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Chuck Jennings, 43
It was March of '98, and I was 35. I was struggling through yet
another workout at the Wellness Center of the Medical University
of South Carolina, where it's said, "If you don't get fit here,
you won't get fit anywhere." The Wellness Center was not my
first attempt at getting fit. Since college I had tried everything
I knew of and worked at each one diligently: weight training,
circuit training, jogging, assorted aerobic classes, yoga, kick-boxing,
Tai Chi, Stairmasters, stationary bikes, rowing machines, treadmills...you
get the picture? It's hard to describe my frustration caused by
exercising hard and dieting rigorously to end up with a body that's
misshapen-head pitched forward, curved spine, sloped shoulders,
caved-in chest, wide hips and flared thighs. Even though my muscles
had become more toned, my structure was still flawed. I suppose,
yes, I had become fitter, but the proportions remained. As
I honed in on middle age I was becoming convinced that I was doomed
to be a genetic pear.
Huffing and puffing, dripping wet, I happened to look across the
room and noticed a man talking to one of the personal trainers.
What got my attention was that I could tell he was somewhat
older than the trainer, and yet he looked much fitter. It was a
different kind of fitness, though. He had the body of a young athlete--sleek,
stretched and muscular without bulk, but what struck me the most
was his high chest and straight shoulders. Suddenly it dawned on
me that in all the years of trying to get fit, I never knew exactly
what I wanted, but finally there it was. For the first time I was
seeing it. Up until then the trainers I had worked under were my
models, but I suddenly realized it wasn't their muscular bulk that
I wanted, but that long, lean look like the man across the room.
Thirty minutes later, having reinforced my gloom by looking in the
mirror, I came out of the showers and three lockers from mine
was this man with a different kind of fitness. Larry introduced
himself, and I began talking. I told him how hard I'd worked
to get such poor results, and I asked him what he did. He told me
he followed a formula that he had developed over the years, that
it was quick, easy, and that it filled in the links missing in conventional
fitness programs. He went on to explain that the foundation for
the formula was a floorwork routine that reshaped and realigned
the body. I was surprised to discover he was a trainer, and I was
impressed enough to schedule a workout. But after two months I had
my doubts. I was showing progress, but nothing much more than
I had achieved in the past. I could always lose weight, so the only
difference was that I seemed to be more flexible, and I was feeling
muscles that I had never felt before. However, changes were not
happening fast enough. I was getting tempted to do more, and
everyone was suggesting something better. In the past I had
succumbed to that temptation to do more and more, but without success.
This time, for some reason, I kept listening to Larry. He told me
I didn't need more, that I didn't need anything else, that all I
needed was to simply follow the formula. "Do it over and over
and over, again and again and again. Don't waver. You will get the
8 Essentials of Fitness." I did it over and over, again and
again. I did not waver, and in twelve months my waist went from
a 39 plus to 31 inches. My "genetic" hips and thighs literally
melted away. My shoulders grew high, my caved chest became
full, and my neck straightened. Physically, I became everything
I wanted to be, and it was because of this exact exercise regimen
and nutritional plan. Weight loss and a conventional exercise regimen
would never have come close to giving me what I have today. It never
did. |
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Ramon Duncan, 53
I'm 53 years old, and given my strong, muscular physique, I've been
thought by many to be in remarkable shape, especially for my age.
Sure, with intense free weight training I had the appearance
of fitness; I even had a five miles a day running regimen that assured
people (and myself) that I was in the best of shape. It wasn't until
I began training with Larry that I realized how limited my body
actually was and how hard I'd been working to remain unfit. But
at first I was skeptical. I knew Larry casually, and though it was
obvious that he had employed an extraordinarily effective method
of exercise - knowing his age, he was truly amazing. But how could
his method possibly yield better results than my 5 mile a day run,
and three days a week in the gym? How could he say I was unfit?
My curiosity was peeked and my ego challenged. At his invitation,
I came to his house to see just what it was he was talking about,
and as he began to workout on the mat I thought to myself, "you've
got to be kidding, this is a piece of cake." Then I tried the
workout myself. I was astonished. Here I was, so sure and proud
of my physical abilities, and I was so tight and inflexible I could
barely get through the warm up. I was straining and puffing, groaning
and perspiring. Finally I was able to make it through merely six
of the exercises. It was then that T reevaluated my content of what
it meant to be fit. I continued to train with Larry. Within two
months I was noticing my already muscular body awakening to a level
of fitness far beyond what I could have ever imagined. I learned
that much of my weight training had been counterproductive because
it had tightened and over-built my muscles, reinforcing imperfections
in my body's structure. I came to realize that only certain weight
training exercises, and then only when they're done in the right
amounts, are really effective. They serve as enrichment to the floor
work and fill-ins, the foundation of Larry's formula. It's not about
quantity, either. Why should it matter how much you can lift if
you are unable to touch your toes?
Today, I still go to the gym to do the weight portions of the formula,
but I find it upsetting when I see how many people are being blindly
led down paths with conventional ideas of fitness. It's frustrating,
too, because I understand that they believe what they're doing will
provide them with all they need--I was one of them!-I just wish
I could make them realize no matter how hard you workout, no matter
what results you may see, if you don't have a complete formula that
provides you with the 8 essentials, you're selling yourself short. |
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Jeannie
Cerni, 80+
In 1945 I was a student of Joseph Pilates at his original studio
in New York. As a ballet dancer I have an understanding of the body,
and I knew that his method of exercise was vital to keeping myself
in prime physical condition, although many of my friends thought
we Pilates' students were kooks. And no wonder! I remember climbing
those spooky stairs, the strange looking machines, and Joseph's
wife, Clara, in her nurse's uniform. Those workouts, though, were
just wonderful. In those days, Pilates referred to what we now call
the mat work as "contrology." Contrology consisted of
34 movements on the mat, the core of the Pilates method. Joe was
pictured doing the mat exercises at age 60 and was the epitome
of long-lasting youth. Larry has taken 21 of those core exercises
to make up the foundation of the 21st Century Fitness formula. I
enjoy training with him not only because it's quick and complete,
but to see the youth Larry exhibits inspires and exhilarates me.
It's a quality of fitness I remember in my old trainer Joe.
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Lyle Allen, 55
I was a student of Yoga for many years, and over time I became an
instructor. Gradually, my ability to perform complicated stretches
increased my strength and flexibility to a point where I believed
I was in exceptional condition, and to a certain extent I was. My
wife, however, had begun searching for a more effective exercise
program. More effective than Yoga? How could that be possible? Soon
she said she'd found an exercise class that called for her to use
her body and muscles in a new way. Her enthusiasm for the methods
taught in her new class, and her claims that they might be better
than Yoga, piqued my curiosity. I had to see for myself. While watching
one of my wife's classes I became intrigued with what I began to
realize was a specific formula. It appeared that maybe my wife was
right, and soon I joined her in her classes with Larry. The first
thing I discovered was the weakness of what Larry termed my "powerhouse."
I thought my stomach muscles were well developed, but Larry showed
me how much stronger they could be. As the months progressed
I found myself more and more committed to his formula, and I particularly
enjoyed seeing the result of using dumbbells.
Given my long association with Yoga, I was aware of the important
benefits of deep stretching, but now I was realizing it was
stretching coupled with resistance that made the difference in building
supple strength. When combined with a nutritional plan built on
common sense, I realized I was in possession of an extremely well
balanced regimen. Within another month or two my body had strengthened
and realigned to a point where my posture improved significantly.
Now I realize that while certainly there are benefits that come
from practicing Yoga, alone it fails to provide a complete and balanced
formula like 21st Century Fitness.
Sally Youngblood,
62
In August of 2001, I was a 57 year old runner who was gaining weight
and stiffening more each year. That spring, I ruptured a disc and
had other injuries, resulting from heavy gardening and house renovating.
I started doing the 21st Century Fitness formula with Larry Nachman
on August 15, 2001. I liked it so much that one month later I followed
his advice to walk instead of run. As time went on, I began to feel
stronger in my back. First the aches and pains went away. Then I
began to notice I was slimmer and, very noticeably, more flexible.
On January 15, 2002, I had a single mastectomy on my left side and
a modified mastectomy on my right side with an auxiliary node to
levels I and II. I had Jackson-Pratt drains in both sides. I was
told not to raise my arms above my shoulders for one week. Then
I was told I could start creeping my hands up the wall. This seemed
to do little for my general well being, so I began to do my 21st
Century Fitness floor work. I was unable to do any of the exercises
on my stomach, but found the routine lying on my back helped combat
the tightening feeling I was experiencing and made me feel much
better. The drains worked themselves out and were removed. I bought
a softer mat and added the exercises back that were on my stomach.
During this time I experienced more pain as my nerves were growing
back, but I could tell things were improving. Three weeks after
the operation, I was doing the entire routine, but my right
arm was still tight as a result of the node dissection. After only
one more week, one month after the operation, to my amazement and
others I know who have had similar procedures, I was almost as stretched
and strong as before the operation. My husband, who is a doctor,
and I are convinced the floor work and fill-in exercises of
21st Century Fitness was my way to a speedy and happy recovery.
I've continued to get slimmer every day. My hips and stomach are
melting away and all 8 Essentials of Fitness that Larry speaks of
is becoming reality. I'm at a level of fitness I never thought possible
at my age! |
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