Rising Up to the Challenge

This Fall, Fitness Incentive held its annual “Fall Fitness Detox Challenge” once again. This time, I was honored that 12 amazing, strong, and daring women trusted me to coach them through this six-week contest. In 2023, the Fall contest format changed from “duos” to teams of six people training together. I was unsure how this change would impact the way I trained the challengers and if it would affect my clients’ results. Overall, the format has exceeded my expectations.

A few years ago, I wrote an article for Fit to Print called “Team of Ten.” It was the Spring of 2021, my first time training in a contest. In fact, it was my first time training anyone, just days after passing my NASM Personal Training Certification test. It was during the Spring Dynamic Duo contest, in which people competed as teams of two. Having started as a group fitness instructor, I very much had a “group mentality” that led me to treat my five duos as one big team of ten people. While they trained twice a week together, I held live chats, a private online group that included all ten people, and I offered group workouts every week where they all would get together and do a boot camp-style workout. They ended up doing a fantastic job in that contest. I even had the first-place individual winner, Irene Roche.

Back to the Future

Fast forward to Fall 2024, my eighth time participating in one of Fitness Incentive’s body recomposition contests. Like anything, I learned more and more with each experience. While my knowledge of how to better train a client has grown and changed, one thing that hasn’t changed is that group mentality. The teams grew from two to six people, and I treated both teams as a team of twelve. Each group of six women trained together twice per week, but I would also get all twelve of them together to meet each other and work out together every so often. It was exciting to see them cheer each other on. I genuinely believe that this camaraderie plays an essential role in the continued success of my contest clients. Outside of training, we had a private online group where we would share recipes, non-scale victories, questions about nutrition, classes that they planned on taking each week, and the occasional workout meme, usually aimed at yours truly: “The Fun Sucker” as I’ve been referred to through many a contest. They would often get together for walks, and I got to see quite a few friendships bloom over the course of the six weeks.

A Few Secrets

I can’t give away all of my secrets here, but if you’re curious about the type of training we focused on, I can share some of that. The training was all done outside. While it was a bit limiting not to use the gym floor and the machines, it presented an opportunity to utilize other types of training. The twelve workouts centered around TRX, total body resistance exercise. TRX was perfect because there were exactly 6 anchors under the carport, and it’s the type of exercise we can modify to any fitness level. That’s important, especially in group training, because the experience and fitness level of each participant can vary greatly. I also incorporated kettlebells, dumbbells, and ropes into the training. Some days involved HIIT (high-intensity interval training), while others focused on progressive loading by increasing the amount of weight used and doing slower, more controlled repetitions.

The clients were all given a nutrition plan by our nutritionist, Liz Keller, and I gave them some additional tips, recipes, and my thoughts on supplementation. In between training sessions, I made sure that each of them had a solid plan for the other five days of each week. Many of them took my Power Sculpt class twice per week, which uses supersets to keep the heart rate up and build endurance. They all had different cardio goals based on their end goal (i.e., more fat loss focused, lean muscle focused, etc). In addition to classes and training, they all had a walking goal each day, and each week I would give them a new challenge, such as rowing for 60 minutes or doing 150 squats. I encouraged them to sometimes do “two-a-days” – two workouts in one day. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: while it’s not sustainable over a long period, it is important to train hard and often in a short-term contest like this. Just make sure you are fueling your body properly when you’re in an intense training regimen.

New You

The goal is to continue the fitness and nutrition habits you’ve formed over the six weeks but to be able to let loose and indulge occasionally. Consistency is truly the key to a new you. Forming healthy habits that you enjoy and are sustainable will help you stay in control of your fitness journey and not derail it every time a contest ends, summer starts, or you take a big vacation.

I know you may be thinking, how much change can one person really make in just six weeks? You’d be surprised. My “team of twelve” all did amazing. In fact, three of them placed! Danielle Link and Dawn Lucchi came in as runners-up in 5th and 4th place, respectively, while Ellen Bradley came in first place overall! It’s stunning how much change these ladies made. Collectively, these three women lost over 34 pounds of body fat, and together, they gained over 11 pounds of lean body mass – in just six weeks. The best part is that I see them all continuing. I asked the three of them to elaborate on their “why” for doing the contest, what they learned, and how they achieved such success in the contest.

1. Why did you enter the Fall Fitness Detox Challenge?

Danielle: “To get into shape and be held accountable. Doing it on my own wasn’t working anymore.”

Dawn: “The biggest reason for me was that I was caring for other family members and kept putting myself and my own well-being aside. I knew I needed a reset.”

Ellen: “I had been thinking of doing it for a while, but I wasn’t sure I would be 100% invested. I heard there was one spot left on Theresa’s 5am group, so I went for it.”

2. What was your favorite part of the contest?

Danielle: “Group training and getting to know Theresa.”

Dawn: “The connection with my teammates. I became closer with ladies I was only acquainted with and made some new friends.”

Ellen: “I loved challenging myself, and I really enjoyed getting to know all the ladies in the group!”

3. What habits did you pick up that you will continue?

Danielle: “Cut out sugar and alcohol. Stop eating empty calories and snacking.”

Dawn: “Counting macros for me was a new one. I had always been a calorie counter.”

Ellen: “It was a good reminder to always prioritize my health, work out regularly, and pay attention to what I’m eating.”

4. Why do you think you were so successful?

Danielle: “I did not cheat on my diet and worked out at least 6 days per week.”

Dawn: “I truly committed to the food, the workout schedule, the extra walking, the drinking more water. I was much more committed this time (than I had been in past contests). I really wanted the reset.”

Ellen: “I followed the program to the letter. Theresa is such an inspiring coach; she makes you want to work harder and push yourself to be stronger.”

5. Would you do the contest again, and would you recommend it to other people?

Danielle: “Yes, I had a great time and met wonderful new friends, and I feel terrific!”

Dawn: “100%. I give it a 10 out of 10.”

Ellen: “I would definitely recommend it to someone serious about changing their habits. Would I do it again? Maybe. But it’s my hope that all of these new habits will make it unnecessary!”

New Year – You, Here!

I hope this article and these women have encouraged you to make a change in your fitness journey this upcoming year, whether it’s doing the contest, starting up with a trainer, or trying some TRX training. You only get one chance at this life. Make the most out of it! My motto is (and always has been), “You’ll never regret trying something new, but you may regret not trying.” Here’s to trying something new in 2025!

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