To work out anytime 24/7, at your convenience, call or email us about the OpenPath app which gives you full 24 hour access to the gym using only your smartphone. A link to the app will be sent to your email address, along with a printable liability form that can be completed at home or at the gym for full access. ||| PLEASE NOTE: Colosseum Gym highly recommends Hidden Waters Farm for their fabulous grass fed beef and other naturally grown products. Visit their website for more info: www.hiddenwaters.farm
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Member Highlight

Another Triumph For Colosseum Bodybuilding by David Johnston

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Saturday, August 25th marked the day of the first NPC Jay Cutler Classic bodybuilding and physique competition, held in Rockville, MD, and the Colosseum Gym had a strong showing.

Personal Trainer David Johnston helped train and prep four athletes for the August show.  All four placed within the top five of their class, a terrific achievement given that three were first-time competitors.

Jim Driskell, ripped to the bone, took 3rd in the Men’s Open Lightweight division.  PK, another first-time competitor, took 5th out of 20 in the Men’s Physique Class A division.  Hannah Kim, also hitting the stage for the first time, placed 4th out of 20 in the Bikini Class A division.  Last but not least, Tracy Nash won the Women’s Open Bodybuilding Lightweight division, and then went on to win the Women’s Bodybuilding Overall title.  Congratulations to all four of you, and to David Johnston with more wins on the wall!  Colosseum Gym is rapidly proving to be a serious training ground for those interested in physique competition.

To that end, Colosseum Gym will be sponsoring a booth at the 3rd and final Maryland NPC show of the year, the Shawn Ray Classic, held on Saturday, October 27th, 2012 in Towson, MD.  Colosseum will soon be featuring two new trainers that both compete and help to prepare other competitors, Stacy Wig and Dave Shutler.  Stacy Wig is an IFBB Pro Fitness competitor, an active NPC judge, and has helped to prep dozens of men and women and get them into the best shape of their lives.  Dave Shutler competes in both Men’s Physique and Bodybuilding, as well as working in fitness modeling, and has also helped numerous others hit the stage in amazing shape.

Colosseum Gym is one of the last gyms in the area friendly to serious training, be that kettlebell classes, powerlifting, or bodybuilding.  We are proud to host a booth at the October 27th Shawn Ray Classic, and train David Johnston plans on bringing in between 8 and 12 competitors– all in the best shape of their lives.

If you would like more info on attending the show, or physique competition in general, please email David directly at DavidJohnstonTraining@gmail.com.

 

Four Colosseum Clients Compete in Bodybuilding Championship by David Johnston

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On Saturday, April 14th, 2012, four first-time competitors took to the stage at the 2012 OCB Eastern Regional’s Bodybuilding Championships in Baltimore, MD.  Each brought a level of symmetry, poise, and beauty to the stage they had never before achieved, and each walked away victorious, placing within the top 5 of all categories entered.  The reward: a boatload of trophies and medals; but more importantly, a newfound sense of discipline, pride, and personal accomplishment, each knowing they had brought their own personal best to the table.

First off was Sandy Aja.  Sandy began her journey with David Johnston Training in October of 2011.  She already worked out regularly, and wanted to do “something more” with her fitness.  She decided she wanted to compete in her first physique competition, potentially taking part in the Figure Division.  After meeting, we agreed she would be best suited now for the Bikini Division, and immediately put her on an aggressive training and nutrition regimen.  Starting at 5’4” and 130lbs, Sandy had the stated goal of adding muscle mass and stripping fat, hoping to get down to 115lbs.  At the show, Sandy took to the stage at a ripped and muscular 110lbs, surpassing even her own expectations.  She ended up taking 5th  out of 12 in the Bikini Division, taking home a hefty trophy.  More importantly, Sandy proved she had the work ethic and drive to train like a beast and let nothing stop her.  David and Nikki Johnston now have no doubt that with another year of dedicated training, Sandy will be able to completely transform her physique and be competitive in any Figure show she decides to enter.  (before pic; transformation pic; stage pic)

Next up was Sara Pearson.  Sara approached David in September of 2011, standing at 5’5”, 130lbs.  Sara’s goal was to build muscle while stripping fat.  Already in the gym several days a week, Sara found she had hit a plateau, and wanted something more ambitious to motivate her workouts– thus deciding to aim for her first Bikini competition.  Sara rapidly proved to have a tremendous work ethic, paying attention to detail and implementing her program design perfectly.  In a matter of just over 6 months, Sara was able to bust through her plateau, build new muscle mass, and strip her frame down to 115lbs on stage– all while studying for and passing the Maryland Bar Exam and beginning regular work as a lawyer!  She walked out last Saturday like a seasoned professional, carrying herself with tremendous stage presence and grace, and nabbed a 4th place finish out of 12 in the Bikini Division.  David and Nikki Johnston are incredibly proud of the strides Sara has made these past few months, and can’t wait to see what’s next for her!  (before pic; progress pic; stage pic)

After meeting Sandy Aja and Sara Pearson last fall, David Johnston, their trainer, decided it would be a good idea for all of them to actually attend their first physique competition.  Sandy brought along her boyfriend, Dr. Martin Ozimek, an aerospace engineer with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab who helps design space missions to the moon, asteroids, and comets for NASA (http://sites.google/com/site/mtozimek/ andhttp://civspace.jhuapt.edu/).  Marty had already been lifting weights and living the bodybuilding lifestyle for a good chunk of his life, but had never found the time to actually step on stage and compete.  David offered his help to Marty, telling him that he had tremendous potential should he ever decide to compete.  Figuring now was a good time– it certainly wouldn’t hurt to support Sandy in her own journey– Marty also committed to prepping for his first show.  By and large, Marty handled all of his own training, and only went to David for overarching advice on his contest diet, cardio regimen, posing instruction, and overall programming to get him into the best shape of his life.  Over the course of four months, Marty transformed from a very-in-shape 218lbs, to a ripped-to-the-bone 187lbs.  Marty ended up being the “surprise of the night”, taking first place in the Men’s Debut Bodybuilding Division, first place in the Men’s Novice Heavyweight Bodybuilding Division, winning the Men’s Bodybuilding Novice Overall title, and placing 3rd in the Men’s Open Middlweight Bodybuilding Division, the most competitive class of the night.  Marty took to the stage like a warrior, fighting hard during the posedown for the Novice Overall.  He won over the audience and had a huge cheering section behind him by the time he left the stage.  Going home that night, Marty had his hands full with not one, but four large trophies, and the knowledge that he had truly gone the distance, pushing his mind and body to new heights of personal accomplishment.  Marty will be competing again this weekend, Saturday April 21st, and we wish him the absolute best on stage.  David and Nikki Johnston look forward to continuing to guide Marty in his bodybuilding endeavors.  He truly is one of the hardest working individuals we’ve ever met, and it shows in his continued success. (before/face pic; stage pic; trophy pic)

Last but certainly not least was Christina Fahey.  Christina was the one individual who competed last weekend that never intended to get on stage.  Christina approached David Johnston in February of 2011 in the worst shape of her life.  Standing at 5’3” and 186lbs, Christina was working out in the gym furiously but seeing zero progress.  After assessing her situation, David realized that Christina’s problem was largely her diet and lifestyle, and proposed a complete overhaul to her nutrition habits.  They fought furiously in the beginning over every morsel of food, but David was relentless and would not budge when it came to his dietary recommendations.  He told Christina right off the bat about the potential he saw in her, and explained that if she ever went the distance, she would have a physique the likes of which nobody would believe.  Christina was hoping to get down to approximately 136lbs, give or take 5lbs.  Her end point would far exceed even her own expectations.

Though a battle in the beginning, Christina started to see the benefits of following the eating and training style suggested by David.  As the compliments started to slowly trickle in from strangers, Christina grew more driven and motivated, and had a progressively easier time sticking to the diet plan.  Though never simple, with practice, everything got a bit easier.  After the first 6 months, Christina had dropped to 150lbs, a total loss of 36lbs.  She was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but still didn’t have the full faith or vision.  David, however, was hellbent on getting her there, and started tossing around the idea of Christina doing her first bodybuilding competition.  He knew this would give her a concrete goal and motivate her to push to the next level of personal development.  It never pays to set the bar low, and with Christina, we set it at the stars.  Little did we realize she would ride that rocket into the stratosphere.

After months of blood, sweat, and tears in the gym– combined with enough chicken breast to feed an army– Christina weighted in the day before the show at 123.2lbs.  She had surpassed even her own expectations, dropping 63lbs,  and now truly looked like the champion she had always had bottled inside.  Though not always the most aggressive on the outside, Christina took to the stage like a seasoned warrior, and moved the audience with her beautiful posing routine.  Christina ended up taking 2nd place in the Women’s Bodybuilding Debut division and 3rd in the Women’s Open Bodybuilding Division.  In the course of just over a year, Christina completely morphed from the worst shape of her life, to looking like a living, breathing statue on stage.  Her beaming smile showed the personal pride and accomplishment she had achieved through her dedicated hard work, and David sat in the audience like a proud parent.  They both look forward to seeing what the future holds for Christina’s training, and pushing her to new heights with her personal development. (before pic; transition pic; stage pic; trophy pic)

All four competitors approached David Johnston unsure of themselves– their abilities, their potential, and a realistic timeline.  Each, however, knew that there was more within them, a champion, or warrior, just clawing to get out.  David would like to stress that he cannot take the credit for each individual’s success– he was merely the instructor and tireless guide on the path of every person truly seeking, and finding, the best within themselves.  Congratulations to Sandy Aja, Sara Pearson, Marty Ozimek and Christina Fahey on elevating yourselves from would-be champions to actual living, breathing success stories.  It is individuals like you that motivate us all to ever-greater heights.

-David A. Johnston
April 20th, 2012

 

Former Colosseum Trainer Crowned Worlds Strongest Man

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Over the weekend, former Colosseum trainer, Mike Jenkins, defeated all of the world’s greatest strongmen in The Arnold Strongman Classic and claimed the title of the worlds strongest man!
Among his competitors were Derek poundstone (USA) and Zydrunas Savickas (Lithuania), two of the biggest names in the sport.
Congrats to Mike for this tremendous accomplishment!  We are proud of you and thanks for allowing us to say that the world’s strongest man trained at the Colosseum!


Read more on the Arnold Strongman Classic Website

 

Semi-Pro football team joins the Colosseum

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The Arbutus Big Red semi-pro football team has joined our membership ranks!  We have our front desk salesman and trainer, Mike Greengold, to thank for the bump in membership.  He is a defensive lineman for the Big Red and helped arrange memberships for his team.

The Big Red will only be in for team workouts Wednesday night at 730 and Sundays at 3.  Its a big group so parking will be more difficult than usual during these times, however the players have already started setting up carpools.

 

Planning for the End

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Barrett King, Attorney at Law

“They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist…”

 

These are the famous last words of Civil War General John Sedgwick who severely miscalculated the aim of the Confederate Army on his last day. In my line of work, I don’t often get to see so historic a miscalculation, but I do get to see what happens when people fail to stop and think about their last day.

 

“Estate planning” is a phrase that makes people think of millionaires and their lawyers. Sometimes, that’s true. More often, however, estate planning involves people who want to protect whatever it is they have for whoever it is they want to leave it to. For some, that involves trust funds and complex paperwork. For the rest of us, it involves naming the people that are important to us in a will and putting in writing exactly what we want to happen to our house or our personal possessions.

 

A will is important for unmarried couples who want to be sure that their significant other is taken care of in the event of death, and it is equally important for married couples.

 

“But my husband/wife will get everything if I die, right?” No! If you don’t have kids under eighteen, your spouse will receive just over one-half of your estate. If you do have kids, the court will require a guardianship for the one-half of your estate that goes to your children under eighteen. This is expensive, time-consuming, and unnecessary. All it takes is proper estate planning, whether by drafting a will, deed, or beneficiary designation form.

 

Just like a will is the foundation of an estate plan, it is important to plan for disability by signing a Power of Attorney. This document allows a trusted family member, friend, or other reliable person to take care of your financial matters if you cannot do it yourself. For younger people, it is much more likely that you will experience a disability than die prematurely. A will does nothing if you are still living, so someone needs the ability to handle your finances if you become disabled.

 

The same is true in the case of the advance directive, or “living will.” If you cannot make your own medical decisions, who will? Sign this important document to make sure that someone you trust to do what is best for you when it comes to deciding whether to continue treatment in certain situations.

 

Even though we are all members of the Colosseum Gym and we might feel like we’ll live forever after a good workout, the truth is that none of us will be here forever. It is important to meet with an estate planning lawyer to discuss your concerns and your needs for the inevitable. As long as you are living, you can rewrite your estate plan all you want. Once you’re gone, however, it either works as planned or it doesn’t.  Call in an expert and make sure the job is done right not just the first time, but the only time.

———————————–

Want to meet Barrett?

Contact him for a FREE estate planning consult:

Elville & Associates

9192 Red Branch Rd Suite 300

Columbia MD 21045

Phone- 410.997.4100     Email- barrett@elvilleassociates.com

 

Member Highlight: Jean Trinkaus

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Jean is the owner of Columbia Eye Associates, and eyewear store in Columbia,  and she would like to help you protect your children from sports related injury.

“Protecting Your Child’s Eyes from Sports Injury”

If your child plays a sport that requires a helmet or faceguard, don’t make the mistake of thinking
your child’s eyes are protected from injury.

Your child’s eyes are still exposed to danger from sports equipment, or an opponent’s fingers penetrating the opening of a facemask.  If your child wears glasses, everyday fashion eyewear is not held to the same protective standards as regulation eyewear.  However, a quality pair of sport goggles, equipped with polycarbonate lenses, can be sight savers since they help the eyes and surrounding ocular region of the eye.

 

Sports activities can at times become very costly and may even keep your child from being able to participate.We invite you to come in so we can talk to you about your child’s needs and get them into protective eyewear.

We know that you have many choices in eyecare and we look forward to serving you.

Colosseum members receive a 35% discount on all eyewear and 50% off of children’s eyewear.  Offer cannot be combined with insurance.

Written By Jean Trinkaus, Owner
Columbia Eye Associates

Member Highlight: Alison Fiasconaro

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On May 13th, 2008 Alison began training for her first bodybuilding competition and today, 2 ½ years later she took first place at the prestigious Yorton Cup Bodybuilding Competition.  This is her story…

When Alison first decided she was going to compete in bodybuilding she was 43 years old and the mother of two.  She had just joined the Colosseum because she could get in a workout while her daughter was next door in ballet class.  One night she met with one of our trainers, “Big Mike” Acham, and being no stranger to the bodybuilding world, he immediately recognized Alison’s potential.  As Alison tells it, “He [Mike] saw far into the future and he had a plan.”

At the beginning, Big Mike set the stage for success by creating a structured workout program and gradually progressing her as she met the demand.  As Big Mike tells it, “we began with learning the proper mechanics for each exercise.  She had to feel it first … the reps and weight came later.”

Eventually, Alison’s workouts reached a new height of intensity, and no longer resembled anything the average human being would voluntarily push through.  If you’ve been here to see her work out, you know.  She lifted hard and she lifted often … and she had the mental fortitude to stick to her nutritionist’s diet plan throughout.

On her trainer Alison would like you to know, “I trust Mike completely. He knows how I like to be pushed and he was there to make sure I did it.  I could not have accomplished what I have without him.”

In August 2009 Alison felt very confident in her body and competed in the Presidential Cup with hopes of winning.  She was beat out by a tough competitor and took home 2nd place, but she was not discouraged.  “In fact…”, she says, “At this point, I was hooked.”

Alison took a year off of competition to train.  That may seem strange, but when bodybuilders diet down for competition it is near impossible to add muscle, so all gains are really made in the “off-season”.

“When I came in to work out I would leave my ego at the door.  My focus was on my workout and I would listen to my body, listen to my trainer, and try to learn from both.  Mike would ask me, ‘How are you feeling?  Are you focused?’ and it would help.  Training hard is a mental challenge.  If you stop early one workout, then the next one will be that much harder.”

Excerpt From Alison’s Trainer, Big Mike:

“As a personal trainer I feel like an artist painting a portrait, except my canvas is a person, my clients, and my instruments are my senses and my commands.  I helped Alison stay focused and keep her head in the game and she was able to sculpt a beautiful physique.  To anyone interested in training, bodybuilding or not, just remember that you are your biggest competition.  Your roommate or best friend or the other competitors next to you on stage are all secondary.”

“The day of the Yorton Cup, I felt very confident” says Alison.  The Yorton is the crème de la crème of bodybuilding competitions, but Alison was at her best and she knew it.  There were 6 competitors in her class, 11 overall, and Alison was hands down the winner.  “I enjoyed every part of it.  I enjoyed being around the people who share my passion.  It was one of the best days of my life.  I finished what I set out to do so long ago and the experience has brought me closer to the person I want to be.”

Winning the Yorton Cup also earned Alison her IFPA (International Fitness and Physique Association) Professional Bodybuilding status, or her “Pro Card”.  Her next event is November 20th at the Pennsylvania Natural and she hopes to improve upon her posing skills.

Congratulations Alison!!!