Middle age is a time when it’s easy to let physical fitness slip. That’s what happened to Brandon Johnson. The Denver consulting engineer was approaching 40, and seven years earlier, when his son was born, his workout routine took a back seat to life as a new father. He had been a basketball player and swimmer in high school, a CrossFit enthusiast in his 20s and early 30s, but in recent years he had gained weight, and he wasn’t as strong as he had once been.
However, Brandon refused to let the years and the inertia get the best of him. Through a personalized fitness program at Olde Town Athlete, working with owner and coach Colby Knepp, Brandon lost his excess weight, regained his musculature and established a more sustainable routine that better supported his physical and mental health as compared to his prior aggressive training routines.
Something Had To Change
Weight gain and muscle loss sneak up on you a little at a time. For Brandon, it was humbling “realizing just how far I had fallen.” He had let his dietary habits go, and his body fat was up to 24 percent. He is a tall man who had been lean, and the excess weight was stressful on his back and joints, as well as his mental health.
Brandon’s quality of life was deteriorating. His mental health was suffering, and as time passed, he found it harder and harder to find the motivation to make changes. However, it was important to him to set a positive example for his son, Oliver, and role model what a healthy lifestyle should look like. He started searching for a way to “get back to a path I could be proud of.”
Getting Back to the Gym
The first decision Brandon made was to “get my butt back into the gym.” Beyond that, though, he was determined to find a “model that worked for me as far as being a sustainable routine.” His long-ago workouts had been rigorous and left him feeling strong but at the expense of often feeling broken or injured.
Brandon started working with Colby in November 2021, even before Colby founded OTA. They talked about goals and laid out a framework. The routine began with rudimentary strength training and aerobic exercise.
Initially, they clashed in the approach as Brandon was accustomed to an all-or-nothing way of thinking about exercise, and was prepared to jump in aggressively and hit the gym six days a week. Colby insisted that two or three sessions a week made a more sustainable program with a greater chance of success. Eventually, Brandon learned to trust his coach and the OTA process.
These kinds of bumps in the road are the reason that OTA asks for a six-month commitment. It’s not a contract, but it’s an informal agreement that the client will give the process 26 weeks to show progress before moving on to some other program.
Eventually, Brandon overcame his feelings of being held back and the two learned how to navigate each other’s personalities while finding a process they could both agree on. For Brandon, it helped that the OTA staff “really cared that I was there.” They had an attitude not only of support but also of accountability. The team frequently checked in with Brandon to make sure that he was keeping up with the program and that the program was addressing his needs.
After a while, he found that the exercise routine was not only producing fitness results, but also energizing him rather than “beating him up” as some other more aggressive programs had done in the past.
Fitness Regained
The numbers tell part of the story. Brandon’s weight dropped from 260 to 230, a reasonable figure for his height and build. He added 20 pounds of muscle and lowered his body fat from 24 percent to 11 percent. But the numbers, in and of themselves, aren’t the important thing. It’s what they mean for your quality of life.
Brandon is pleased that he’s “almost as strong as I was ten years ago without feeling broken all the time.” His newfound strength serves him not only in the gym but also in everyday life. It makes it more enjoyable to ride his bike or play with his son. His mental health has improved as well. He reports that he handles stressful situations better and finds it easier to be happy.
His approach to nutrition has become more complimentary to his fitness goals. He’s no longer focused on tracking intake, but rather on eating to fuel his workouts and feel energized. He doesn’t worry much about having the occasional slice of pizza or glass of beer.
One of his biggest accomplishments is that he’s no longer concerned about how he stacks up against other people at his workout facility. Instead, he focuses on his own progress. He’s at a point where his eating and his workouts are intentional and sustainable without requiring a lot of brainpower to maintain. From what he’s learned, he’s confident he could organize his own program, but he plans to stick with the OTA routine for the accountability and camaraderie.
Advice for a Fitness Journey
What would Brandon Johnson say to others who are thinking of undertaking a fitness program? Here are some key success factors from his experience:
- Make a commitment and prioritize your fitness. For most people, middle age is a busy time for family and career. However, the hours you carve out will more than pay for themselves in benefits for family and the job.
- Find a personalized program. Everyone is different, and your greatest chance of success comes with a program that is designed to fit you and your desired lifestyle.
- Have people around you who not only support you but also hold you accountable.
- It’s alright not to go as hard as you can every time you work out. In fact, it’s better not to. You can even skip a session if that’s what your body is telling you to do.
- Avoid comparisons. Focus on your own progress. There’s always going to be someone stronger than you.
- Avoid “ego lifting”, where you pump as much iron as you can in order to brag about the number you reach.
- Find a program you trust, then trust the program. By all means, give your coaches feedback but rely on their expertise to keep your progress at an appropriate level.
Fitness Is for Everyone
If you have a fitness goal, there’s no time like the present to get started. Olde Town Athlete has helped individuals regain strength after injuries, train for personal fitness achievements, and also get middle-aged bodies back into shape the way Brandon Johnson did. We’re ready to be your partner in creating a personalized plan for your fitness journey. Give us a call and talk to our coaches about what you’ve dreamed of accomplishing.