Looking for a workout that’s right for you?

This is the story of TFW Athens coach Whitney Holley.
Training for Warriors Athens Ga
Before joining SBG, Whitney was frustrated with her weight.

Busy finishing her doctorate (in Music) in 2012, Whitney found herself heavier than she had ever been. She not only felt unhealthy—she says that she would have struggled to walk up a short flight of stairs at that point—but had become uncomfortable in her own skin. Whitney decided to make a change, to regain control over her health and to rediscover the sense of confidence that she deserved to feel.

Whitney had tried a few different workouts over the years, either at home by video or at the campus gym, but she never found a sustainable routine. She says that she rarely made it past a month in any particular program. “It finally occurred to me,” she says, “that the only way I was going to stick with anything long enough to actually get better was to find something I enjoyed doing.” Having taken a few Muay Thai classes in the past, Whitney knew that she was interested in kickboxing. She thought kickboxing might be a habit worth revisiting. Developing a skill, she realized, might help her “forget” that she was working out and make sure that she stuck with her routine.

Whitney set out to find a gym where she could train kickboxing and discovered SBG. Being a musician, she was worried about taking care of her hands. SBG offered her the facilities and instruction that would ensure a quality workout while preserving her hands: “Where better to learn to throw a punch correctly,” she asks “than from people who want to be able to do it for a long time?” Whitney is now one of those people who have been throwing punches for a long time and hopes to continue doing it. She teaches classes at the gym now. She has run multiple 5ks and Spartan Sprints. She has organized her own Savage Race each of the last two years. She even cross-trains in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. She never would have thought she could do any of these things just a few years previously.

In her words: “I am strong now and I am proud of it. People comment on my muscles and I am proud of them, but more than anything I am proud of the mental and physical work that I have done to get them.”

Here are a few tips that Whitney wanted to share from her experience:

  1. Never be afraid to ask for help. There is someone around SBG Athens who knows the answer to your question on any subject. MMA, nutrition, physical therapy, construction, photography, accounting, law, music…Strength comes from being able to admit you can’t do it all on your own and you don’t know all the answers. That’s what the tribe is for.
  2. If something doesn’t go the way you want it to, don’t make excuses. Ask “Why?”  Did I do what I needed to in order to make it happen? Did I eat well? Get sleep?  Lift more than once in the last two weeks?  Go to class?  Practice the technique? If the answer is “no” then I didn’t earn it.
  3. You are not your past. There are hard habits to break and there are things that you may fight with for the rest of your life but your past does not define you; your will to change your future does.

Do you struggle with some of the same things with which Whitney struggled? You CAN make that change and TRANSFORM your life also!

Do you want to learn how to drop 10-15 pounds?
Need help with your nutrition?
Looking to start a fitness program?
We have just the thing for you. Click the button below and learn more about our 28 Day Transformation Challenge today!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28 DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE

Group Fitness in Athens Ga

Are you feeling sorry for yourself and can’t lose weight?

This is the journey of Sharyn Bortle: 50 year old first time bride (and soon to be step-mom), athlete at Training for Warriors Athens, and survivor.
Training for Warriors Athens GA
Cancer, a complete hysterectomy, and feeling sorry for herself caused Sharyn to have a hate-affair with her inability to lose weight.

Although this isn’t a story about Sharyn’s Ovarian Cancer, it is a story about how steroids, a complete hysterectomy, and feeling sorry for herself caused her to gain a lot of weight and lose a lot of self esteem. “I don’t know if anyone can relate, but it is hard out there for an overweight, pale, bald woman!” she exclaims. For 47 years she had always been thin, even if not in her head.

Sharyn had a gym membership elsewhere and two, thirty minute sessions per week wasn’t getting her where she wanted to be. Her fiancé has been a member of SBG Athens for many years. She noticed the profound change in him when he isn’t able to attend classes regularly. Sessions with her admittedly, amazing personal trainer, didn’t make her nearly as happy and she was close to her breaking point.

She began to explore the SBG website to see if there was something for her. She knew she didn’t want to “roll around with strangers and swap sweat.” She researched the Training For Warriors (TFW) program and saw a mix of activities she thought she would love. “I could feel my 16 year old athlete coming out” she said.

Sharyn joined TFW Athens the middle of May this year and hasn’t missed a class since July 1. In full disclosure though, she hasn’t seen any weight loss or loss of inches to talk about. “BUT, and this is very important, I am NOT discouraged. Why? Because I feel great, I look healthy, I am making friendships, I am keeping up with life,” she says enthusiastically. Some days she even feels like she is out in the lead. She thinks that is a real testament to the atmosphere at SBG/TFW.

She knows that physical results will come eventually. In the meantime, Sharyn is forming meaningful relationships, learning about her potential, and concerning herself with her attributes instead of her flaws or short comings. Most importantly, she understands that she is worth it, worth budgeting financially, and allowing herself the “luxurious necessity” of daily trips to the gym. “Perhaps this understanding just comes with age, as I just turned 50, or with the understanding that your good health can evaporate in a single doctor’s visit – but either way, one deserves to take good care of oneself,” she concludes.

I leave you with the top three tips that helped Sharyn transform:

“These come to mind because they are so apropos for life in and out of the gym”

  1. ‘Chest up’; ‘Elbows in.’ Back straight’ – TFW Coaches
  2. ‘Don’t Apologize.’ – Coach Steve
  3. ‘You Got This.’ – TFW Teammates

Do you struggle with some of the same things with which Sharyn struggled? You CAN make that change and TRANSFORM your life also!

Do you want to learn how to drop 10-15 pounds?
Need help with your nutrition?
Looking to start a fitness program?
We have just the thing for you. Click the button below and learn more about our 28 Day Transformation Challenge today!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28 DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE

Group Fitness in Athens Ga

Are you Insecure, Lacking Confidence, and Full of Anxiety?

This is the journey of Melody; 41 years old, mother, middle school teacher, and student at Training for Warriors Athens.
 Training for Warriors Athens Ga
Life before TFW was filled with insecurities, a lack of confidence, and anxiety medication.

Melody begins by saying, “I don’t know why, but I think it’s often the case that females feel a little uncomfortable in our own skin.  Maybe it’s our perceived imperfections, or a lack of confidence. Maybe I feel like I’m too fat, or too tall, or I’m too this or too that.”

Melody’s first class came during buddy week by invitation of a friend and member of the program. She is 100% certain she would never have walked in the gym for the first time without a friend. Since that time, Melody is a constant fixture in class. In any given week she can be found sprinting, squatting, deadlifting, cheering on her teammates, and getting after it.

Melody speaks about how strong females are encouraged; celebrated even. “Our coaches tell us to stop apologizing and walk like you own the earth,” she says. Although she can’t quite explain how meeting the small physical challenges translates into confidence in all aspects of her life, “I just know that it does,” she says.

Instead of imperfections, she now sees an hourglass shape, as well as definition in her legs, arms, and shoulders. She feels strong and walks proud and tall.

I leave you with the top three (or four) tips that helped Melody transform:

  1. “Show up and do something.” Coach Rory
  2. Fear is a liar – (that little voice that tells you that you can’t do something is a liar)
  3. “Walk like you own this earth.” Coach Adam
  4. “Stop saying you are sorry.” Coach Steve***

Do you struggle with some of the same things with which Melody struggled? You CAN make that change and TRANSFORM your life also!

Do you want to learn how to drop 10-15 pounds?
Need help with your nutrition?
Looking to start a fitness program?
We have just the thing for you. Click the button below and learn more about our 28 Day Transformation Challenge today!

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE 28 DAY TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE

Group Fitness in Athens Ga