May 2023

Client of the Month: May 2023

And the winner is…

Steve Jordan!

Congrats Steve! If you haven’t yet, please read why he was nominated below

Nominees:

Liz Carr:

One of Become Betters longest clients. Liz has hit many gym PRs and recently turned her goal of being able to do one chin up into hitting a 4 rep PR. In May she did the Pittsburgh half marathon. Technically she did not PR her half marathon pace because Pittsburgh is a very hilly and hard race, but she was only 2 seconds slower per mile off of that pace. This placed her 37th out of nearly 900 people for women in her age range.

Liz first reluctantly entered Become Better thanks to her Brother Elliot way back in 2015 (I think). She was as novice as can be and only came in 1 day/week. After getting into a routine and realizing the benefits she increased to 2 times/week and has hardly missed since then. 2x/week is a really good goal for those that run as much as she does to make sure you keep your body strong and capable of withstanding the impact of all those foot contact.

Here are some of her recent gym PRs: 

4 Rep Chin Up PR

95 kg Deadlift PR - over 200 lbs for the first time

115 kg x 3 Trap Bar Deadlift - over 250 lbs

74 kg back squat 

Steve Jordan

Steve has been in the gym for only 6 months, but has been very consistent and always works hard to get his workout done. He takes all of coach Dan’s constructive criticism in stride and uses it to become better. The smile on his face and supportive attitude is a prime example of the atmosphere we have tried to create here.

Smiling and having a good time isn’t enough to get nominated for this award though. Steve also recently deadlifting 140 kg (308 lbs) after barely starting at 100 kg just a few months prior. Steve has also Back squatted 90 kg, just under 200 lbs, for an easy double. Steve is also trying to get back into volleyball shape and has increased his vertical almost 3 inches since starting.

All-in-all, even though Steve has only been around for a relatively short amount of time compared to most, he has worked very hard to become better. He’s a model client and I look forward to continuing to see his progress during the Summer Olympics this year.

Francesca/Sue

This will be our first double nominee for Client of the Month since they train together 3 days/week. When coming to us for the first time, Francesca was as fresh a gym goer as they come.  Francesca had not stepped foot into a gym and had some of the concerns that many do when stepping into a new situation.  What's it going to be like? Are they going to beat me up? One of her first questions to us was "what type of clothes should I wear to work out?" This is how new she was coming into the gym. She then began her journey with Become Better Training with our previous trainer, Nik.  That was ~5 years ago (sorry i’m bad with exact dates)... Since then, Francesca has been training 3 days/week (unless she is traveling the world that week) and come a long way with her fitness. We started out with many bodyweight exercises, bands, and small dumbells. Now she asks to use the bar for more weight or to make things harder in general. She has also been helpful in calling us out for things that we could improve in our gym which is always appreciated as we too out trying to Become Better.

Recently she has also had her longtime friend, Sue, join her for those 3 days/week that she trains.  Sue also has been recently trying to push her weights too and is never afraid to try something new. Together they make quite the quippy duo with their quick one liners and sense of humor between them and with us. Although the weights they lift may not be monumental, I think it’s prudent to mention that Francesca has no problem pressing 25 lb dumbells or picking up 50 kg (110 lbs) for multiple sets and reps. For many this may not seem like much, but from where it all started I am very proud of their progress and very happy they are apart of our gym :).  

April 2023

Client of the Month - April 2023 Winner:

Jen Smith

Congratulations Jen! Please read below for why she and the rest of the clients were nominated in April

---

Client of the Month - April 2023 Nominees

Jen Smith

Jen Smith achieved two massive PR's (including a gym record) at the Powerlifting meet at the beginning of the month.  She back squatted 135 kg, which is 297 pounds. She made this lift look so easy that we wish we had another attempt to push her over the 300 lb club. Later in the meet she then deadlifted 145 kg (319 lbs), that is the most of any female lifter at our gym ever!  

Not only did she achieve these amazing lifts, she has done it all while training for the 5k with her son Jovian and 1 mile with her other son Deklan, then a relay on Sunday for another 5 miles. During all of this she was also learning the Olympic Weightlifting movements, as well as juggling traveling with work, taking care of two kids, and battling through knee issues.  Through all of this she has still been one of our most consistent clients. Every day wasn’t perfect. Many workouts were done fatigued which caused a lot of frustration and even the occasional tear. Training and working out in general can be a huge mental battle too, especially when you get to the level Jenn Smith has reached. However, her will to BECOME BETTER drove her through these hurdles and stress to achieve some truly remarkable results this month. She is the perfect example to keep in mind when you’re not feeling up to training, especially when it’s a mental issue, to keep pushing through because at the end of the workout you’re going to feel a lot better, and at the end of the training cycle you’re going to be proud of the results you obtained.

Jen will be running the half marathon tomorrow and we wish her the best in that. She will then start up her heavier lifting training again in hopes to later this year, or early next year qualify for Nationals in the Master’s division. 

Debra Rocca

Debra at 61 years old has been a Become Better client for almost 2 years now.  Deb came in with a goal of weight loss, specifically looking to lose about 15 pounds.  Deb started out coming twice a week but switched over to 3 times a week during the new year.  She attributed that switching to 3 times a week has further increased her ability to hit her goals and beyond.  Deb is being nominated because she not only hit her goal but as of April 2023 she has lost 26 pounds during her Become Better journey.

Deb Rocca Highlights @ Become Better

• Hit original weight loss goal of 15 pounds and now has new ones set

• 200lb Trap Bar Deadlift

• 90lb 1 Rep Bench Press

Abby Yates

Since she started at the gym last year Abby Yates (14 years old) has been steadily improving as an athlete. In the month of April Abby set a PR on her deadlift at 60kg (and for 4 reps too),  which is double the weight from her first attempt at deadlifting one year ago (for 2 reps) and well over her actual body weight. She is also now able to do 3 chin-ups on her own opposed to doing 3 with the help of the Green band (medium strength). To showcase some of her athletic improvements she has also gone from touching 8’1” to 8’6.5.” Although unquantifiable, we know she has continued to improve her performance on the field during her lacrosse season, where she is a consistently dangerous scoring threat. Abby is a joy for us to work with every week. I’ve personally never seen her come in with anything besides a smile on her face. She is also a very self motivated individual and rarely needs to be reminded to keep pushing through because she’s already doing just that. We look forward to continuing to see Abby improve in the weight room, and more importantly, on the field.

March 2023

March 2023 Client of the Month Winner:

Kerry Hartman

Congratulations to Kerry for winning the March 2023 Client of the Month! Make sure you read all the descriptions below to see why all three of these clients were nominated for this month!

---

Client Of The Month Nominees For March 2023

Danielle Carosi

Danielle joined our gym in 2018, but hadn't been a member of any type of gym for many years.  She did yoga, but had no familiarity with strength training. Over the past several months, she has been very consistent coming to the gym at least 3 days per week and the results are showing. When Danielle started she struggled to do exercises like modified push-ups. Today, Danielle can now rep out double digit push-ups, is proficient and comfortable with a variety of barbell exercises, whether they are squats, bench press or deadlifts, and has been able to lose a little weight all while getting stronger.   

Accomplishments in March:

• Pull-up: In March, she completed her FIRST unassisted Pull-up which has been a goal for her.  Keep in mind that a “pull-up” is with your hands facing away and is quite a bit harder than a chin-up, which is already pretty tough for most women. 

• Weight loss: Check

Kerry Hartman

Kerry has been training with us for 4 years.  Originally he came into the gym in hopes of passing the rigorous fitness test to get into the FBI. Kerry has trained 4 days/week nearly every week since then. I can hardly remember him even going on vacation. When the covid lockdowns happened he even trained outside with former coach Nik (from a safe distance) and didn’t miss a single week. I know everyone likes a good underdog, and I don’t think many of you look at Kerry that way right now, but he wasn’t always one of the strongest and best conditioned clients in the gym. When Kerry first came in he struggled to bench 115 lbs, squat 135 lbs, and deadlift 80 kg. He also struggled to do sets of 10-12 push-ups at a time and would get winded almost instantly on any conditioning activity.  Below, you will see numbers that are more than doubling the weights he did in his first week. 4 days/week for 4 years straight. Always doing all of his work at 100%. That gets results even. Please read below and appreciate the journey Kerry has been on to accomplish not only personal records in March, but also 2 gym records.

Accomplishments in March:

• Deadlift: Kerry first hit a 200 kg deadlift which was the original goal, but then managed to continue to add weight all the way to 228 kg, which is 501 lbs. He is the FIRST client to deadlift over 500 lbs.

• Pause Bench Press: 120 kg. At only an RPE of 8.5. That’s a long way from 115 lbs.

• Standing Press: 91 kg (200 lb) for 3 reps. This was a massive MENTAL hurdle to get over the 200 lb mark for him as he had failed it a couple times prior. He iis also the FIRST client to strict press over 200 lbs. Kerry also did a single at 95 kg after this and nearly made a single at 100 kg too. I guess we will have to wait for another month to hit the 100 kg goal.

• Back Squat: 165 kg (363 lbs) for 3 reps. Just a few kg off of his 1 rep max he did for 3 with room to spare. Since this month was so heavy on deadlift we did not push the back squat, but he still managed a PR for 3. We hope to reach the 400 lb club later this year.

• Weighted Plank: Getting ready for the Fitness Olympics, Kerry has already tested out 95 kg on his back for a whole minute.

Before he was able to pass the FBI fitness test Kerry switched his training goals when he received a big promotion at the post office. Now he trains to get stronger, stay in shape, and simply have fun at the gym. I am confident Kerry will continue to Become Better. 

Claire Jeans

As a long time friend of Coach Anthony, Claire has been a part of our gym since 2017. As one of our loudest members many of you probably know who she is. Claire has always had goals of getting stronger in all of the barbell movements. Unfortunately in 2019 she suffered a back injury. Then as she recovered we started to work her way back up in weights, but Covid lock downs happened.  Once we opened back up we started the journey once again, but she ruptured Achilles tendon shortly after.  It took nearly a year to rehab from that injury. However, once healthy, we started working back up again. Getting Covid in December of 2021 slowed her down again.  She was sick for 14 days and had to use an inhaler for 14 months. That still didn’t completely stop her from reaching her goals.

FINALLY, Claire has been healthy for a prolonged period of time and we have been able to reach a lot of PR’s and milestones.

Claire might get yelled at and made fun of an unnecessary amount by Coach Dan, but he would agree that Claire is one of the hardest working and consistent clients we have. She complains more than she needs to, but we never have to question whether or not she does the work with 100% effort every time. Claire didn’t let a list of injuries and issues stop her from becoming better and is why she is a nominee for client of the month in March. View all of her accomplishments below.

Accomplishments in March:

• Back Squat: 95 kg (209 lbs) for 2 reps… with room to continue to move up and become better. It was 2019 before her back injury when she squatted 175 lbs. This PR and milestone was also done with better form and range of motion.

• Bench Press: 65 kg (143 lbs) for 3 reps. 

• Paused Deadlift: 112 kg for 3 reps. This is just 8 kg off a recent PR normal Deadlift. I expect to see a 300 lb Deadlift in the near future

January 2023

Since January has come and gone already I (Coach Dan) have chosen the winner of the first month for our client of the month series that we are starting now. Since this is late, this winner isn’t solely winning based on their achievements in January like the future months winners will be based off of.

And the winner is…

Michele Premoshis!

Michelle is winning this award as my longest current client. She is one of the few clients left who trained with me at LA Fitness. She started in November 2013 which means she has been with us for over 9 years. Outside of minor injuries that have come up (including one that just happened skiing), Michele has hardly ever missed a week of training. She works hard and rarely complains about her workouts. This has allowed her to stay in great shape over the years. This is partially demonstrated during both Fitness Olympics that we have had where she won the Deadhang event in 2021 and Wheelbarrow even in 2022.

We hope that many more of you will be able to one day say they are on their way to completing their 10th year of training with us.

February 2023

And the Winner is…

Joanie Schluetter!

---

Final Results

1. Joanie Schluetter: 25

2. Rudy Bilich: 20

3. Matt Michals: 5

---

February 2023 Nominations:

1. Matt Michaels

   • As a former collegiate swimmer who has kept up with a regular workout routine into his early 50’s, Matt came to us about a year ago in great shape already. He first signed up last summer to train with his daughter Cari, but has continued to train even while she is busy with volleyball. Matt’s work ethic has allowed him to continue to set new personal bests as he gets older proving that you can always become better.

   • During the Month of February Matt hit the following PR’s.

     • Ring Chin-up: 40 kg

     • Bench Press: 115 kg

     • Back Squat: 105 kg

2. Joanie Schluetter

   • Joanie has been training with us at Become Better for close to a year.  Joanie came to us with goals to improve strength, mobility and to help get rid of daily aches and pains. 

   • Through the month of February, Joanie didn’t miss a single session while going through Breast Cancer Treatment. During her treatment, Joanie may have whined a time or two about not wanting to do every exercise, but she always completed her work.

   • Joanie has also continued to make progress with her shoulder health and has recently seen an increase to her Bone Mineral Density.

3. Rudy Bilich

   • Rudy has been training with Become Better for over 5 years. A couple years ago Rudy sustained an injury to his knee while working at home. Unfortunately the injury lingered for quite some time. However, Rudy kept at his training to keep his legs strong. After receiving an injection last year we have been able to push the weights a little more. In February, Rudy Trap Bar Deadlifted over 200 lbs for the first time (did a 3x3 at 92 kg). This was also Rudy’s first month of doing semi-private training opposed to our 1-1 personal training. Rudy’s goals have never been to lift the most weight possible, but showing up 3x/week for 5 years has definitely allowed Rudy to get stronger and continue to do the activites he wants to do in his every day life.

Client Of The Month: How it works

How it Works:

1. Every month each coach will nominate one client for the award. Some months there may be less nominees.

2. Then all of you (the clients) will get to vote on the winner.

Things that will affect who we nominate:

1. Personal accomplishments or goals reached.

   • Note: This does not mean you have to lift the most weight in the gym. Just a personal goal that you have reached.

2. Attendance.

3. Effort given.

Other Rules:

1. You may only win only once every year

2. Personal accomplishments/goals reached will only be during that month, it will not include accomplishments you may have achieved previously.

3. Please vote only once.

Check out the nominees/winners of each month here:

January 2023

February 2023