Bree Spencer
Small Group Client
I grew up with a tall, naturally slender, beautiful Mom. I too was tall and naturally thin in my younger days, but never had the beauty. Not like my Mom.
I’m sturdy. Even when I was in high school and rocking a 5’10” frame at 136 pounds, I never looked like I could be blown over in a windstorm. My Mom has bird-like bones. Thin and wispy, elegant even. My family says I have big bones. They are right and honestly, I don’t really mind.
When I was in high school, parent-teacher conferences would roll around and without fail the teachers who met my Mom would approach me the next day and tell me, with a rather surprised look and tone, that my Mom is very beautiful. Thinking back, I still feel a little pride and also bristle a little at their surprise.
My beautiful Mom never wears shorts. Hear me when I say, she does not like for her legs to be exposed in the world. Her beautiful, long legs aren’t something she feels comfortable wearing out and about. Somehow, through the osmosis of my youth, I absorbed this practice into my body.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gained weight. One thing that is hard and funny about being tall is that by the time you look really different, you’ve packed on a lot of weight. In my case, I’ve developed some heavy weight habits to match. As an adult, I found roller derby, which kept me moving for a while. More recently, I fell in love with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Then after I met Jess, I started power lifting to support my jiu jitsu progress and share a sport with my husband. The strength I’ve developed over the last 3 years has shifted my appearance a bit, but my weight has remained steady. There is muscle under the fat now, but you can’t tell unless we train together.
Being heavier than I used to be when I was young makes me even less likely to bare my legs as an adult. I rarely wear shorts. I’ve even joked about how wearing shorts is a clear indication that I am on vacation, probably in a country where I don’t know anyone. I mean, my beautiful, thin Mom doesn’t have her legs out, I definitely cannot.
Until last week. The sun was finally out after the worst Wisconsin winter that I’ve experienced. I have a pencil skirt that hits me just below the knee and looks decent. I’ve always worn the skirt with tights. I just didn’t have it in me to wear tights on the first day of sun I’d seen in a long time. I just didn’t. I did feel like having my calves out to catch some rays and fresh air. All my normal concerns floated around, crisscrossing around my brain trying to conjure up some fear.
“My legs are so pale!” “What if someone is able to glimpse some cellulite on the back of my thigh through the slit in the back of the skirt?” “My skin is all splotchy! Veiny! Lumpy!”
For the first time, perhaps ever, those concerns were shut down by another thought:
“My legs are strong. They can choke people. And sweep people. And deadlift 200 pounds and squat 150 pounds. In the future, they will likely be able to do even more than that. I don’t care if they are pale or splotchy or have peek-a-boo cellulite. My calves can be out and catch the sun. If anyone has a problem and they are ridiculous enough to articulate their problems about my legs, my legs can handle any necessary…reprisal.”
I’m happy to report that the spring air and sunshine never felt so sweet.
I’m sturdy. Even when I was in high school and rocking a 5’10” frame at 136 pounds, I never looked like I could be blown over in a windstorm. My Mom has bird-like bones. Thin and wispy, elegant even. My family says I have big bones. They are right and honestly, I don’t really mind.
When I was in high school, parent-teacher conferences would roll around and without fail the teachers who met my Mom would approach me the next day and tell me, with a rather surprised look and tone, that my Mom is very beautiful. Thinking back, I still feel a little pride and also bristle a little at their surprise.
My beautiful Mom never wears shorts. Hear me when I say, she does not like for her legs to be exposed in the world. Her beautiful, long legs aren’t something she feels comfortable wearing out and about. Somehow, through the osmosis of my youth, I absorbed this practice into my body.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gained weight. One thing that is hard and funny about being tall is that by the time you look really different, you’ve packed on a lot of weight. In my case, I’ve developed some heavy weight habits to match. As an adult, I found roller derby, which kept me moving for a while. More recently, I fell in love with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Then after I met Jess, I started power lifting to support my jiu jitsu progress and share a sport with my husband. The strength I’ve developed over the last 3 years has shifted my appearance a bit, but my weight has remained steady. There is muscle under the fat now, but you can’t tell unless we train together.
Being heavier than I used to be when I was young makes me even less likely to bare my legs as an adult. I rarely wear shorts. I’ve even joked about how wearing shorts is a clear indication that I am on vacation, probably in a country where I don’t know anyone. I mean, my beautiful, thin Mom doesn’t have her legs out, I definitely cannot.
Until last week. The sun was finally out after the worst Wisconsin winter that I’ve experienced. I have a pencil skirt that hits me just below the knee and looks decent. I’ve always worn the skirt with tights. I just didn’t have it in me to wear tights on the first day of sun I’d seen in a long time. I just didn’t. I did feel like having my calves out to catch some rays and fresh air. All my normal concerns floated around, crisscrossing around my brain trying to conjure up some fear.
“My legs are so pale!” “What if someone is able to glimpse some cellulite on the back of my thigh through the slit in the back of the skirt?” “My skin is all splotchy! Veiny! Lumpy!”
For the first time, perhaps ever, those concerns were shut down by another thought:
“My legs are strong. They can choke people. And sweep people. And deadlift 200 pounds and squat 150 pounds. In the future, they will likely be able to do even more than that. I don’t care if they are pale or splotchy or have peek-a-boo cellulite. My calves can be out and catch the sun. If anyone has a problem and they are ridiculous enough to articulate their problems about my legs, my legs can handle any necessary…reprisal.”
I’m happy to report that the spring air and sunshine never felt so sweet.
Dan Rutter
Online Coaching
Being a busy single Dad, with a full time job and a time intensive hobby of Jiu Jitsu I bought a power rack to better arrange my weight lifting schedule (lifting late at night when my kids are asleep). While I made some progress on my own, it often stagnated as I never had learned the proper form of the lifts I was interested in (despite about two decades of weightlifting experience), and only had basic understanding of programming.
Working with Jess through FitPOWER’s Online Programming has been great. It has allowed me to get feedback on my lifts via video, which has allowed me to correct my form to lift safer and get stronger. It has also provided me more structure to my exercises for the day and increased my accountability than when I lifted without Jess’ help. So, through FitPOWER’s Online Programming I am able to lift at a time that fits my schedule while getting the support I need to meet my athletic goals.
Working with Jess through FitPOWER’s Online Programming has been great. It has allowed me to get feedback on my lifts via video, which has allowed me to correct my form to lift safer and get stronger. It has also provided me more structure to my exercises for the day and increased my accountability than when I lifted without Jess’ help. So, through FitPOWER’s Online Programming I am able to lift at a time that fits my schedule while getting the support I need to meet my athletic goals.
Sara Konkel
Small Group Client, Powerlifting Team
I have been training with Jess in one way or another for the last 10 years. I have done weight training, boot camps and, as Jess would call it, "exercise" over the years. Long ago I learned that when I have a goal with a time specific deadline that I am more motivated to doing the work necessary to achieve the goal, whether it's climbing numerous flights of stairs a day training for a vertical race or doing the Couch to 5k to prepare to run my first 5k . However, over the past few years there had been little driving me to push myself and cardio had become a monotonous chore that I didn't have time for. So back in July when Jess asked if I'd be interested in being a part of FitPOWER's lifting team at a charity deadlifting competition, I knew it was the opportunity I needed to push myself back to the fitness level I had once been at. A new obsession and a TEAM of like minded individuals to push me to those goals.
Little did I know that by being part of the lifting team, pushing and pulling the weight wasn't going to be the hard part! Since turning 30, I had blamed gaining weight on just that...turning 30. In August, at age 33, I was my heaviest ever, over 200 pounds. At our first powerlifting team meeting we got our food macros and I was completely overwhelmed. Weighing out food and accounting for everything I ate was really intimidating, not to mention how uneducated I really was about food! Fast forward 5 months and I'm much more comfortable figuring out how much of the foods I want to eat I can, and how to fill in the gaps with what I need to meet my macros. Through eating a proper diet and powerlifting I have increased my strength, physically (and mentally!) feel better in and out of the gym, have dropped 30 pounds WITHOUT DOING ANY CARDIO, and have found an incredibly strong family who push each other day in and day out to that next PR rep!
Little did I know that by being part of the lifting team, pushing and pulling the weight wasn't going to be the hard part! Since turning 30, I had blamed gaining weight on just that...turning 30. In August, at age 33, I was my heaviest ever, over 200 pounds. At our first powerlifting team meeting we got our food macros and I was completely overwhelmed. Weighing out food and accounting for everything I ate was really intimidating, not to mention how uneducated I really was about food! Fast forward 5 months and I'm much more comfortable figuring out how much of the foods I want to eat I can, and how to fill in the gaps with what I need to meet my macros. Through eating a proper diet and powerlifting I have increased my strength, physically (and mentally!) feel better in and out of the gym, have dropped 30 pounds WITHOUT DOING ANY CARDIO, and have found an incredibly strong family who push each other day in and day out to that next PR rep!
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Mel Gleason
Small Group Client
Then...
Working with Jess and Rob at FitPOWER LLC for the first quarter of 2019 has reinvigorated my motivation to keep up with a regular fitness regimen. I've always been athletic, but over the years I've let the routines slide. In January I signed up for bootcamp classes 3x a week for a couple months in that "New Year, New Me" phase we all go through at the beginning of each year. Cool thing is, I'm still going strong with FitPOWER's team and loving it. Transitioned into more strength training. Even got myself a meal plan.
Here's why I'm sticking with the FitPOWER team. They make it easy to want to show up for each session. They get me, my goals, my motivation, my sense of humor. I'm not the most graceful person, so when I'm being an awkward goofball they roll with it. Working out with a crew that can match your energy for the session lifts not just the heavy weights, but your spirits, too. I leave the gym feeling strong and supported by the wonderful community there. It's serious business getting fit. But you've got to have fun while doing it. FitPOWER's team gives you both.
Here's why I'm sticking with the FitPOWER team. They make it easy to want to show up for each session. They get me, my goals, my motivation, my sense of humor. I'm not the most graceful person, so when I'm being an awkward goofball they roll with it. Working out with a crew that can match your energy for the session lifts not just the heavy weights, but your spirits, too. I leave the gym feeling strong and supported by the wonderful community there. It's serious business getting fit. But you've got to have fun while doing it. FitPOWER's team gives you both.
Now...
A year ago I started up at FitPOWER, with no particular goal other than to “get fit”. Meaning, lose those pesky thousand lbs the BMI kept telling me I needed to lose and get back to running a fast mile or two for the Chicago Ragnar. Oh, and slide into the next decade looking and feeling not too shabby.
1 year, 40lbs and minus a minute on that mile pace later... I just set yet another PR, 1x205lb squat. Then broke that with another, 1x210lb and another, 1x215. I closed out with 1x220lb squat... and felt like I had five more lbs in the tank. But I’m not greedy. 😉
Grateful to Coach Rob who puts up with all my trash talking, and pushes me to aim for gains. 💪Very grateful for my bestie and training partner Cory for counting for me. And I have so much love for Jessica who keeps the place full of awesome community. 🤩
Also. I signed up for another half marathon in July. In Ireland. Run completely end to end on a beach.
1 year, 40lbs and minus a minute on that mile pace later... I just set yet another PR, 1x205lb squat. Then broke that with another, 1x210lb and another, 1x215. I closed out with 1x220lb squat... and felt like I had five more lbs in the tank. But I’m not greedy. 😉
Grateful to Coach Rob who puts up with all my trash talking, and pushes me to aim for gains. 💪Very grateful for my bestie and training partner Cory for counting for me. And I have so much love for Jessica who keeps the place full of awesome community. 🤩
Also. I signed up for another half marathon in July. In Ireland. Run completely end to end on a beach.
