My biggest thanks to Mark for approaching me with the 12 week idea. Mark is really good at what he does and I wish him the best of luck as he continues the journey of helping people remain or start living healthy and carry on living in a positive, healthy lifestyle. Many people question what they do day to day. How does it help the world and those living in it? What effect do they have on things? Well, let me tell you, Mark Uyeda has a huge effect on people’s lives…training, educating, and appreciating what some dedication and hard work can do for a person’s body and mind. I am in a better spot physically and mentally with the help of Mark’s passion for a healthy lifestyle.
Thanks Mark, for helping me!
-Jason Locken
For those of you considering hiring a personal trainer but are wondering if a trainer can really help you reach your goals, the answer is yes!
Jason Locken is a married father of two and lives a pretty normal life like so many of us. He went to college, got married, had a couple kids, and just settled in to married life. Jason was a highschool athlete and was very active in college as well. We went to college together. GO BEAVS! What happens to so many of us as we get older is that we just slow down a bit, become a little less active, and take in just a few too many calories, some in liquid form. Over time our weight gradually increases, and our strength and flexibility decrease. This is going to happen as we get older but exercise can slow down the process. Jason didn’t really realize what was happening as he was still making it to his soccer games once or twice and week and not extremely out of shape. He enjoyed a beer or two after work and living a pretty social life. Training was not high on his to do list.
Even if you put on only 1 pound a year which doesn’t seem like much, it can quickly add up. A lot of men like to talk about how great of an athlete they were in highschool or even college. The reality is for a lot of us that was 15-20 years ago! We aren’t all as active as we were then and it can contribute to slow weight gain. I approached Jason because I felt I could help him shed a few pounds before it got to be a real problem. So we sat down and came up with a 12 week plan.
He came in to see me just twice a week and did a lot of his training on his own. He trained an additional 3-4 days outside the studio, sometimes at home with whatever free weights and exercise equipment he had. He was committed to making this change in lifestyle and that was the key. He was COMMITTED. The first 4 weeks we focused a lot on his over all conditioning and core strength. We then moved into the next 4 week faze which put more emphasis on his strength training. Strength training was pretty new to Jason. He struggled to do a few pushups when he first started. The last 4 weeks we ramped up the intensity quite a bit, all while continuing to work on core strength and flexibility. We used a circuit style of training that really kept him moving and burning calories. Not much rest during our sessions as he can attest to, but all in a progression. It was amazing to see how much stronger he was on our last session compared to day one. His level of endurance grew as well. In all Jason lost 18 pounds and dropped his body fat a little over 2%. Not bad for 12 weeks.
What I stressed to Jason on our last day is that it doesn’t have to stop here. Set a new goal and go after it just like you had before. It doesn’t have to happen overnight, give it time and know that if there is a set back you know you can bounce back. During our 12 week journey Jason did not live in a cave. He was still a Dad and a husband and a friend. He went out for social events and even took a trip to Vegas for a few days. He just made the decision to be consistent with his training and made some better nutritional choices. As a personal trainer I don’t have a magic exercise that will make the fat go away or a special pill. All I do is help put together a plan of action and help clients reach the goal that they set. It’s not easy losing 18 pounds in 12 weeks, but it’s probably not as hard as one would think. There will always be a day one, we all have to start there. Jason and I worked together and made it happen. He brought a great attitude and effort to each session and with that any goal can be reached. I expect the most out of my clients not the least. It is my job to help bring that out of each one of them. With Jason we were able to accomplish this. I want to thank Jason for allowing me this opportunity.
Please feel free to contact me when you are ready to set and achieve your fitness goals. Thank you, Mark Uyeda