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Have you been through basic training? If so, you will remember (with unfortunate clarity) those fitness drills. Yes, those drills. The drills that alerted you—in a rather rude way—to muscles you never knew you had.
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Meet Trent, an international first responder. He’s got a story to tell about the facing the challenges of boot camp!

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ALL OR NOTHING

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Before basic training, Trent had been his own athletic master. At home, he could choose how many reps to perform, or how far he would run each day. Those days ended when Trent enrolled in Chazak Rescue’s first responder boot camp. Here, the choices were all or nothing—push your body to the max or be disqualified.

Long, intense drills strained Trent’s mental endurance. He told us, “Before I became a first responder, I’d hit up the gym now and then. I competed in a few 5k races, nothing too serious. But when I joined Chazak, I was suddenly doing burpees for twenty or thirty minutes at a shot. That really got me. I was not prepared for the high intensity!”

Trent wasn’t used to repeatedly ignoring his body’s demands for reprieve.

But Trent is an educator. He has a gift for teaching, and plans to eventually master the credentials required to become an educator of international first responders. As an educator, Trent loves to learn new tools. And he found a skillful teacher in his fitness trainer, reFORGD’s founder, Andrew.

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EDUCATING THE EDUCATOR

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First, Andrew evaluated Trent’s performance. There was good news! Trent discovered that he holds a natural ability for aerobic endurance. He simply needed to understand how to use multi-level physiological strategies to activate his desired outcome.

During workouts, Andrew explained the science behind what Trent was seeing and feeling in his lungs and muscles—how endurance works at a cellular level. Soon, Trent could explain difference between aerobic and anaerobic energy. He could explain the production and output of each—and holding this knowledge was fun!

Andrew didn’t only educate Trent with knowledge. He also offered hands-on tools. Andrew demonstrated proper techniques, making sure Trent understood how correct form looked and felt, and how proper body movement impacted the unseen processes of his body.

He taught Trent how to build his body to sustain long-term exertion. He showed Trent how to cross-train with resistance workouts.

Trent’s next endurance challenge arrived. Had his technique improved? Did he hold the mental endurance to ace this challenge, or would he falter?

Now Andrew offered Trent another resource: the gift of being present. As Trent once again pushed past his body’s screams for reprieve, Andrew ran beside him, encouraging Trent that he could ace this test, driving him to go beyond what seemed possible. Outcome?

Trent’s run time improved. His muscles bulked up. Slowly, as Trent continued to train, he found his mindset switching from, “Am I capable of this?” to, “Let’s go! This will be fun!” Andrew’s words of encouragement were striking home.

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THE REAL TEST

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Partway through basic training, Trent was forced to pause his athletic training regime. When, at last, he was cleared to get back on the track, he’d lost months of time.

He’d lost training time, but Trent hadn’t lost his newfound knowledge and motivation. Choosing to launch himself towards goals that formerly seemed far beyond his reach, Trent hit the track and the gym again. Andrew had given Trent a vision. Trent was set on achieving it.

Race day arrived.

Trent’s challenge was to run three miles non-stop, at his fastest pace possible. Months earlier, Trent had run a mile non-stop, with a finish time of 7.25 minutes. He’d given the track absolutely everything he had. If one mile had completely wiped him out, what would three miles do?

Like horses from the starting gate, the first responders charged. By mile two, Trent’s lungs were an inferno. His muscles screamed at him to stop. But Trent did not stop. He had a secret weapon: beside Trent, Andrew peddled a bicycle, shouting for Trent to keep going, to give it everything he had. Andrew stayed beside Trent all the way to the finish line.

Trent cleared the finish line. He forced himself not to vomit. He had completed three miles in just over 21 minutes—a new personal record.

Remembering his accomplishment, Trent said, “I know I wouldn’t have been nearly as fast if Andrew hadn’t been there encouraging me, telling me to push myself harder. This wasn’t an isolated event either—it’s typical for Andrew to be present with people like that!”

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TOOLS FOR THE FUTURE

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When Trent looks at his future in athletics, it’s the cumulative build of endurance that’s most encouraging.

“I enjoy being fit!” Trent told us. “It is so much fun to be able to run, or go be active and know you hold high ability to perform. I want to be fit for the rest of my life! It’s my goal to continue building my body.

Of course, as you age there are certain limiting factors. But when it comes to endurance, many well-known endurance athletes are older people. So I know there is potential for me to continue growing in the physical abilities realm.

My future holds ongoing deployment on first response missions to disasters worldwide. I’m also planning to become an instructor. As an educator, I don’t ever want to get to a place where I am not pushing myself as hard as I am pushing my students.

Because of the knowledge Andrew has given me, I am confident to move forward with my own physical routines. I know they will be effective. Andrew is an enabler! He empowered me to keep getting better with the knowledge that I have now. I am very motivated to continue training!”

Sounds like Trent is fully prepared to continue multiplying his new-found power! We are here for it!