you see her out and about, hit her with a high five because she deserves it.

When you allow yourself to be coached, you can get the results you want too!

McCohn Muscle November 2018 Client of the Month

Can you believe she broke her kneecap into three pieces? OUCH! She has turned tragedy into triumph as she’s found the best training facility, and the best personal trainers in Columbus, Ohio. After two surgeries on her broken kneecap and physical therapy for 9 months, the doctor told Cindy that she “probably” would not do the activities that she used to do.

After hearing that news, she continued to walk for moderate exercise until she saw McCohn Muscle’s ads and 5-star rating on Facebook. She came to our training facility in Worthington, Ohio and sat down with Owner/Head Trainer, Quentin McCohn for an hour to set up a program that would help her get results with her limitation.

During the assessment McCohn realized that her left leg, probably because of being in a brace for months, was 2.5in smaller than her right.

Here are all the victories after training with McCohn Muscle for a short period of time: she now bikes for 10min at the end of her training sessions. She constantly climbs stairs at Hoover Dam and participates in running activities at Sharon Woods. She has lost 17lbs and 3% body fat. She also has increased her flexibility in her left leg.

Many people battle mental hurdles when it comes to exercise. They feel they are too fat, they have too much pain in certain body parts, or that exercise “just isn’t for me.” It is important to take control of your health and fitness. Do not procrastinate. Do not believe or feel that you’re not worth it. Know that it will take some hard work and sacrifice, but the payoff is so much greater.

If you have been struggling with losing weight and being consistent with an exercise program; if you are having problems fitting into your jeans, and almost come to tears when you look in the mirror; if you are afraid to be intimate with your spouse or mate because of the way you look and feel…….do not wait any longer. It’s time for you to get moving.

Text “I’m Ready” to (614) 596-7003