“When my health and fitness are my lifeline, and everything is at stake, I trust and believe 100% in the high intensity training of Overload Fitness…”
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After spending 5 years as an Overload exercise instructor under Josh Trentine where I was able to transform my physique in the natural bodybuilding competition scene, winning many weight class divisions with Josh with only 40 minutes a week of training, I had an opportunity to follow my life-long career field in law enforcement.
In the summer of 2011 I hung up my career in personal training at Overload and attended the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy. The physical training requirements were not easy by any means and while many other classmates were spending hours upon hours in the gym each week, I stuck with the high intensity training (HIT) principles that of Overload Fitness. Due to time demands to study, my strength training reduced to just 1 workout per week and 1 cardio session a week to practice for the state required run. Along with a quality balanced ratio diet that is also prescribed by Overload Fitness I was able to maintain excellent conditioning and pass all the physical tests with flying colors.
Exercise for me since a teenager was always about feeling good and being healthy. Anything else that came with it was a bonus. However, after stepping out into the streets of law enforcement for the very first day, exercise took on a whole new meaning. MY LIFELINE! A good instructor in the police academy told our class one day, “Your physical appearance and conditioning may make the difference between life and death someday”. That has always stuck with me and I thank God daily for the opportunity to have trained and worked at Overload Fitness because it has yielded me the injury free conditioning, agility, strength and speed that has saved me from serious physical harm countless times. Things can go from 0 to 60 in a blink of an eye, there is no warm up time, one must be ready to go at the drop of a hat. Overload high intensity training has allowed me the best chance of doing that and why I have been training it with it exclusively for the past 10 years.
To this day I am still performing (2) 25-30 minute full-body strength training sessions per week that are spaced out 3-4 days apart. Additionally within the week I perform (1) HIIT cardio session (to train “event specific” for my needs, aka: sprinting after a fleeing suspect during a foot pursuit). Between 12-hour shifts, monthly rotations working days/nights, and as a husband/father I do not have any more time to spend exercising, yet I need that vice in life to positively cope with the irony of the world. High intensity training has allowed me to do that.
Additionally, the specific rehabilitation equipment Overload Fitness has especially in the area of lower back and neck are immaculate. Wearing 30lbs of equipment and gear for 12 hours under stressful conditions and positions each day can take a toll on the body if not properly trained and conditioned.
Though my bodybuilding competition days are over and replaced with being a full time police officer, father of three boys and husband, I have never wavered in my training methods and living the lifestyle. I have even introduced my oldest teenage son to HIT for his own workouts.
To conclude, anyone on the fence about whether Overload Fitness and its principles can work for you I encourage you to give it a sincere, full blown effort. I have even helped pass the knowledge on to my fellow officers in their workouts because I believe in it that much and wish them the same health blessings as me because I need to count on them as well in situations to make sure we all go home.
Leave your hesitation at the door and commit. I have seen it change the lives of many without pain, injury free, and in fractions of the time.
My final thought: After entering law enforcement I could have picked any exercise method out there especially considering it may make the difference between coming home one day or not. Even now, when my health and fitness are my lifeline, and everything is at stake, I trust and believe 100% in the high intensity training of Overload Fitness… Best of luck!
Mark
Police Officer, Ohio
