Determined to Deadlift 200 lbs

One day Sarah Moshurchak arrived early for her personal training session and saw her trainer, Pepe Picco, doing a deadlift. The first thought that popped into her head? “I want to learn how to do that!” And in that moment, she had set her sights on her 2011 fitness goal: To be able to do a 200 lb deadlift.

[For those of us not familiar with weightlifting, the deadlift is a powerlifting exercise where a loaded barbell is lifted off the ground from a bent over position. It’s a movement that works a variety of muscle groups and activates all sorts of muscles in the torso, legs, hips and forearms.]

Sarah M in perfect deadlift form.

The deadlift wasn’t going to be a huge stretch for Sarah—she already had been training with Pepe for three years, starting out as a “New Year’s resolutioner” with back problems. “I felt lazy and wanted to get in shape, so I decided I wanted to train for a marathon”. She soon discovered that her body was not meant for endurance, and Pepe suggested that she work on explosive power instead.

They started training for the powerlifting movements (squat, bench press and deadlift), first with a wood pole so that Sarah fully understood the movement, and then slowly adding weights. “Initially it was a bit of a joke…it was intimidating. It’s normally a guy thing, so I’d thought I’d look funny.”

But Sarah ended up enjoying everything about powerlifting: “I like the mental challenge, half of it is in your head, being able to psych yourself up to do it…I enjoy getting strong, it’s helped with my core strength and back problems. It’s all about technique.” It has also motivated her to change her eating habits in order to provide the right energy for stronger muscles. Adds Pepe, “Sara has been successful because she has been committed to her health…she makes fitness a priority, she thinks ahead to what she’ll be eating each day and she sets an alarm to remind her to get that elusive afternoon snack.”

Before 2011 ended, Sarah surpassed her goal with a 210 lb deadlift. Pretty amazing, considering how small she is physically—5’3” in height and 130 lb of “sheer muscle”. This year Sarah is looking forward to “beating all the boys”. Guys, take that as a challenge.

Four questions for Sarah:
What motivates you? “I like winning. I hate doing things I’m not good at….and it’s rewarding to see Pepe write my name up on the board. It provides bragging rights!”

What do you like about personal training? “There’s no excuse not to go, I value his time and I know he pushes me harder.” “Pepe is very positive and encouraging. He sets me up to win, which boosts my confidence.”

What’s your next fitness goal: 225 lb deadlift

Your advice? On weightlifting: “Just try it…you absolutely need to be positive, have the right mindset. You also need someone there to support and encourage you.”

Dedicated Bootcamp Participant Takes the Challenge

The 21-Day Challenge is over and while we haven’t tallied up the official results, one of the first clients to complete it successfully was Anicka Quin.

Anicka regularly attends morning Bootcamp classes three times per week and goes

21-Day Challenge Survivor Anicka Quin

out for a run twice per week. Upon hearing about the 21-Day Challenge, she was drawn to the nutrition component: “I had been thinking about the effects of wheat in my diet.” And she knew the act of filling out a daily food diary and reporting in with it would keep her motivated.

Anicka upped her workout schedule to four Bootcamp classes per week and diligently followed the extracurricular fitness program, but the biggest challenge proved to be the eating plan: “It was really tough at times. The first 3-4 days were the hardest, trying to remember what I could eat and what I couldn’t…and dealing with cravings.” She also notes, “You have to be organized with your groceries…I was so used to grabbing crackers when I was hungry.”

She was put to the test in her workplace. Working in the media – particularly during the holidays – meant her office was filled with enticing treats like chocolate, food baskets and bottles of wine. In addition there were numerous events involving canapés and constant drink offers. Anicka made it through unscathed: “By the end of week two, the temptation passed and I didn’t want it.”

Her adherence to the 21-Day Challenge plan paid off. Anicka believes that adding the one extra Bootcamp class combined with the nutritional plan really made the difference: “I was building muscle and burning fat which helped the transition.” She is excited to have broken through her plateau, seeing a big improvement in her strength with pull-ups, weight carry and now being able to do ten toe push-ups.

Craig, one of Anicka’s Bootcamp trainers reports, “Anicka improved her 12-minute run from 1.47 miles to 1.57. She lost 4 lbs and 6.5 cm – an 8% decrease in mm of fat with the calipers and a 10% reduction in total fat weight. Amazing results in only 21 days.”

More importantly, she is dedicated to continuing with the eating plan during the week and taking a break on the weekends. “I celebrated with a burger, but I’m mostly eating vegetarian with some free-range chicken.” She doesn’t drink at work events during the week anymore and finds that being off wheat has “made a big difference” to her digestive system.

Way to go, Anicka! Four questions for you:

What motivates you? “I enjoy Bootcamp. I tell myself: I’m paying for it, I’m opting to do it, so I should go. And once I’m there I really like it.”

What do you like about Bootcamp classes? “I love the instructors, they’re very positive and all offer different types of classes…(I like that) I’m competing against myself. It forces me in a fun way to stay in shape.”

What’s your next fitness goal: “To do a pull-up on my own….I’m getting there!”

Your advice? If you’re looking to make drastic changes in your diet (like the 21-Day Challenge participants did), Anicka notes, “The hardest part is the first few days – the withdrawal. But it will help you re-engage with your diet…and think about ‘clean eating’. It’ll help reset what is normal eating, and help (you) explore new foods.”

Challenged to Pass the POPAT

With her regular workouts and active participation on a hockey team, Danna considered herself to be in pretty good shape. She enjoyed Crosstraining & Fitness classes, as well as personal training sessions over the past four years.

A really fit Danna with Pepe.

One of her first fitness goals was to lose weight (she lost 15 lbs) and to improve her overall level of fitness. Then she decided she wanted to pursue a career in the Vancouver Police Department—and part of the applicant screening process for admission involves a physical abilities test called the POPAT (Police Officer Physical Abilities Test).

Danna gave herself a year to prep for the test, which includes:

• 1.5 mile mobility and agility circuit run
• controlling 80 lbs of resistance
• doing a squat-thrust-and-stand with a three-foot vault rail
• carrying a torso bag over 25 feet

In order to pass, participants had to perform all activities as per protocol and complete the timed portion in 4:15.  Two months before her test, Danna felt confident enough to run through the practise POPAT at a facility. She was shocked with the results: “I could barely breathe and was just scraping by!” She turned to Pepe, her personal trainer, to significantly change her training program. And, more importantly, to push her to succeed: “I thought I could achieve it on my own, but I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough.”

They worked on specific techniques such as pushing pulling, vaulting and stairs, as well as metabolic conditioning and interval running. In August, Danna passed the POPAT and was really happy with her results. With that hurdle out of the way, she is now going through the other steps required to gain admittance to the training program. Pepe notes, “Danna was very motivated…with each goal attained, her confidence in her abilities grew. We’re at the point now that there’s no question whether she can repeat her performance – but by how much would she beat her personal bests.”

No matter what law enforcement training program you are after, each one has a physical abilities test: municipal police have POPAT, RCMP have PARE (Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation) and sheriffs have SOPAT (Sheriff’s Officer Physical Abilities Test). Firefighters have CPAT (Candidate Physical Ability Test). Most of the tests appear to be easy…but don’t be fooled. Give yourself time to prepare—on your own, with a personal trainer or through a specific program. Then practise the test, as many times as you need to, through an organization such as LEPAT who has all the testing equipment and certified assessors.

Three questions for Danna:

What motivates you? “Once I saw the results, I wanted to work harder…And now I really want to keep this level (of fitness) that I worked so hard to get. If I miss my workout, it doesn’t feel right.”

What do you like about working out with a trainer? “A trainer pushes me way harder than I’d push myself…he gets me to do things I wouldn’t do on my own.”

Your advice? “Accept help (to achieve your goal)—even if you don’t think you need it. Sometimes another person can inspire you to go farther than you ever imagined you could go.”

Canucks Playoffs Aftermath Inspires Corporate Fitness Challenge

The three months of hockey playoffs this year were a blast, but they also put the kibosh on the exercise efforts and diets of many Vancouverites. Rowan Smith, a group fitness and personal training client since 2007 noted, “I gained 10 pounds over the playoffs. It was back-to-back days of beer and chicken wings.” And no exercise.

With summer around the corner, Rowan didn’t want all those chicken wings to affect how he felt with his shirt off at the beach, so he created a Corporate Fitness Challenge at his office. His challenge to his coworkers: “$500 says I’ll lose more body fat than anyone else in 60 days.”

There were nine takers. Before starting, each contender had a body fat analysis completed by Precision to set the

Precision Athletics Vancouver Client of the Month- Rowan Smith

baseline (which Rowan funded), and then on June 23rd the challenge was in full swing. Some people partook in the group fitness classes, while others hooked up with a personal trainer for additional motivation and support, “Everyone was impressed by the team of trainers…they were caring and very knowledgeable.” Others, like Rowan, altered their diets with some coaching.

August 23rd was the weigh-in. Rowan found that he had lost 20% of his available body fat. However, the challenge winner ended up losing 33% of his available body fat. The third place finisher lost 18%. All impressive results for 60 days of hard work!

In the end, Rowan didn’t really lose his $500 because the winner insisted on putting the money towards a guy’s trip to San Francisco. So a happy ending for all.

What’s the next fitness goal for Rowan? “I’m going to lose 10 pounds by December 1^st” through another corporate challenge, this time funded by the owner of Rowan’s company.

Three questions for Rowan:

What motivates you? “With my lifestyle and career, I started working out to avoid being morbidly obese by age 30. Part of my family tends to be on the heavy side…and my bad diet habits don’t help. Exercising helps me maintain (a good shape).”

What do you like about working out with a trainer? “I found I preferred working out with a trainer than going a 6am Bootcamp workout in cold weather. I like that it can fit into a crazy schedule like mine.”

Your advice? “Set a regular time, stick with it and make it a priority—put it in your schedule. Also, the diet component is really big, at least 75% of the issue. Working out is great, but nothing beats the right diet.”

If you are interested in organizing a corporate challenge for your office or organization, contact Craig@precisionathletics.ca for more details.

Already Extremely Fit, But in Search of a Flatter Stomach

Wayne runs 6 days per week, covering off 85-105 kilometers. He also has been working with personal trainer Craig Boyd twice per week since 2004. A former elite cyclist and marathon runner, Wayne is in great shape.

Except, like many of us, he has a weakness for sweet stuff: “Chocolate. And not the good stuff…I’m talking about M&Ms.” His treat of choice is chocolate candy, and quite a bit of it.

Despite the running regime, Wayne still wasn’t happy with his midsection and wanted to get rid of the extra fat around his waist. So he set a new goal to get rid of the fat: “I felt uncomfortable with my stomach…and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. To have all this chocolate around me and not touch it.”

The new Wayne has limited his love affair with chocolate.

He started by reading The Lean Belly Prescription by Travis Stork, MD; and then discussing with Craig how to change his diet, which needed an overhaul: “I don’t like healthy foods.” Two of the key changes were to incorporate a protein at every meal and to choose more healthy food options. Breakfast is now a smoothie and snacks include yogurt or nuts. He still allows himself a little chocolate at dinner, but no longer eats it throughout the day—if he feels like it, he just reminds himself he gets to eat it after dinner.

He also has a ‘cheat day’ when he can eat whatever he wants: “My go wild day…pizza, chips, chocolate…” This helps him get through the week of healthier eating. He also gives himself a break when he travels, but is definitely more conscious of what he eats while away.

The results? At the start of this change (the end of July), he weighed 156 lb with 13.9% body fat. At the end of August, he weighed in at 148 lb and 8.7% body fat. All of his measurements with the calipers had been cut in half. Very close to reaching his weight-loss limit, his new challenge will be eating healthfully while keeping his weight up.

Besides achieving a flatter stomach, Wayne says he feels better in general, “I feel like I have more energy, both while running and doing exercises like pull-ups.”

Three questions for Wayne:

What motivates you? Working out in general: “Having a personal trainer. Sometimes you don’t feel like working out, but he’s waiting for me and I’ve paid for the session…it helps to have someone push you to improve, otherwise you don’t push yourself hard enough.”

Motivation for the fat-loss goal: “Seeing the measurement results. Once it started dropping off, I was motivated even more.”

What do you like about working out with Craig? “Craig is a fantastic trainer—he’s hard, makes you work…always pushes you to your limit and there’s no getting out of it.”

Your advice? “Have a good reason for achieving your goal…whatever is really going to motivate you. You have to set measurable short term and long term goals, that are achievable yet challenging.”

Going Beyond ‘Just Going to the Gym’

When he started training with Jade McClure four years ago, Frank Uy had no idea what a drastic change it would make to his lifestyle.

Like many of us, his initial goal was to shape up and lose weight. So he began a three-times per

Frank working on his 30-minute running times.

week partner training program that allowed him to shed 23 lbs. Frank was pleased, but Jade continued to push him to progress, “Jade would keep nagging me to make changes in my life.”

Frank ignored him, until “things got stale” and his body stopped changing. At that point Frank worked with Jade to create new fitness goals around running.

Frank now runs at least 20 minutes every day before his workouts with Jade, and for 30-45 minutes on the weekends. This diligence over the past six months has paid off by an improvement in his running time from 1.5 miles to 2.2 miles in 20 minutes. He also met his goal to complete the Sun Run this year—and was even happy with his time, “I was quite shocked!”

The second big jump-start was diet. Frank and his partner now eat everything organic and focus on fresh foods, “This has made a big change in how we live and feel.” He also finally caved to Jade’s advice to not skip breakfast, “I never used to do this, but it makes a huge difference.”

The proof of commitment to this new lifestyle? “I invested in Spud [fresh grocery delivery service] and now I’m CFO.” In addition, Frank now goes to bed early – not only to get more sleep, but also to make sure he gets to the gym in the morning.

Three questions for Frank:

What motivates you? “My health. I’m doing this for my health, not looks….I’m in my fifties, I have to take care of myself.”

What do you like about working out with Jade? “We get straight to work. We’re not there to socialize, and he pushes you for a good workout.”

Your number one piece of advice? “It’s important to love yourself, take care of yourself. I see my friends getting sick from stress, long work hours and what they eat…just do it, even for one hour per day.”

Beach Vacation Provided Motivation, But Now She’s Hooked on Group Fitness

In March Ais knew she had her work cut out for her. She and her boyfriend had just booked a May beach vacation in Mexico. But it wasn’t only the thought of wearing a bikini that brought her to the gym – there were health issues that were bothering such as a shortness of breath and problems with her knees.

Ais signed up for three group fitness classes per week (Crosstraining & Fitness with David Sims and Boot Camp with Craig Boyd) and two months later, she had lost 15 pounds!

Now three months later, her health issues have disappeared and “I can keep up with everybody in class!”.

Ais Sheridan mid-set of 100 push ups - always smiling!

How did she do it? “By mixing up the classes, challenging myself and keeping busy. At home, I’d just watch TV. It’s good to have a set schedule and the commitment of group classes. Otherwise, I wouldn’t get to the gym and would end up beating myself up over it.”

Her next hurdle is to get over the weight-loss plateau by committing to four classes per week and teaching herself healthy eating: “I used to buy lunch, but now I pack my own breakfast and lunch – and make sure to bring lots of fruit and veggies.” Above all, Ais says she wants to learn to feel comfortable in her own skin.

Ais notes that the group fitness class feels like a personal training session because of the small class size and the one-on-one attention. There’s certainly no hiding in the back row from the instructor: “I can’t cheat. Dave and Craig don’t let me get away with anything!”. She finds the camaraderie and motivation of being with a group very inspiring. Ais says, “I learn from the others in class and we push one another.”

Her number one piece of advice? “Get there. Just show up and try it, that’s the hardest part. And afterwards you feel like you’ve accomplished something.”

Craig Boyd had been a trainer for years when he cofounded Precision in 2001 with Pepe Picco. They had a vision that included trainers with greater expertise and a focus on the other 23 hours. He plays competitive soccer, enjoys Olympic lifting and wants to train for another ironman. Learn more about Craig here.

Beach Wedding Provides Concrete Goal, But Not The Main Reason For Training.

Sisters in training: Simone Villagran (left) and Nicole Cleve are down to the last two weeks of training in preparation for Nicole’s beach wedding to Simone’s brother Fernando

It took a while to get their schedules synched up but Nicole and her future sister in law started training together (they were later joined by Kim, another member of the wedding party, and Fernando did the bootcamp).  “Not only is it more fun to train with somebody else, but it makes it easier” says Nicole. “They hold you accountable”.

“I was a bit self conscious at first that I couldn’t do things I used to be able to do”, she says. “But once I started to see myself getting back to my old self I just couldn’t stop. It’s hard to underestimate the impact not being fit has on your life until you climb out of that rut: but now I’m stronger, I’m sleeping better, I feel emotionally stronger”.

For Simone training was similarly transformational: “I don’t think Craig realizes how much he’s changed my life,” she says. “At first I was scared, I was being asked to do things I didn’t think I could do. Now I can’t believe how strong I’ve become.” Simone also did the 21 Day Challenge in April. She lost about 8 lbs of fat, but more significantly she changed her eating habits for good.

For both Simone and Nicole being fit has become a lifestyle that goes far beyond the hours when they are working out.

As Craig says “People are generally working out at most an hour a day, lots can happen in the remaining 23 hours to magnify or sabotage your results: nutrition and sleep play a huge role,”

“I think it’s great that Nicole and Simone teamed up – what a great bonding experience to cement their new relationship. I’m also really impressed that they’ve made training a priority.

“The important shift for me was when my training time became non-negotiable” states Nicole “I’ve got a lot more clarity about what I need to do take care of my mind, body and soul, and I’m not willing to sacrifice that.”

Nicole takes proactive measures rather than risking slipping behind: “I knew I had to counteract the holidays and pre-wedding celebrations so I started working out four days a week; even after the last six weeks I’m still right on track”.

The wedding has been a very concrete goal to work towards (bare back and arms, beach wedding!), but both Nicole and Simone are very clear that while it was a fun focus, it is not the main reason they’re still training, and plan to continue once they return.

But for now it is crunch time and they are working hard to make sure they’re happy with the results. And while Nicole will be the main focus on the 5th, Simone gets to do things twice – she’s in her best friend’s wedding party, also in Cabo, just two days earlier.

Craig and everybody at Precision congratulate them and hope they have a great time. And, expect to see them back in the gym bearing photos on their return!

David Sims is a NASM certified Personal Trainer and a level 1 CrossFit trainer. He specializes in weight loss, improving fitness and flexibility, core training, as well as high intensity training.

Robert McLaughlin’s experience working with a personal trainer has a familiar beginning for many of our clients. It started with an injury. He came to Precision to work on building strength and losing weight while he was waiting to get a diagnosis for his knee. It turns out he had a torn ligament (ACL) so personal training was derailed for a while by surgery and rehab, but now he’s into a routine working with his trainer David Sims.

Robert and David seem like a good match.

Says Robert, “I try to go as hard as I can and operate at my limits. Sometimes I feel like I can’t move at the end of the workout, and that’s what I want.”

Robert McLaughlin
“One of the things I like about working with David is I don’t have to plan ahead for my sessions. I just have to show up and push myself. I can trust him to put me through my paces, and that I’ll see progress” says Robert McLaughlin.

Says David, “I like to see people push themselves and accomplish things they initially think they can’t do.”

David has been involved in competitive sports for most of his life, but professionally up until a few years ago he was a realtor, who happened to train with Craig and Pepe. “When I was looking for something more rewarding, Craig pointed out I seemed to enjoy the gym since I was there every day, and I should consider becoming a personal trainer.”

He sees personal training (both for him and his clients) as an opportunity to integrate fitness into day-to-day life. “Once people make a mental commitment to really change it becomes easy for them to find the time to workout and eating more healthy, because it’s a priority.”

Robert says the most valuable thing he’s learned from David is that you can always find 15-20 minutes. And as Robert has learned, the results quickly follow. “Even my cardio (which is NOT my favourite), has improved to the point that other people are noticing at beer league hockey.”

In theory Robert trains at the gym twice a week but he’s on the road for work a lot so he often can’t make it into the gym. But he works out on the road with the training routine David gave him (see below for David’s Travel Training Tip).

For Robert, the trickiest part of traveling is not exercise but nutrition. He goes to lots of dinners and cocktail meetings, and often needs to grab quick snacks. “David made it clear to me at the beginning that if I wanted to see ongoing improvements I was going to need to pay attention to what I ate and when”, says Robert. “But, when I’m on the road, given my schedule, I have to remind myself that I can’t throw away the whole day just because I deviate on one meal”.

Rinat Kamaletdinov thought core muscle training sounded a bit boring. But he was in terrible pain and couldn’t walk more than half a block at a time so he was willing to give Elisse Miki’s approach a try. Rinat has Sciatica from an old injury and last fall he had a nasty flare up. After a couple of months of constant pain and treatment, it was suggested to him that he find a personal trainer who specializes in rehabilitation. That’s how he ended up at Precision training with Elisse.

Elisse and Rinat have been focusing on strengthening his core muscles.

He’s been working with her three times a week since February. She started him slow with very low weights and small ranges of movement. Even then Rinat saw a positive effect quickly. As his core muscles grew stronger his pain came under control, and he was able to do more. In addition to his three training sessions he now also does low impact cardio on his own twice a week: walking, rowing machine and swimming.

Elisse and Rinat have been focusing on strengthening his core muscles.Elisse and Rinat
Rinat learned that rehab training can be a slow process, by necessity. Once training started moving a little too quickly and the sciatica flared up again -but he and Elisse went back to a gentle approach for a few weeks and got things quickly under control again. For Rinat the experience “proved that the training was indeed what had got the sciatica pain under control in the first place.”

“I’d done weight training on my own before my big flare up last fall, but had thought I wouldn’t be able to do any more until I’d dealt with my Sciatica; not only was I in pain, I was frustrated that I couldn’t be active” says Rinat. “I started training with Elisse because I wanted to get the sciatica under control, but I saw what a huge improvement core training had on my overall well-being, and that it would allow me to continue to build the body I wanted, which hadn’t been possible while I was in pain”.

For Elisse, clients like Rinat are one of the reasons she became a personal trainer: Rehab combines her love of fitness with her academic expertise. She loves to help people, so a dedicated client who appreciates the difference training can make and enjoys the process is very rewarding.