Client Spotlight: Kent Smith | Austin TX Personal Training
It's not often that I get to publicly commend my clients. I get the pleasure of seeing them succeed and personally commending them for it, but the successes are typically only shared between client and trainer. But today I have the opportunity to share the successes of one of my most dedicated clients, Mr. Kent Smith. Most of you know Kent as "the guy who is always at the gym." Rain or shine, morning or night, you can always expect to find Mr. Kent jumping in or out of a bootcamp or grunting his way through a personal training session. What you may not know is that Kent has not always been the "machine" you see on a daily basis. He, too, was once a "bootcamp newbie" (or "bewbie",as I like to call them) and went through the same struggles as everyone else in finding his motivation. However, and I say this with no hesitation, he found his motivation and unwaveringly stuck to it better than any client I have ever worked with. Here is his story:
"I made a commitment to be more fit, and I walked through the door at HEAT Boot Camp and met Cody in June 2009 with that goal. From a broader perspective, I wanted to challenge myself. I was pretty happy and things were going well, but I realized that being more fit was something I had always wanted but maybe didn't have the confidence to achieve. So starting on the path with a pretty solid commitment was the most important step.
The changes I was looking for do not happen overnight. It is the long term trend line that is important. A little extra effort at boot camp, a little more attention to healthy eating -- it all adds up. If the trend line shows that you are moving toward your goal (whether it is to lose weight or gain muscle), then just keep at it. You may not be able to see the change in your physique from "last week", but the change from, say, three months ago can be very noticeable."
"I have noticed many changes, all of them positive. I have at least glimpsed strengths, physical and mental, that I wasn't sure I had. I have gained weight (hopefully some of it muscle!) when I tried, and have lost weight and body fat when I set that as a goal. No goal seems out of reach now. Nutrition is a big part of fitness, and Joey has been very helpful in that area. Joey is great to talk to about nutrition; and it is much easier than one might imagine, and even freeing, to eat a healthy diet.
Don't get me wrong. There are many folks who are faster, stronger, and more dedicated than me, and I am reminded of that one way or another every day. But I started from a low baseline, let's say, and have made some progress from where I started. Anyway, fitness is a life long project, so there is a lot of time ahead.
HEAT Boot Camp is a great combination of pushing you to do your best, while at the same time encouraging you. That comes from Cody, Joey, Greg, Rick, and all the great trainers, but it also comes from the folks working out in boot camp, all of whom have made their own commitment to improve themselves through fitness. I look forward to seeing you all at boot camp!"
As he is ever-so-humble, you might not know that Kent has undergone quite the transformation during his time at HEAT. When we started tracking his progress in early 2012, Kent weighed 188 pounds and had a body fat of 24%. To date, he has gained over 18 pounds of lean mass and lost 15 pounds of body fat. No small feat for anyone, however, also keep in mind that, although he doesn't look like it, Kent is 59 years young. And, if you don't believe me, just check out his most recent progress photos (taken in August)...
Kent and I have spoken at length about the type of dedication, commitment, and mind-set that is necessary to achieve fitness goals. If there is anything that I hope you can take from Kent's story, it is that anything is achievable with the proper dedication.
-Joey