“Steve” is one of my all-time favorite people and he was getting married in 14 short weeks.
For 3 years, we had been training 3 days per week and geeking out together about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Steve wanted to do a hard push for his wedding but he felt he needed something to really drive home the intensity.
He wanted 3 simple things: to lose body fat, build boulder shoulders, and for his program to be themed after the Infinity Gauntlet from The Avengers.
As a colossal comic nerd, I was practically drooling to take on this challenge.
A 14 weeks timeline is usually plenty of pressure for trainer and client but Steve had literally thrown down the gauntlet.
“We have 14 weeks. I want to do 2 weeks of training themed for each infinity stone and 2 weeks of them all combined for the infinity gauntlet.”
I could geek out about how awesome the programming for each stone was, but the moral of the story is Steve was dialed in the whole 14 weeks and absolutely crushed it.
He got noticeably leaner, built big round shoulders, and set new maxes for his deadlift, squat, and benchpress.
He became a lean, mean, matrimony machine.
On the big day, Steve wore the hell out of that tux. He looked and felt his absolute best and it showed.
I tell this story not only because I’m so proud of the work Steve did, but also because the Infinity Gauntlet program changed my approach to coaching fitness.
To this day, The Lift doesn’t run cookie-cutter programs, large group classes, or bootcamps – we program specifically for each individual.
No two programs have been exactly the same, and because of this customized approach, the results have been better, faster, and more sustainable.
I’m not knocking group classes at all. They’re a great way to get exercise and way more effective than chilling on the couch..
However, when it comes to training for a specific outcome; everyone thrives with a training program designed specifically for them.