I see ABS!!!

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to my blog. First and foremost, I want to apologize for not posting over the last several weeks. My life has been hectic but I can proudly say that I have not missed one workout with my personal trainer, and now I'm receiving dividends beyond my wildest dreams.

When I first came to visit Boyd, I had NO idea what was possible with my body. Of course, I'd love to look like a fitness model, but after never seeing abs since I've been on this earth, I didn't think it was even remotely possible. Not looking at my calendar, I thing that I've been working with Boyd for roughly 9 or 10 weeks and there is DEFINITELY an outline of abs starting to show.

Before you freak out and think "OOOOOH, I don't want that" let me say this: it is completely feminine. I can say that without a shadow of a doubt that I am TONED, yet small. I was "soft" before. Now, I look much better than I would've ever dreamed and my personal trainer REFUSES to take credit. He is now training me and 2 of my co-workers and closest friends.

Today after our workout, he treated me to lunch. It was more of a class than a lunch, because he is making me eat about twice as much food this week to reset my metabolism. He told me that after about 8 weeks, we would do this for a week to get the "furnace burnin' A-GIN". That's going to get me in trouble but you have to hear his Tennessee TWANG to understand that. lol

He isn't let me chow down on hamburgers and mac and cheese, yet, he wants me to eat more good stuff. Most people don't get this kind of insight from a professional. He explains that most people keep reducing and reducing their caloric intake or increasing their caloric output, until their bodies STOP metabolizing anything. Few people actually make changes in their bodies after their initial 3-12 months of training. How many people do YOU know that workout, yet look the same month after month and year after year? After hearing this from Boyd, avoiding plateaus in fat loss now seem like something that is completely avoidable and I feel as if I can ONLY make progress.

Another part of the equation is that I really wanted to see if Boyd ate as much as he said he did. haha One of his clients was on the treadmill one day when I was warming up and he told me that Boyd eats roughly 7500 calories per day when he's trying to gain muscle (which Boyd explains he tries to do in the winter). I asked Boyd if that was true and he said "yeah, pretty much." Of course, he's a very big guy with lots of muscle mass and that is obviously not something that a beginner is going to start from day 1, but I couldn't even fathom how much food he'd have to consume. SO, to McAllister's Deli we went.

Boyd ordered for me and my boyfriend, and it was much the way that I have ordered for myself most of the time. And since it was post-workout and he wanted me to replenish glucose (or is it glycogen, B?), he made me eat fruit to put it back into my liver and he ordered me a HUGE baked potato. He called it a "treat" because when we're not in over-calorie mode, I had better not be eating gigantic potatoes. I also had a wrap with 4oz of roast beef. He actually ordered it that way: I had no idea they'd do it by weight, but as Boyd stated, they'll gladly do it anyway you want.

Now, to Boyd's meal... He said it was his pre-workout meal which happens to be his largest meal of the day, so I was in for a treat. He ordered two large plain potatoes and an extra large sub with 8oz of meat, lettuce and mustard. If you've read his blog, you know that he isn't obsessed with counting calories, but more about "What you eat and When you eat it". His theory (and I whole-heartedly believe it) is that you time your intake and let the amount take care of itself - you simply have to practice discipline.

I wasn't completely shocked by the amount, but the potatoes were huge. I WAS, however, SHOCKED when he said "Ok, let's run into the Smoothie's 2 store so I can get a few more calories. They knew him in the store and knew exactly what he wanted - what was described to me by the store's owner as an 1100 calorie, high carb drink. Holy CRAP!

So, now my boyfriend is interested in training with Boyd. I guess he figures that if he can eat like that, then he must know what's going on. haha Boyd did explain to him that around March he'll not be eating AS much, but since he eats so much in his gaining periods, he is able to eat more when he's losing fat (my boyfriend Chad responded exactly how I did: "What fat?")

I think the thing I'm learning as I spend more time around Boyd is that this isn't something you have to obsess over. I know of people that completely freak out over every thing, but with the way we do this is actually SO very simple once you get into the routine that it is something you can live with. It's not about deprivation, it's simply about feeding your body like it is an expensive engine, just keep giving it the good stuff when it needs it and your body will change.

I have one more day of high calorie eating, and surprisingly enough, I haven't gained 1 pound. I actually feel like my muscles are harder and I'm hungrier than ever, which is a sign that my body is "revving up the engine".

This journey is NOT ending for a LONG time. In fact, I feel as if it has just started: today on the way back to Boyd's studio, he asked me "Have you ever thought about becoming a personal trainer?" I was absolutely beyond flattered. First off, I have the utmost respect for Boyd. I don't consider him a personal trainer like you see at Gold's or Lifetime. THIS is his life, not something that he's doing in his spare time or to pass time. The guy is a computer engineer and is actually very intelligent, so he's anything but a dumb jock that counts reps. To have him ask me if I would consider doing what he does is the greatest compliment I think I've ever received. He told me that I "get it" and that I am a great example of someone who MAKES time to do what she needs to do to look her best.

I told him that I don't quite grasp everything yet, and he said something that I never thought about. He explained that becoming certified gets you on the path to learn. You don't become a master and THEN get certified, just as if you're not a world class surgeon the day you graduate medical school.

So, I'm going to do it! I have so much going on right now, but like anything, I know that I will be rewarded ten-fold if I put forth the effort and make the time to do it.

If you haven't done it yet, go check out Boyd's websites and blog:
San Antonio Personal Trainer Blog
San Antonio's Top Personal Trainer
San Antonio's Best Personal Training Studio - Personal Fitness Revolution

See you guys again soon!!!
Jen

Starting a NEW Week!

Hey guys and gals of San Antonio,

I'm back for another week of action! Friday I was feeling really tired with allergies (and the weather change). That was until I was at LaCantera on Friday afternoon. I was wearing a tank top (it was RIGHT after I worked out) and a random lady in a store said "I'd kill to look like you - I could never be that way..." Funny thing to me? She was in BETTER shape than I was just 6 weeks ago. Talk about motivating? Just 6 weeks ago, I would've killed to look like her and here she was complimenting me.

I'm noticing separation in muscles as well. I see muscles in my arms, legs, chest, shoulders and back that had previously been covered by fat. No, I'm not a hulking she-woman, but it is really nice to see what is referred to as "TONE".

Boyd wrote me a sprint workout for the weekend, and I did it yesterday and all I can say is, well, WOW. After 5 minutes, I thought "He has gone out of his mind and there's no way I'm going to be able to finish this" but I kept pushing, until I realized that "I'm almost done..." It was incredible! I was winded, I was sweating, and my legs felt like Jello, but it was incredibly empowering.

Today's workout was a mixture of speed, explosion, kettlebell, and strength training. Boyd has me doing things that I swear, I had NO idea I could do. One legged squats (with one leg IN FRONT OF ME)? Plyometric jumps onto a box that is almost up to my waist? Popping that kettlebell up non-stop for a minute (damn the one I was using was HEAVY)? Leg pressing my bodyweight 100 times?

Ladies and gentlemen, if you've never done it, it's hard to explain it. It's hard to explain what it's like as you go through a daunting workout and you really wonder if you can do it. It's hard to say the emotions that you are going through when you're only 1/4 of a way through a set and the muscles are already burning, yet, you push down and keep going until you hit the target numbers.

I will say that I KNOW Boyd believes in me more than I do at times. lol So far, I've doubted myself a handful of times and he's always told me "Don't worry, you can do it." At first, I thought that was just persoal trainer talk. But now I realize that he's an expert at deciding just how far I can push it and he's not going to have me do something that I'm going to crash and burn at. I'm INCREDIBLY competitive and will give my all to hit my target.

Guys and girls, if you're waiting to start your workout after the New Year, don't wait. I have no problem giving Boyd a plug here because I totally believe in what he is doing for me and I love working out at his personal training studio in complete privacy. I don't think I'll ever go back to working out at Lifetime or Gold's - the crowds and the fashion show just aren't for me.

I also want to take a second to say "CONGRATULATIONS" to Catalina. Catalina is a lady that works at my firm and has decided to visit with Boyd and let him get her up and running on a workout regimen. I'm so confident that she'll love it that I've told her that if she is at all disappointed, I'll pay for half of it. She's already excited and she said exactly what I thought when she met Boyd "Wow, he goes full speed all the time, doesn't he?" Yes, he does!

I'm hoping I can get her to start a blog like this one. If nothing else, it might inspire ONE person to take the steps to change their life. Remember, the first one is the hardest one to take!!!

Check out Boyd's website here: San Antonio Personal Trainer Boyd Myers

Boyd's Studio: Personal Trainers in San Antonio - Personal Fitness Revolution

Make your week perfect!

Jen

How time is flying!

Hi everyone,

First, I want to thank EVERYONE who has sent me kind and encouraging words. They mean the world to me!!!

I've been having heck with my computers the last week plus. First off, my personal trainer's computer crashed, so I let him borrow my copy of Windows. The day after I gave him the disk, both of my home computers crashed!

So now that I'm up and running again, I want to update everyone on my progress:
-In 2 days, I will have completed 5 weeks of training with Boyd Myers
-As of today, my abdominal circumference is down 5 inches (and I think it would be more, but I am a little bloated)
-When I began, I had a little fat on the back of my arms. It is all but gone.
-I treated myself this weekend: I bought a LOT of new clothes! Boyd warned me not to buy too much, because we still have work to do, but I am fitting into sizes that I haven't worn since HIGH SCHOOL!
-I am looking DAMN SEXY!!!

Not a day goes by when someone doesn't ask me what supplements I'm on or what diet I'm doing. It doesn't even feel like a diet. I've simply made better food choices and am eating the right things at the right times. Once a week I'm allowed to eat everything I want, and the funny thing is that I feel so bad (physically and guilty) that I don't even crave the foods I did at first. I MIGHT have a small cookie or a bite of pie, but that's all I want.

My energy levels are through the roof. Ladies, weightlifting is EMPOWERING. Not only can I see the fat melting off, I feel stronger and more confident. I can't help but look at new muscles in the mirror. No, they aren't bulging - they're just there and they are defined.

Boyd does an excellent job of mixing things up. Some days we train for strength and we lift what I think is heavy. It's funny because he shows me how to do something and he's holding the weight in a finger and then he hands it to me and it feels like a ton! But I love those days, and I get pumped up when he tells me "next workout is a strength day". We also mix circuit training, sprinting, calisthenics, yoga, pilates, and other movements that I am not sure if they have names. Put it all together and the little pieces make fitness fun, enjoyable and challenging.

The greatest part of this entire journey so far is that people are actually asking me for advice. Yes, ME. It's really weird: Boyd told me people would start looking up to me and would use me as motivation, and I thought that was silly. I mean, I was worried about getting this done for me, and the last thing I thought would be possible is that I'd become motivation. But it happened. A very close friend of mine invited me for drinks on Friday, and I told her I'd visit with her, but I was planning on mountain biking in the morning, so I was going to stick with water. When she saw me, she was absolutely baffled. She could not believe how much I had changed in the 6 weeks since she had seen me last. I didn't drink ANY alcohol (I promise, Boyd), but better yet, SHE didn't either. She grabbed my hand and told me that I HAD to tell her what I was doing. I told her, and then she started telling me how she wants to change like me and she actually started crying. Of course, I started crying as well. Partly because I had a friend that was weeping beside of me, but partly because I now realize that I'm doing this for other people as well. They WANT me to succeed and they WANT to experience the success I am feeling.

I told Boyd this story and his response was COMPLETELY unexpected. He completely deferred all credit to ME. He told me that I was the one doing the work and I was the one putting the effort forth, and that he is lucky to have a client that is so motivated. I wanted him to know that he had forever changed my life in just over a month, and he refused to take credit. SO, Big Guy, I want you to know that your response to me was extremely touching and I'm certain you're the best personal trainer on earth!!! :D

So the holidays are coming up and I'm extremely excited because I'm going to be seeing family members that I haven't seen in months. My goal is to lose just 1 more inch between now and Thanksgiving, but Boyd is confident I can lose TWO. I have NO reason not to believe him.

If you're procrastinating fitness until January, DON'T. You can be so far ahead of where you are now if you just GET STARTED. We are more than 6 weeks away from 2009. Why not go into 2009 with a waist that is 5-7 inches smaller than it is today? Trust me, IT CAN BE DONE.

If you want to know more about my personal trainer, check out: San Antonio Personal Trainer Boyd Myers or his studio's website: Personal Fitness Revolution: Personal Training Studio, Huebner Road, San Antonio.

Boyd told me to rest tomorrow, but now, I have so much energy that I don't know if I can. He told me I'd need it because we were going to do something new. Weeks 1 and 2? I would've been terrified and had my doubts. Today? I am excited because I KNOW I CAN DO ANYTHING I SET MY MIND TO!

Time to eat my chicken, pasta and veggies!

Thanks everyone,

Jenny A

Another Week Down!

Hey everyone,

Thank you for the kind emails. Boyd said that he didn't mind what I posted about the workouts and the nutrition because it was custom made for me and he believes (as do I) that it is what will work best for me.

Today, we focused on strength. Every workout is different, and sometimes we focus on muscular endurance, sometimes we focus on strength, sometimes we focus on cardio, and sometimes he just kicks my ass all over his studio. Today, was a strength day.

Strength days are a bit different than many of the high intensity, high volume days we have done. On these days, we're working with heavy weights (relatively speaking) and we make sure that I am recovered completely between sets. These are the days to get stronger, and to be perfectly honest, I found today quite empowering!!! I love the high volume circuit days that we do, but this was a very nice and welcomed change of pace.

I'm already amazed - 3 weeks ago I seriously struggled with doing 20 body weight squats. Now, when Boyd Myers has you do a bodyweight squat, it isn't those sissy knee bends. It's slow downward, ass to the grass and back up. Doesn't sound like a big deal but if you have never gone down that far, you'll soon find out that it isn't to be taken lightly.

Today, I was squatting with weight. Same premise: slow down, ass to the grass and explode up. Considering it was the first time I've ever done free weight "ATG" squats, I was satisfied that I was able to do 75lbs for 8 reps. Boyd noticed a few issues with existing weaknesses (my hips, glutes, hams, lower back) and we will be spending a lot of time in the next few weeks making these weaknesses strengths.

Today was also a first for real barbell bench pressing. I'm 100% chick - I've always been the type to go into the gym and head straight for the machines. Boyd explained that unfortunately, most machines remove the weakest link from the equation, so our strengths become stronger and our weaknesses become weaker, causing more imbalance. Sure, they "feel" good, but they aren't helping. My upper body, like most females, is my biggest weakness, but I was able to bench press 55lbs and was pleased.

We finished off with dead lifts. Funny thing is that this may be the most basic of moves, as you are only lifting a weight off the ground. What can be more basic? Well, there are a LOT of things to remember (so let me see how well I learned my lesson, as Boyd repeated the directions over and over):
-butt down
-head up
-back straight
-weight close to me as possible
-PULL!

Boyd estimates that this exercise, while basic, requires up to 70-75% of the muscles in the body to activate. Compare that to 3% for a bicep curl, and you can see why these things are AMAZING!

We finished the workout off in the parking lot with some sprints. OMG! I haven't ran at full speed since I was a kid, and I had my doubts that I'd be able to do it. Of course, my legs were tired, but once Boyd told me the time to beat, there was no way I was going to fail. If you haven't sprinted in a while, I highly recommend it. On this day, I did 8 50 yard sprints and my legs DEFINITELY will be feeling it tomorrow!

Had someone told me that I'd be lifting weights like this I would've definitely argued with them and told them that "It wasn't what I wanted" but now I understand that there is a place for every type of training. While it isn't the way we train everyday, I know that I will be looking forward to the next strength day we have.

My nutrition is going extremely well. Of course, Boyd breaks out his red pen and while I want to stab him in the eye with it ;) (it isn't that bad, I promise), the nutrition isn't hard to follow, as long as you eat WHAT you are supposed to WHEN you are supposed to. The HOW MUCH just seems to fall into place.

The MEASUREMENTS... Well, I'm waiting for Boyd to email them to me, but:

I've ALREADY lost 3 1/4 inches on my abdominal circumference! I measured myself last night (before he did today) and was absolutely SHOCKED! To hear him confirm it was almost surreal.

I am more motivated right now that I have ever been. I am sleeping like a baby, and while I am still sore after most workouts, it is definitely tolerable.

On a side note, Boyd recommended a post-workout protein to me called "Nectar" and I have to be honest... I'm afraid I'm going to drink the whole jug this weekend! Talk about GREAT TASTE!

If you haven't checked out Boyd's blog at http://the-personal-trainer.com/blog I highly recommend you do so.

I am going mountain biking tomorrow for the first time ever, so wish me luck!!!!!!!!!

Jenny

Let the fitness journey begin!

Hi San Antonio and beyond!!!

I finally did it. I have decided to change my entire life one day at a time. My story is simple. I'm an average girl. I'm not what most people would consider fat, but as I began to reach my early 30s, I could definitely tell that foods that I used to be able to enjoy weren't reacting with my body quite the way I wanted them to. Exercising had become increasingly more difficult and I found myself more overwhelmed each and every time I took myself into the gym.

Let me go a little deeper. I'm a 33 year old, single mother of a wonderful little boy. My job, while rewarding, is very time and effort demanding. Like many of you, I've spent the last several years making excuses for not exercising instead of making time TO work out.

Earlier this year, I started running and was able to lose 25 pounds in the first 5 weeks! While I now realize that I wasn't making the best nutritional choices, I was making better choices than I had previously and the weight was rapidly falling off. I did hit a plateau, but didn't let it discourage me because I was so satisfied with the "immediate" results I had obtained.

After approximately 12 weeks, something else had begun to happen. I was running more and still not losing weight. Actually, I was GAINING weight. Want to talk about disturbing? I was working harder on my running than I had EVER worked and was eating LESS than I had ever eaten!!! I was under the impression that as long as calories out was less than calories in, I would continue to lose weight, but that simply was NOT the case. I found myself running an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening and simply put, nothing was getting the weight off.

I told my doctor of my situation, and she ran a few blood tests. Luckily, everything came back perfectly fine. She then recommended her personal trainer to me by name and told me that I should contact him.

One would have to understand that I'm a very self-motivated and self-sufficient person. ASKING for fitness help? Are you kidding? There's a wealth of knowledge in magazines and on the internet. Also, I ran cross country in high school and 2 years in college, so I KNOW what has to be done. Nonetheless, what I KNEW had seemingly stopped working.

I decided to google the personal trainer's name that my doctor had recommended me, and did a search for "Boyd Myers", and discovered his website, http://the-personal-trainer.com/. His training studio was less than 4 miles to my house, but I still wasn't ready to throw in the towel. His website was full of information (including his "San Antonio Personal Trainer Blog"), so I began to read his website a little bit everyday and regularly following his blog.

I found a lot of the things he posted to be simple in concept, yet, they seemed strange because in my opinion, they were going against what I had always considered "conventional". He seemed to focus on food selection and timing of meals over amounts consumed and was quite adamant that resistance training is "infinitely superior" (Boyd's term) to cardio for fat loss. To beat it all, he actually said that shorter, intense cardio sessions would yield better benefit for "body recomposition" (his term for physique transformation).

At first, I was a bit frustrated that I had worked SO hard for the previous 3+ months, but decided to put a few of his principles into practice. Several months ago, he posted a nutritional guidelines article, so I took these simple guidelines and put them into practice. In the first 2 weeks of changing my diet to follow his recommendations, I started feeling more energetic (and definitely NOT starving). Several of the ladies that work at my office use personal trainers and they always comment about how they aren't allowed to eat anything and are always hungry, yet Boyd's recommenations had me eating as often as every 2 hours (he recommends 3, but smaller amounts can be taken in more often). Smaller meals/higher frequency isn't new, but I had never heard about combining different nutrients at different times the way he recommends.

I didn't adjust my runs, but focused on one run per day as opposed to two. Within days, I had dropped 2 pounds. Not a HUGE deal for most, but I hadn't lost a pound in over a month and was nearly starving myself. In 2 weeks? Down 4 pounds. Hmmmmmm, maybe this guy wasn't crazy. I emailed him to set up a conversation.

(Ok Boyd, I know you're going to read this, so laugh with me, please!)

Boyd called me probably within 2 minutes of sending his email. My first impression was either he is lonely or he really focuses on his email. ;) I NOW know it was definitely the latter. From the second he called, I could definitely tell that he was "high energy". If you've met Boyd, you know what I mean. He's from the hills of Tennessee, so he defintely still has a cute "twang", and it reminded me of hearing Kenny Chesney talk. (Boyd, I know you say you have a twang and KC has a "draw", but I think it's the same thing :D). In our first conversation, Boyd was extremely polite and funny, and even said "Yes Maaaa'm." LOL We set up my initial consultation the next day.

I met with Boyd the next day at his personal training studio "Personal Fitness Revolution" at the corner of Huebner Road and Bitters Road (16630 Huebner Road). My first impressions of Boyd? Well, he's always smiling and laughing, and that's a plus. He's about 6' tall and kind of imposing! At least he's in a good mood, because if he wasn't I'd be afraid he'd crush me. (Really, he's a VERY nice guy!) I may be exaggerating it a little but I'm sure he gets mistaken for either a linebacker or professional wrestler. I will definitely say that he absolutely looks the part of a fitness trainer with muscles on top of muscles.

Later that day I told a co-worker that when I walk into a Gold's Gym and see the kids that are training there, I'd never see them on the street and think "He must workout". There is NO DOUBT that Boyd works out and his arms are bigger than most people's legs! (Do I get a discount for the ego fluffing, B?)

I chatted with Boyd for almost an hour, but it went by really fast. I explained my past, my obstacles, and let him know that I'm a VERY strong willed person and that I'm going to be his toughest project ever. He smiled as if he had heard that a million times and assured me he was looking forward to the challenge. We then set up our initial workout.

During the initial workout, Boyd took several circumference measurements and body fat via skinfold measurements. Blah, the absolute worst. He also told me to have someone take pictures of me when I get home, so I can look back in a few weeks and really see the progress. I warmed up and then we went through the first workout. I'll spare the details (until I make sure it's ok with Boyd that I discuss our workouts on this blog!).

I'm not going to candy coat it - he kicked my ass. Not in a "I'm going to show you" way. He told me what we were doing it and why we were doing it. The movements SEEMED simple and actually started out that way, but became more increasingly difficult. I knew I was going to be in pain the next day!

I woke up the next day and while I was sore, it was a "good" sore and I was then hooked. Boyd even called me to check on me and told me what I was feeling was normal and told me how to reduce the soreness. Of course, he told me to stay on top of my food journal and don't forget to update it regularly!

Fast forward two weeks (to today). I'm in the middle of week 3 with Boyd and we're measuring again on Friday. The workouts have become increasingly more challenging, but my strength is skyrocketing. The simple things that I struggled with on the first day are now, well, simple to me and he has me doing more advanced moves. He told me to stay off the scale, but I did cheat on that (sorry Boyd). I've lost 4 MORE pounds, but the difference is in the way my clothes fit and the way I think I'm starting to change physically. I feel firm and toned (and it has only been 8 workouts as of today). I feel more confident. I'm sleeping like a baby and have more energy. More importantly, my mood is AMAZING! The way that people are commenting on me makes me think that I must've really been a bitch before!!!

Boyd told me to tell as many people as I can about what I'm doing because when people start looking at the changes I'm making, they'll be motivated and it will put me in a position to want to be a positive role model for them.

I'm going to do everything I can to update this blog every day or at least 4 to 5 times per week. I'll discuss my struggles, my victories, my setbacks and most importantly, my progress.

To Boyd: you have inspired me and have hooked me on the "fitness" lifestyle. I'm a devoted follower and can't wait to see where we take this!

To anyone that may read this: if you're thinking about getting started, visit http://the-personal-trainer.com or call Boyd at 210-391-1454 for a consultation.

Until tomorrow,
Jenny