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!

Add Quiet Time to your Schedule

I’m bout that prayer life. Meditation, deep breathing, awareness, tapping into the subconscious mind…..I’m all about it.

I’d think of myself as a pretty lofty goal setter. There is no doubt that executing the goal takes action, but where does the guidance come from?

Focusing on the inside, diving into your body, mind, and spirit for a little insight is an unrivaled method to complete a goal or change an action.

The church calls it praying. Yogis and spiritual believers might say meditation. Super “awake” people will say it’s connecting to the universe. The educated might call it tapping into the subconscious. Tony Robbins says “priming.” It can be as simple as closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths. Be with yourself for a moment and away from the world.

It’s not about shutting your mind down, it’s about being aware of what’s in your mind. Family member to call, an important detail that someone mentioned earlier, a way to deal with an issue effecting your happiness; and then get the revitalized energy to go and execute the tasks.

It’s not wise to watch hours of TV, reading and listening to what the media is subjecting, scrolling dozens of minutes on social media, and then neglect the things that are inside your mind, body, and spirit. GET YA MIND RIGHT! Be the boss of what goes in that. Recognize what makes you happy and what doesn’t. And then take action.

You’ve heard the ol proverbial, “trust your instincts” right? That’s right. Don’t wait until “fight or flight” comes when you need them, when you can just tap into them right now.

Know what I’m sayin?

Tips to Eliminate "Toxic Time"

I met with a very valuable client this morning and she has been struggling recently to regain momentum. She was late to our appointment because she had trouble sleeping and was up half the night. She drank more coffee than usual the prior day and hasn’t been to the gym in over a week.

She didn’t travel for the holidays so I believed there was no excuse to miss her training sessions when we were scheduled. I also immediately believed that she would not have needed that extra coffee if she’d made her workout times @McCohnMuscle.

I asked her what she did at night when she couldn’t sleep. Her answer: TV.

She confessed that not only has she been watching too much TV, but she’s been binge watching shows she’s already seen! To top it off, she admitted to turning the TV on so she could scroll through her cell phone.

She named it “Toxic Time.”

Lord knows your favorite trainer enjoys a good movie. It’s a way to escape the stress that tugs on me everyday, enjoy entertainment, and visit a “new world.” Watching a good ball game is another way to relax, but once you start watching the ball game, then the highlights, then the guys talking about the ball game, and onto another game…..you’re doing a bit too much.

Here are some ways binge-watching negatively impacts health:

• weight gain and obesity

• increased struggles with cardio

• lower sperm counts

• antisocial behavior in children

Here are a few ways cell phone use effects health:

• weight gain

• shortened attention span

• causing car crashes

• increased anxiety

• tech neck (increased kyphosis)

Both of these lists are relatively long when you research. It’s obvious the risks of excessive use of our phones and TVs far outweigh the benefits.

I’ll show you a few ways to cut down on your Toxic Time and turn up on the person you really desire to be.

1. Turn your phone off an hour before you go to bed and don’t turn it back on until you are finished with your morning routine. Somebody’s like “hey Q, my cell phone is my alarm clock tho.” Ok, well, think about investing in an actual alarm clock. If not, set your alarm an hour before bed and turn your alarm off in the morning, and don’t open your phone again until your morning routine is done.

2. Read! You can finally get into those books you’ve had sitting around for months or years. Reading books and articles will fill your head with valuable information instead of TV and IG images.

3. Write! Writing creates clarity, clarity precedes genius (thank you, Robin Sharma). Let your imagination run wild. Be a Muppet Baby. Where do you want to go? How do you want to feel? What do you want to do? How would you like to look? Write it down! Then do it again. Hang up notes. Get karma on your side. The “universe” will work for you when you set your intentions.

4. Exercise! Movement beats meditation. Moving your body is the best way to feel better. It will also open up your mind for creative thinking and get you closer to your health and fitness goals. Don’t close your eyes to think about it, get up and get moving.

What do you think? Tell us in the comments.

Be militant in protecting your mental and physical health. Our January Transformation Challenge starts on January 14th. As of January 3rd we only have 12 more spots available. Move quickly to get your spot. You can sign up on our website, or give us a call if you have questions.

Much Love,

Q. McCohn

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