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Doug had some previous weight training experience before he contacted me, quite extensive in fact. After graduating from University where he played goal for the Varsity Hockey Team, he worked out regularly with his buddies, "tossing" around the heavy iron in the gym but always with the same result; some progress in size and strength, invariably followed by injury. He focussed almost exclusively on upper body training, thinking that his legs were getting plenty of work through hockey. After several years of this cycle he eventually drifted away from regular training out of frustration and just dabbled in an on-and-off manner during the last few years. He was in an "off" mode when he contacted me. Doug's flexibility and functional ability were severely compromised to the point where in order to get his left leg into the car he had to reach out and lift it in with his hand. He was even forced to put his foot on a chair in order to put on and tie his shoe He suffered from Elbow tendonitis and wore a brace most of the time. He also was experiencing some fairly significant lumbar disc problems in his back which also restricted his functional ability. We discussed Doug's objectives in detail at our initial consultation and then I introduced him to the principles of resistance exercise i.e., Intensity, Volume, Frequency (and how they relate to each other), Overload, Adaptation and Individuality. I explained how the workout itself stimulates a physiological change, while the rest period between sessions facilitates the change. I also explained that more is not necessarily better when it comes to resistance exercise and that based on the Individuality Principle, one of my biggest challenges would be determining the ideal exercise dosage, as precisely as possible in order for Doug to realize an optimal response. I asked Doug to show me how he would perform some of the basic exercise movements that he had employed in the past. After a brief warm-up on the Air Bike, using a light weight, he proceeded to "execute" some Barbell Curls and Bench Presses in a very rapid, ballistic manner with lots of momentum resulting in dangerous bouncing turnarounds. I then demonstrated the correct way to perform resistance exercise movements emphasizing the importance from both a safety and productivity standpoint of working in a slow, controlled manner through the full range of movement, with deliberate pauses at both the top and bottom positions to eliminate potentially dangerous impact forces on the joints and reduce the risk of injury. Make the muscles do the work without the help of momentum, I explained. He was surprised to learn that we would be employing an electronic metronome to set and monitor the cadence of each repetition of every exercise. Doug completed our standard Questionnaire
detailing his objectives, health history, previous exercise experience,
current exercise schedule, other physical activities, nutrition
practices etc.
Doug knew from the outset that
he knew he had potential "it's under there somewhere, but
I just don't know how to find it" he said. We then moved to the gym area where I introduced him to a proper warm-up procedure consisting of a few minutes on the Air Bike to increase core body temperature and elevate heart rate prior to performing some light stretching and limbering movements. I like to use the analogy that stretching before adequately warming the body up is akin to trying to stretch cold toffee! Since Doug already had a very busy lifestyle we determined that twice-weekly sessions at my facility would best fit into his hectic schedule. My initial strategy was to start Doug on a General Conditioning Resistance Exercise Program twice a week combined with a couple of Cardio/Stretching sessions at a Health Club where he still had a membership. Since he was also playing Hockey a couple of times a week I felt this prescription would be sufficient to challenge him physically and mentally. We would start with this prescription and see how he responded. I also wanted to introduce a significant amount of leg work into his routine to stimulate his entire system and generate a positive response while also strengthening his legs for the rigors of hockey. The plan was to progressively ramp-up the intensity level of his workouts as his exercise skill proficiency improved. I suspected that Doug would be capable and fully prepared to put forth the requisite effort and hard work necessary to reach his goals, and I was right. First Period: Initial Routine (Duration: 2 months) Doug's introductory routine was designed to immediately address his objectives while at the same time allowing him time to learn proper exercise performance (form, cadence etc). It looked like this:
Comments:
First Period: Progress (after 2 Months) Doug demonstrated rare commitment to the program in terms of dedication, effort and the athletic motor skills that allowed him to quickly master any and all exercise movements quickly. This paid off for him big time. In a period of only 2 months he made dramatic progress, weighing-in 20 pounds lighter, while making impressive gains in muscle mass, muscularity and strength. He lost a full 6" off his waist and actually maintained the same Chest measurement (while noticeably reshaping it). He also significantly improved his flexibility and functional ability. Many of the aches and pains that had plagued him were not as severe, or gone. His tennis elbow had improved to the point where he no longer needed to wear his brace. During the first 2 month period we ramped-up the intensity level to the point where he was performing the work set of his exercises to the point of momentary muscular failure and in some cases, beyond, with the introduction of intensity variables such as Negative and Static Hold Repetitions. Doug was proving to be 'a horse' in terms of his work ethic and ability to respond positively to a lot of intense work. To further challenge him, I was also having Doug move more quickly between sets and exercises to improve his overall conditioning level and help boost his metabolism. We also mixed-up his routine on a regular basis substituting some conventional weight and pulley exercises for the 'Variable Resistance' Bowflex exercises to keep his body guessing and responding. Based on the results he had achieved over the course of the first two months, Doug's level of enthusiasm was at a new high. He was really 'stoked' and as he said "I've totally bought into the program.so let's keep it going!". We were about half way to where we wanted to be but had arrived sooner than either of us expected. Second Period: (Duration: 4 months) The plan as we embarked on the next phase was to introduce a High Intensity Circuit Training Protocol into Doug's program. We gradually reduced the rest intervals between exercises and sets to 30 seconds or less. Doug found this new 'Total Conditioning' approach quite challenging both physically and mentally, but he thrived on it as the results will show. Here is an example of one of the Circuit Routines we employed:
Comments: Note that hold times at the contracted
position were increased to introduce a slightly different stimulus.
This works particularly well on the Bowflex movements due to
the variable nature of the resistance being strongest at the
fully contracted position. Second Period Progress (after 6 months) We were both delighted with Doug's 'Second Period' results which took us to the 6 month point of our collaboration. In this four-month period he had lost an additional 15 lb. of bodyweight and another 2" off his waist measurement. He was now down to a bodyweight of 194 lb. and his physique was impressive, well shaped and muscular. His overall conditioning was outstanding which was most apparent while playing hockey where his increased strength, endurance, agility and quickness improved his game. Doug had a combined Business Trip/Mexican Vacation scheduled in less than two months time, so we decided that this would serve as the target date for hitting his goals (or at least coming as close as possible). Third Period: (Duration: Less than 2 months) For the home stretch I decided to incorporate a variation of the Circuit Training Protocol which I call the 'North/South Application' into Doug's program. It involves sequencing the exercises in the Circuit, alternating Upper Body and Lower Body movements to create higher systemic demands to further stimulate the body. I also introduced a new exercise to Doug that I have found in my experience to be very demanding and effective, The Trap Bar Deadlift. This movement takes some practice to perform properly and master, so in the beginning we started with a lighter weight and higher reps and slowly and carefully progressed. This was a great way to kick off the Circuit with a movement that involved the entire body to really get the engine chugging. The following is an example of one of the 'North/South' Circuit Routines we used.
Comments: Rest intervals between exercises were again limited to 30 seconds or less (just enough time to measure heart rate, take a few deep breaths, drink some water and move to the next exercise). With 2 weeks until the final buzzer, we decided to really go for it by increasing Doug's training frequency to 3 times per week, following a split routine that was alternated workout to workout. The routines were split as follows. Routine A: Back, Chest, Abdominals I also had Doug do some posing
before his cool-down period as a muscle stimulation finishing
touch at each session. I felt that incorporating this Blitz approach
over a short period of time would be beneficial and give Doug's
body the final jolt to get him to where he wanted to be in terms
of results before embarking on his Mexican trip (and for the
most part, 2 weeks of rest). Doug's final results were indeed
dramatic and to say that we were both thrilled would be a huge
understatement. Doug's bodyweight had dropped another Doug and I are continuing to work together with a view to not only maintaining, but further improving his physique (perhaps some body part specialization) and his conditioning level in the future. 
 
 
 Diet Notes: Doug had actually started to pay more attention to his eating habits even before he initially contacted me, losing around 8 pounds in the process (he was actually up to about 237 lb. at that time). For the most part, we took a sensible, well-balanced approach to his eating. Once we got his program underway, I encouraged him to re-structure his diet so that he was substituting 5 to 6 feedings per day (3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks) for the conventional thinking of 3 square meals a day. He became more aware of the macro-nutrients, portion sizes, what foods to eat and how to properly combine them to help maximize his results. Was the diet component of his program smooth sailing and without difficulties along the way? Not at all. Of course there were struggles with temptations, cravings, business lunches to contend with etc., but we dealt with these challenges as they came along and made the necessary adjustments to overcome them. One example early on was Doug's choice of fluids which consisted mostly of Diet Pop and Juices. He gradually replaced these fluids with water and not surprisingly, it made a huge impact on his progress. We also introduced a Protein Shake into his daily menu to help ensure adequate protein intake and also a Post-Workout Protein/Carb Shake to nutritionally support the recovery process. Client Comments: I was feeling great uncertainty and even a little fear when I picked up the phone to call Deane Cooke. I kept questioning myself, "why did I need a Personal Trainer, what will this guy know that I don't know?". Working out and getting in shape is simple, right? Go to the gym A LOT, lift weights (ALOT of weight, ALOT of reps, A LOT of sets per body part) and do a lot of cardio. With this simple formula, I thought you couldn't help but get in good shape. If you wanted to get in GREAT shape just go to the gym more often and lift heavier weight. Well for about 20 years I followed this "Formula for Success" on an occasional basis. One look at my 'Before' pictures (which I am truly embarrassed by, but I realize that a picture is worth a thousand words) proves that I was a resounding and total failure as my own Personal Trainer. I weighed almost 230 lb. at the time they were taken and looked like a beached whale, how brutal!!! As I picked up the phone to call Deane, I kept reminding myself that drastic problems call for drastic solutions, so I took what was a huge and difficult step for me, as well as a huge leap of faith and booked an initial appointment with Deane. WOW, WOW, WOW. As much as I thought I knew about working out and getting in shape, I didn't know squat (nor did I squat for that matter) about the proper way to get in shape. Under Deane's expert tutelage I was able to harness and utilize my work ethic and determination to shape up. In the past my determination to get in shape would actually work against me, as I would try to do too much, too soon and end up with numerous injuries that would put the brakes on any small successes I was enjoying. Deane Cooke is an extremely knowledgeable, hard working, dedicated and truly caring Personal Trainer. What struck me most about Deane was his unwavering commitment to getting the most out of each rep, each set and each workout in an effective and time efficient manner. He showed me that if you do the exercise properly, moving through the entire range of motion and feel the muscle working rather than just moving the weight, you can experience dramatic results in a relatively short timeframe. In fact under Deane's guidance the frequency of my workouts decreased to two per week but the results of the workouts in terms of strength, appearance and conditioning went through the roof!!! At the risk of sounding sappy, with Deane's help I was able to positively change the way I look, the way I feel as well as my outlook on life. I now feel more confident in my personal and business life. If you are looking for a Personal Trainer, or considering using one, you've found him, he's Deane Cooke. Deane, a huge THANK YOU for all your help. I look forward to many more hard workouts and the great results they produce. Doug McCormick
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