Last month I suddenly ran into this article. An inspiring story about a girl that lost 120 pounds in a year. 

The story reminded me of a student I had several years ago. Her name was Sandy. Sandy stood five feet three inches and weighed 220 pounds. I initially rejected her to enlist in the Trojan Workout program. She was too far gone, in my opinion. She tugged at my heartstrings when she broke down and cried upon learning I had rejected her. I relented on the promise that she would give it her best effort. And she did. 

Working with Sandy required me to develop subtle psychological methods. She was an interesting case in that she did not respond to the standard enticements and motivations. She was convinced that she was beyond any kind of physical help and was therefore not motivated by the promise of a transformed body. She was convinced that she was (genetically) cursed and blocked from any physical progress. She had “tried everything” (highly doubtful) and “nothing worked”. 

I wrote her full story, and how she transformed from an obese person into a strong and fit person in my book Trojan Workout. Her training poundage improved, her cardio capacity improved and her serious training, combined with her new relationship with food caused her to lose 60 pounds of body fat while adding ten more pounds of muscle. She had a new lease on life. 

When I read the article about Kiah Twisselman, I reflected on why I do my trainer and coach’s work. Sandy turned my question “can we?” into concrete reality. My method helped an ordinary person with extraordinary tenacity to change their body and change their life. After Sandy, I knew our “tuned-down” Trojan Workout could dramatically benefit those that needed it the most. Sandy showed me that if the individual has the motivation to place herself in the right situational circumstances, our system works! 

When I teach a Trojan Workout, I look for ways to help people get stronger, beyond a fitness exercise. With new participants showing up at a Trojan Workout Instructors Certification, I look for people who want to make a change professionally, helping others and being part of our community. Not just in showing (off) a workout but also in making that change in people’s daily lives.