February Athlete of the Month

Congratulations to Jerry Johnson for being named Athlete of the Month. Jerry has always been a hard worker, he is coachable and wants to learn more, and his consistency has been amazing in recent months while working through an injury. Jerry's dedication and hard work have been very inspiring, we are lucky to have him at our gym!

1. Please tell us about yourself.

I just turned 49 years old. I am a proud husband and father. I am married to Michelle and my son is Carter. He turns 13 in June. I moved to Colorado from Arkansas in 1990 with my parents and siblings immediately after high school. I then started a long career in construction working my way up to administration. I left construction and have now worked in the office at Master Petroleum for 10 years in July. I have many tasks there. I am truly blessed.

2. When did you become a member at Defiance West?

I believe I joined this crew in spring of 2017.

3. What made you join Defiance West and why do you do it now?

I was given a gift certificate for a free unlimited month. I did a one on one with Cory, which basically means he evaluated how out of shape I was. I continued classes after that and really liked it. Back then I was 5:30 a.m. I knew this was for me and here I am…still.

I am still here because I stay fit, I relieve stress and it something I do for myself. Also, I have met some great people here and now I just hang with friends and we suffer together. This is a great community.

4. What were your thoughts after your first workout?

I remember feeling all of my old bad habits oozing from my pores. I was hurting, but I knew I needed this. It would be lifechanging.

5. What is your athletic background?

I competed in all sports from 8yrs old until sophomore of high school. A motorcycle accident broke my left foot pretty bad that year. I did not make the great comeback. Instead, I started a long career of bad habits. Now I like golfing, bowling, skiing. Hiking is okay. I am happily willing depending on the hike and the temperature.

6. What is your favorite movement or workout?

My favorite movement I believe is the cleans and the jerks.

7. What is your least favorite?

Least favorite hands down, the thruster. No explanation needed here.

8. What has been your favorite or proudest moment since joining?

Proudest moment is the 500 club. This has been a long journey for me. I’ve had a shoulder surgery, rehab, now another rehab same shoulder. It has taken forever. I’m proud to have continued the journey. I mean, this is voluntary suffering without instant results.

9. How has Defiance West changed your life, lifestyle, and level of fitness?

DW has changed my appreciation for my body. Realizing how easy it is to poison it. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a good poisoning, but I am very aware of what goes in. My son is only 12 and very athletic. I am required to play a variety of sports, which I love to do, and DW helps us continue our active lifestyle as we each get older. This keeps us close as a family because we share the same activity driven passions. And, this fitness level keeps us cool in the eyes of the pre-teen. I mean, Michelle and I can keep up with the kid. No sweat!

10. What are your fitness goals for this year?

This year is muscle and diet. At my age muscle could be a challenge. Michelle and I have been working with Cierra. She is educating us on nutrition. With her help I can dial in the diet, which helps complete this program. Running, jumping and lifting weights is only a portion. I am seeing results already. One good thing, I’m eating and drinking things I love that I haven’t eaten for years because I was told they were bad. That said, the opposite is also true, so in the end I still win. I recommend Cierra’s help. It is very enlightening.

11. What is something most people don’t know about you?

I love music. All kinds of music. I love listening to records.

12. What advice would you give to people looking to get started at our gym?

Start now! As you are! Don’t “lose some weight so I can go to the gym”. This is the place to do that. The beauty of this program is scaling. One size fits all!