Testimonials Of Space Coast Barbell Clients.
I guess I can be classified as a “Non Competitive Client”. There are lots of reasons for wanting to get fit. In my case, you can say it was largely out of fear. I am in my early forties, and have been overweight most of my life, culminating at about 350 pounds a couple of years ago. I grew increasingly scared, because my legs would often become numb after standing on my feet for extended periods of time. I had also been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea, and was taking medication for high cholesterol. For the sake of myself and my family, I knew something had to be done, but doing it was the difficult part.
I had tried dieting and exercising in the past, but really was clueless about what I was doing. I wasn’t sure what foods I should be eating, what exercises to start with, and quite frankly was a little intimidated by the idea of “weight training”. My wife and I joined the big two story gym across town, but were unimpressed by their lack of individual attention and support. Frustrated, I continued training on my own, focusing primarily on cardiovascular regimens, and a diet with very little calorie intake. I began taking the weight off very quickly, but was still not happy with what I was seeing in the mirror, and in photos. No muscle definition at all and a lot of excess skin in my arms, belly and chest. When I first met Amy at Space Coast Barbell about a year ago, I had already lost a considerable amount of weight. But I had fallen into a rut, and was quickly losing motivation while gaining back more pounds. Amy set up a workout schedule and meal plan right away, and began showing me the basics of all the equipment. I work with her one on one weekly to ensure my form is correct, and she is always available to answer any questions (No matter how dumb) during regular workout days. I have even sent her text messages at night, asking what I can and can’t eat, and they have been happily answered. On those rare days when Amy wasn’t at the gym, I could flag down Tammy, Nate or any of the other trainers and they would never hesitate to help me. From the moment that I set foot in the Space Coast Barbell Gym, I could sense that they genuinely care about their clients. And that I was just as important to them, as their clients who were training for competition. Also, seeing the personal dedication that Joe, Amy and their colleagues put toward their own goals has driven me to push all that much harder toward mine. I am proud to say that I am now down to 190 pounds, with a body fat percentage less than 20%. I have also lost a total of 43.5 inches, since joining Space Coast Barbell. I now have muscle in places I didn’t know I could have muscle, and more energy than I had when I was in my twenties!
I am extremely grateful to Amy, Joe and everyone at Space Coast Barbell for their caring and support. I feel truly blessed for knowing them.
Pete Cardinal
Testimonial from our friend and client Kelly Corley
As a child, I remember always being in aw of bodybuilders such as Cory Everson. I had always surrounded myself with very athletic people, but I never had much interest in playing sports myself. Growing up I worked in a gym, worked out here and there, but never stayed consistent. At age 26, I had my daughter and became the poster child for “working mom who didn’t take care of herself.” I ate out a lot, loved fast food, drank 8 cups of coffee a day with little water and made excuse after excuse of why I could not go to the gym. I mean after all, I was working and had a child, typical excuse for many women. I consumed myself in work, house hold chores, errands and my daughter’s games and parties were my entertainment!
My best friend, Amy DeGiovine, had recently opened a gym (Space Coast Barbell) along side her husband, Joey, and a few partners. She had also been certified as a personal trainer. Amy had been involved in the world of powerlifting, bodybuilding and figure for years, competing in figure herself. Each time I saw her compete, all the memories of loving that sport rushed into me and I became interested in the possibilities of competing in figure.
In December of 2008, I approached Amy about helping me compete in a figure show. Amy had already planned on getting a “team” together and was more then happy to make me a part of it. She and her husband Joey would train the team to compete in a show in June. So, toward the end of December, I sat down with Amy and Joey and got the hard facts on what it takes to be a competitor. Remember, for years I have binged on unhealthy food and did not ever train consistently, my body was a mess and I wanted to compete! I thought when they saw me in a bathing suit, they would laugh at the thought, but they didn’t. They embraced the thought of guiding me so I could make the changes I wanted for myself. They informed me of all the details, told me I had to dedicate the next 20 weeks to prep. They both went over diet, training, took my before pictures and measurements so we had an idea of what exactly I had to work on. I had a long way to go, but they assured me they would do all they could as long as I did my part. Amy and Joey even asked to meet with my husband and daughter; to be sure everyone involved knew exactly what I was getting into. They believe in having a support system and family is very important to them. They had thought of EVERYTHING! Amy wrote out a diet plan specifically for me with every last detail, so all I had to do was follow it. We would have several posing practices to be sure we all knew how to pose correctly on stage, Amy trained us daily with weights at her gym and made sure we each did our cardio. She gave us recipes, picked up our supplements and even sent personal emails or texts to be sure out heads were right on almost a daily basis. Amy and Joey even stuck by me when I wanted to quit. The diet was intense and very hard at times, but they were there to talk me through it (several times) so I stuck with it!
In May 2009, they decided I was ready for a show and I competed. Amy was there through it all, spray tanning, oiling me, doing my makeup, ordering my food, and just being a positive coach! I even had the support of many of the great friends I had made at Space Coast Barbell, who were all there at the show to cheer us on. I placed 2nd out of 2 but, I loved it and I was thankful to have had the help I had just to get me there and to look like I belonged on stage. I continued training and in June I competed with the rest of the team. I placed a disappointing 7th out of 20 competitors, but I HAD succeeded. I was consistent and I followed through! I had lost almost 30 pounds of fat, gained muscle and better yet had gained confidence! My dream of being on stage in a sport I respected had come true. I had stuck with it and had the best trainer around!
This journey was possible for me because of the dedication, belief and professionalism Amy has. Amy’s positive attitude spills over to her clients. She is tough, but in a way that makes you want to succeed, not quit and work harder. Even if you don’t want to compete, you will get the same personalized attention from Amy and Joey to achieve your goals. If you follow the plan Amy maps out for you, you will see results and better yet, you will have made a life long friend because Amy will pour her heart and soul into helping you achieve your goals. She did it for me and because of the positive experience; I plan to compete again next year. It is a constant struggle for me to stick with a diet and training plan, but Amy is right there encouraging me and respecting whatever I chose to do.
I have and will continue to refer anyone who wants to feel better, look better and be better to go to Space Coast Barbell. Make a consultation appointment with Amy or Joey and get started. You won’t regret it!
Thank you Amy, Joey and the entire Space Coast Barbell family for supporting me!
XOXO,
Kelley Corley
Testimonial from our friend and client Marcy Haeck
There are many different types of figure competitors…those that compete once just to say they’ve done it, those that compete a few times to get a trophy to prove they have done it and those that become addicted and compete well into the masters levels. I believe the category you fit into all depends on your trainer and the type of training experience you receive!
My first figure competition experience involved learning from magazines, the Internet, DVDs and any other informational resource I could get my hands on. My husband played a huge part in my first show. He actually trained me and helped me build muscle, and other necessities such as ordering my suit, tanning solution, books and DVDs to learn posing and he helped me with the ‘behind the scene’ details the day of the show.
My meal plan and cardio workouts were my responsibility from which again were learned from magazines, books, etc…Needless to say we were very green going into this experience but felt like we didn’t do too bad BUT knew I needed someone seasoned in this sport if I decided to continue.
Long story short, I was introduced to Amy and Joe DeGiovine and after talking with them the first time, I graduated from just ‘wanting to do a show to say I did it’ to ‘wanting to win a trophy to prove it’. I signed up to train with Amy for a show that was 20 wks out. In the next few days, Amy provided me with my diet plan, cardio plans, supplemental vitamins and water intake plan…EVERYTHING I needed to prepare me for my second show…I did not have to guess about anything!
A plan of action is the first step to being successful…sure there are many trainers out there that provide some of these things for their competitors but it was more with Amy and Joe. They were available all the time; I mean any time of the day, any day of the week. As we worked through week one in the gym and on my new diet plan, there were many different changes going on with my body I wasn’t real comfortable with…from feeling FULL all day and still having to eat seven meals a day, to being more sore than I have ever experienced before and no matter how often I texted Amy to ask ‘is this typical’ (which was at least 10 times a day) she was always quick with a text back explaining what was happening to me and confirmed that I was normal!
My first show with Amy and Joe ended up being 16 wks out from our first meeting and aside from the intense workouts five to six days a week, which is another story all together, Amy and Joe prepared me in every aspect of competing with positive, supportive, genuinely caring and most of all competent training. They put more into training their competitors than just putting you through a workout. They have both competed and know how demanding training for a show is…not just physically but emotionally, mentally and financially. They are truly on top of what it takes to not just prep figure competitors but to prep winning figure competitors!
I did the majority of my training sessions with Amy while Joe was an extra pair of eyes when it came to progress of development and posing. Amy made each workout challenging and intense but exhilarating. She knew just how hard to push me to help me meet physical demands I would never of done training on my own. She trained me hard enough for me to feel more exhausted than I have ever felt or thought I could ever be but never hard enough to make me ever think about quitting. She was always there with a word of support and encouragement just at the time I needed it!
It has always been hard for me to trust, but I let go of all of my insecurities and doubts and trusted in what Amy and Joe were teaching me. I took their teachings and succeeded in both shows they trained me for and once again graduated to the next level of competing…ADDICTED! Don’t be surprised in 20 years when you still see me on stage striking the poses Amy and Joe have taught me to do so well. When I signed up to train at Space Coast Barbell, I was expecting to have good trainers but ended up with superior trainers and true friends!
Thank you Amy and Joe!!!
Marcy Haeck
Testimonial from our friend and client Nate Kirk
Want to put out a big “Thank you” to Joe and Amy, owners of the biggest little gym in Brevard-- Space Coast Barbell. I say the biggest little gym because although small in stature, big things happen there... Joe and Amy recently coached me through my first two body building competitions. What an experience. I had no idea the amount of work and discipline that it involved.
I have been weight training for 15 years. Showing up to the gym and putting in a good workout is the easy part. Fine tuning the body through nutrition is an art and a science, and Joe and Amy are the scientists. They followed my nutrition for 20 weeks. It’s not like they hand you a diet and say good luck. They saw me weekly, monitored my progress, and were complementary when it was deserved and brutally honest when it was necessary. But when it’s all said and done, you go on that stage representing not only your own hard work and accomplishments, but representing their abilities.
You can and will look the part if you do your part. It was hands down the toughest accomplishment in my 39 years, but the most rewarding. In the Mid Florida in June, I walked on that stage looking awesome and feeling confident. I didn’t place in that show but gave the judges a tough choice to make. But I won in my book because I was competing against myself and proved I could do what it took to be the best me. In the July Space Coast Classic, once again, I walked on the stage proud and confident and walked off with a third place trophy in the heavy weight class.
I recently became a certified personal trainer and these experiences have truly added to my knowledge, and I hope to pass on what I have learned to others so they can have the same feeling of accomplishment in whatever their goals are. Thanks to Joe and Amy, and all the members at Space Coast who encouraged me every step of the way. We are like one big family here, and the amount of members who travel lots of miles to these shows and power lifting meets to support the “family” is amazing. That’s what makes this the biggest little gym in Brevard. Watch for big things because this gym is going places.
Nate Kirk |
