During the early days of the pandemic, I discovered Man Flow Yoga. I had done yoga maybe three times beforehand. It was a great decision and I learned a lot during the process. Later, Dean of Man Flow Yoga and Jesse of Central Athlete (CA) opted to offer virtual training as a “pilot” in the summer of 2021. I jumped at the chance and met with Chris, CA’s remote coach.
Almost a year later and I can already see the fruits of my labor and grunts. The virtual training program that Coach Chris prepares is easy to understand and the videos are great tutorials if I need a glimpse of how the movements should be correctly done.
I’ve only met Chris via Zoom and Jesse via Instagram. These guys mean business and want me to succeed. It’s all about my effort and accountability to get things done. The virtual training option is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I can now walk into the gym here in Columbia with the confidence of how to make a workout count.
As a kid, I wasn’t a jock. I was the fat, out-of-shape, 40 waist kid who preferred snacks at McDonald's. As college came, I started running and using the “machines” but had no idea what I was doing other than working out. Fast forward to my 30’s with work, two daughters, and a wife. Fitness was not on the agenda. I would go to the gym and see who was there and catch up with the latest news and maybe lift something, but I never got the hang of or understood what it was I was supposed to be doing to reach my goals.
I began cycling in 2005 and gradually built up my endurance. Finally, I had found something that I enjoyed doing which also consisted of getting in some good cardio, until I hit a dog causing me to flip over the handlebars. Splat on the asphalt I lay with blood on my face and what would be a compound fracture to my left elbow and torn ligaments in my wrist.
Three surgeries ensued along with physical therapy (PT). The kid who did my PT asked me at an appointment, “do you swim?” I said “nope, I am not a floatation device!” He said, “give it a try or you may be back with me.” I was tired of co-pays and went and bought some goggles. I could barely make it to the end of a short pool.
I went back to a gym but running, cycling, and swimming became my outlets, not weight training. I completed some sprint tris and an almost half ironman. I had a friend who was a trainer and started working with him one-on-one. It was hard to schedule time due to travel and work schedules. Then COVID came.
The moral of this fitness journey is that whatever gets in your way of staying active, especially as you age, is to get ahead of it. My experience with Coach Chris and Central Athlete has been phenomenal. I started with a pilot program where Coach Chris taught me the right way to load, lift and work. I then opted into the Kaizen remote coaching program where the work became harder and more focused. In our monthly consults, Coach Chris and I catch up on progress and discuss what’s working and not working. I will soon graduate and become a full-time remote client with Coach Chris of Central Athlete and I cannot wait to see what the next few years have in store for me!.
I’ll turn 58 on Cinco De Mayo and expect chips and salsa from Coach Chris.
It’s all a mindset and attitude of how YOU play the game.
Patrick Cobb is an accomplished PR/Communication professional who lives in Columbia, SC. He is a graduate of Appalachian State (the team that beat Big Blue in 2007), proud Delta Chi, working on a Master’s in Leadership via The Citadel Graduate College, and worked at EPCOT Center while in college.