Meet Nancy

Hi! Just wanted to share. I recently (as in this week) started taking my dog running with me. We did a short 30 mins on Sun, and he loved it. Yesterday was a cardio day, and I was scheduled for kickboxing, but it was cool, cloudy, and breezy outside, perfect for a run. I put vol 8 in my Ipod, and brought that and my running shoes upstairs, and Vlad went bonkers. He has never reacted to my running shoes before, so he must've really enjoyed running on Sun. He does react to me getting out my walking shoes :) So I leashed him up and took him with me. We finished up at 5 miles even. We walked the warm up, power walked the steady, ran the level 3s and sprinted the 4s. Vlad's favorites seem to be the all out level 4s. I swear when we got home, he looked at me like "why are we stopping?". He downed about half a bowl of water and by the time I got out of the shower he was lounging in the living room with his tongue hanging out in a big, goofy doggie grin. Yup, he likes it! And a tired dog is a good dog. So it seems you have another fan, even if he does have 4 legs. Thanks again for the wonderful workouts! Nancy Donahue (and Vlad)

Meet Terry

Terry Carter (in photo above; middle)
Age: 41
Occupation: Fire Captain

Cycling community accomplishments:
Founder and Past President of the Peoria Area Mountain Bike Association
Co-founder of  Illinois I-74 mountain bike race series
Illinois State Representative for International Mountain Bike Association
Founder of Peoria Area Mountain Bike Patrol
2nd place Co-ed division – 2008 24 hours of 9 mile forest mountain bike race
1st place 40 + division – 2008 CORBA Mud Sweat and Gears mountain bike race
2nd place 40 + division – 2008 FORC Rampage mountain bike race
2003 – 2007 Participant PAMBA Big Hit Downhill mountain bike race
2003 Participant WORS Devil’s Head Downhill mountain bike race
2008 Completed first road bike century (100 mile) circuit with 112 miles

Cardio Coach is the finest set of training programs I have ever tried.  CC is a breath of fresh air compared to the same ol’ routines offered by other cycling based fitness systems.  The music is fantastic.  Sean’s encouragement is spot on. The variety of challenges and tempos are very unique for this type of training.  With all the choices from short and intense to long and steady, I never tire of using Cardio Coach as an awesome addition to my off season training regime.  The versatility of Cardio Coach makes it easy to implement on the elliptical machine at the fire station as well as the stationary cycling trainer at home.  Sean has done his homework and provided a wonderful reinvention of the fundamental exercise routine.

Meet Davida (V)

Hi Sean,
Wanted to drop you a quick note to let you know how much your audio programs have helped me in my running. I'm a marathoner/half-marathon who's run races for about 5 years. I started working with your audio programs last summer. I'd work out with them on the treadmill and discovered quickly that they have helped me run stronger and faster when training outdoors and running races of various distances. They've inspired me to set new, bigger running goals in 2009, all of which I'm well on my way to achieving. I've posted huge PRs so far this year, including:
 
Marathon: New PR - 4:14.28 set on 1/11/09 at Disney. Previous PR - 4:36 in 2005
10K: New PR - 45:46 set on 3/7/09. Previous PR - 54:12 in 2007
Half Marathon: New PR - 1:42.40 set on 3/21/09. Previous PR - 2:06 in 2005
 
The Cardio Coach workouts played a major part in my running success. So thank you! I look forward to continuing to work with your programs and anticipate new volumes in the future (to help me achieve my main running goal - running a sub 4 marathon in Chicago this year and maybe qualifying for Boston).
 
Thanks again Sean and take care! V-

Meet Natalie

Hi Coach, Just wanted to give you some feedback. I've been on a weight loss plan since May last year and was faced with losing around about 200 lbs. Towards the end of last year I purchased a number of your workouts and sort of toyed around with them while still watching my food intake. My records show that when I started, to get to my level 3 I was working at 3.2 kmph and worked up to 3.5 kmph. Since January of this year, I've used the services of an online personal trainer but have told him about my cardio coach workouts and asked him to work them into my program. I\'m now doing circuits 3 days a week and your Vol 1 just about every day.

Since January, I have gone from doing 3.5 kmph for my level 3 challenges all the way to 7 kmph with a 12% incline to get my HR at the same level. I\'m now running my level 4 challenge at 10 kmph. I\'m absolutely amazed at how well your workouts have \'worked\'! Oh, and I\'m half way to my goal of losing 200 lbs! Thanks so much for being there each day when I work out - I recommend your workouts to anyone who asks what I\'m doing. Heart felt thanks Coach. Natalie

Click for full interview

Meet Jane

Sean!!

I just had to write and tell you I did Cardio Coach Press Play for the first time this morning. Tammy and Michele from the cathe.com forums joined me in this workout today and we dedicated it to a friend of Michele\'s who is battling breast cancer now and has just started on this journey. What an awe-inspiring workout!!! I was so moved by it! I took to heart Jim\'s comments during the workout. I have battled rheumatoid arthritis since being diagnosed in early 1999 at the age of 38. After several years of my doctor trying to find the right treatment for my disease which is considered severe, I was finally controlled in 2003 but not after many many courses of prednisone which left my body in very bad shape, overweight, and miserable. With my disease controlled the first time in four years, I decided to take control, joined Weight Watchers, started exercising, and finally actually started running!!!! Which was no small feat considering I have RA in my feet and ankles as well as hands. I found Cathe Friedrich who has taken me to physically fitness heights of which I\'ve never seen. Through her forums, I found you and Cardio Coach. My journey has not been as tough as Jim\'s and his attitude and zest for life amazes and inspires me. Thank you for providing a wonderful product that motivates me to continue to be the best I can be given the hand life has dealt me. Press Play will definitely be one of my favorites; I\'ll reach for it when I want to remember just how lucky I really am. See you in the workout!!

Jane

Meet Annette

The cardio coach series was shared with me by a friend. I used them for my cutting phases in preparation for a bodybuilding show in April 2007. I went into this show looking my absolute best! The cardio coach workouts are wonderful! They give me a great challenge and allow me to train with as much or as little intensity as I need.
I have used them repeatedly over the past 12 weeks and still find them as challenging as the first day I started using them. If a person is looking for a degree of cardio workouts that include high intensity training, cardio coach will not disappoint you!

http://www.annetteminnis.com/

Meet Kathy

Sean and Candace,

I just had to let you both know how much I enjoy the CC workouts! They are AWESOME!!! I think my favorite at the moment is Number 6 (Sean) it almost kills me, but I feel so good when I have completed it! I love all of the workouts! I thought that I was doing HITT cardio before I found the CC workouts, but after doing these workouts, I know that I was not even comming close to HITT! The workouts have definitely given me the means to get the most that I possibly can out of my cardio workouts! I look forward to meeting with one of you every day! Cardio has now become fun instead of a chore to get through thanks to your EXCELLENT workouts. By the way, I am a 54 year old grandmother and I am very very proud of myself that I can get through the cardio coach workouts. I cannot tell you how much pride I have in saying that!!!! Thank You,

Kathy

Meet Francine, IFPA Personal Trainer of the Year for 2004

Dear Sean,

First off, gotta thank you for the heads up on the breakdowns and warning of intensity and duration of this workout, cause this warning was NEEDED! Even though all your workouts CAN be modified to all LEVELS this puppy UNLEASHED an unknown animal in me! Holy S@$*! You sure DID BRING the HEAT on this one! WOAH! You are scaring me NOW coach, cause this to date is YOUR BEST YET ( how can that even be possible) each volume is different and you make it possible to conquer each one successfully, your coaching skills are brilliant and right on, even though I embraced your Vol5 challenge today or shall I say as$ whooping ;-)

I'm really looking forward to my progress of licking this sucker like I did the rest, with you in my corner I KNOW I can do it and it's now proven possible! Cause All things are Possible with Cardio Coach ;-) You made a FIRM Believer outta me!

Ok the journey begins ... I needed a voice recorder cause you would have felt my energy and enthusiasm of this workout, it was intense and mind blowing! Scenario I wasn't home, I was in the hotel's gym. Wish I had a video of this cause it was a doozie and a breakfast conversation piece for sure. I took the place over like it was my own (unknowingly, I was so in the zone man couldn't resist) (of course I scoped everything out as soon as I got there so I knew when I went down stairs, GAME ON!) in a nutshell of used equipment I started on the elliptical for all the hills (approx 30 min ), then went to bike (for sprints and finished there). The only thing that bit was the bike‘s monitor didn't work and I wanted some personal stats but no biggie.

Ok, moving on, My 1st Vol 5 encounter was a total different experience from any other vol not just because I was in a hotels gym, it had a more competitive edge feeling and I was so into it and felt you there from beginning to end! This time instead of me visualizing my team (forum peeps) I was competing MORE with myself and you were there with a SERIOUS Tone and PRECISE instructing Skills (kind of like ok, you mastered all the other 4 , now its time to get busy and see what you really got-you asked a lot of me in this workout, had faith in me and I wanted soo bad to give it to you and myself). I had goose bumps!

I Felt a HUGE coach/client connection from the get go on this one! I'm going to try my best to express my workout this am, so some visuals will be added here for your humor cause looking back,I had some crazy stuff in my head and remembering back my 'pump' and these people around me... it was a trip after all! Visualize me in a Nike one piece swimsuit (nice and tight no bouncing ;-)

I started on the elliptical, closed my eyes and went to the beat of the music and when your voice started I was like OH MAN, he means business, you were the Real Deal here, I then opened my eyes looked around and was like "ok no ones here let it go girl!"

I closed my eyes, got into the zone and let you work me out! The hills were unreal and your coaching was the BEST here. The timing was perfect and very NEEDED. I don't recall exactly what you said but there were a few good liners.. Not too much though, just right. I also loved your one minute two minute in's and your "I'm still here" one line was VERY MOTIVATING and made me work HARDER how could I forget it! All I know is I did grit my teeth (how did you know that) and kicked it out and my hair was standing up on my arms! Wait think it was, "Say you'll be tired and you will be, think strong and you are" (VERY POWERFUL something like that) OK, made it thought that ;-) After my hill climb, you then said something about admiring my view. I opened my eyes and there were two other people in the gym (staring at me) not working out (geeze how long were they there, I was drenched) it didn't phase me though, I smiled at them and went for my water bottle. I enjoyed your gazelle lion story but then let out a laugh (not that there was anything funny about this -I'm just a sick & twisted at painful times) (cause for some off reason it reminded me of Jamie Kennedy's skit, "I'm a gazelle").

Not sure you ever seen that, but oh my God funniest thing. He was pretending to be a choreographer for male strippers and he'd say "I'm a gazelle, I'm a gazelle" and did this funky move with his hands and hips (soo un-sexy and funny) they were like "is he for real?" but did it, looking all kinds of stupid, anyway he had animal names for everything, had to see it to appreciate it but anywhoo that popped into my mind made me chuckle.

I opened my eyes back up and now there are 3 people there and one lady had her arms folded in a huff as if I was hogging the elliptical and I said "do you want to get off here?" Not knowing I was LOUD with the iPod on, she shook her head yes and I said NO problem. She covered her ears I said, "oops sorry"), so I hit pause wobbled over to the bike then as your story progressed I wanted to choose which animal I was going to be, and the game face was back on!

I closed my eyes and got ready for the challenge, I went all out sweat dripping down my nose, I was PLEASANTLY surprised how quick it went by. I do remember wanting a lil' more coaching somewhere, can't recall now but it could have been because I left my water bottle on the elliptical and I was feeling dehydrated, so I hollered over to the lovely pushy lady ;-) "a LIL help please" (and she kindly brought me my baba ;-) "aaaagghhh thank you kind lady, love you!" I said to myself, I replenished quickly and finished strong while the on lookers (now a crowd) were in amazement or bewilderment not sure which but I'd love to have an icon for their priceless mugs! Glad my headphones were on cause I know they were saying some s$%t ;-)

Not a bother at all though cause I had an overload of endorphins blocking them out. Once the cool down music came on, the goose bumps were back, that music was PERFECT, I loved it! It reminded me of (don't laugh you know I'm one crazy girl, but it reminded me of live a aid concert and a Benetton commercial combined-this may sound crazy but believe me it was a powerful feeling of togetherness and unity). It was soo cool and unexpected not sure why but it made me smile! I really enjoyed that cool down music as well as the workout, Thanks Coach, for letting me test spin your Vol5 and for especially making me successful and STRONG at this MONSTER even though I have a ways to go, I enjoyed the torture!

PS - I always have a favorite line from you but the more I do your workouts the more they all inspire me & stick with me, you are soo motivating, this was WELL DONE! Gotta go back to that line when you said think you are tired and you will be, believe you are strong and you are how about that think I got it, if not I know I'm close cause there was a lot of emotional physical out of body experiences happening so I need a repeat of this ;-)

After I stretched it out , I hit the pool for a relaxing swim for fun and grabbed a float to chill, the onlookers were now by the pool watching me seeing what my next move would be ha ha ha, I was fried, catching my breath and simply reflecting back on my kick ass workout, sorry folks show's over ;-)

I then go up to the room shower, get dressed and go down to meet our friends for breakfast, having a good ole time, then the craziest thing happened, this lil kid came up to me and said, "Miss, can I have your autograph? I don't know who you are but my mommy said your going to win a gold medal."

Aaaawwwhhh how cute, I looked over and his mom was the one on the elliptical who gave me my water (the one who was all huffy at first) I smiled over and signed his takeout menu, "Believe in yourself ALWAYS, Anything Is possible if you want it BAD enough!" Francine XO!

My hubby smirked, "HOOCH what did you do this morning?" I smiled at him and said I did Coach's new workout, that's all! (I always refer to you as Coach to Bubba). How about that, that's some crazy stuff huh? They thought I was in training for the Olympics here !

Just goes to show you that training with you I'm always home (even when I'm not ;-)!

Chris K

See that smile on my face???
YOU PUT IT THERE!!!!

I just finished the incredible PressPlay workout and I am thrilled. The hour flew by and it was all so motivating that there was no way I wasn’t going to take on every challenge.  (Well there was a little doubt after that first unbelievable challenge!!).
Last year in January I was having gall bladder surgery and unable to do any of your Cardio Coach workouts for a couple months.    I didn’t know how long it was going to take me to get my conditioning back; I knew it wasn’t going to be fun or easy.
Sean, when you released the new Revised Vol#1, it was just the spark I needed to get back into my cardio routine.    I did that workout a few times a week for months.  I never got tired of it. It was like working out with an old friend.  When I was feeling like I could take on a new challenge, I would try Vol 4 or Vol 5 or one of the Vol 6 workouts, to see if I could get through them (the Candace workout is KILLER!) Then I’d go back to Revised #1…… that workout was a godsend to me.
So today, I didn’t know what to expect with this hour long workout. I was afraid I would not be up to it.   It was definitely a new challenge, a long and hard one, but it was invigorating and satisfying.  I not only survived it, I ENJOYED it.   Sean and Jim, Todd, Corina, Candace, THANK YOU for all your hard work and the inspirational messages and music.  You certainly are helping people all over the world with the “hills and sprints of everyday life”.  I am one of them.

I’m BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCK!!!!!!!! 

Meet Fran

Aloha Sean!

My name is Fran, and as you can see, I live in Hawaii.  I bought all 5 of the volumes, and have tried 1-4 so far.  Haven't worked up the guts to try 5 yet, but I will soon!  Anyway, I just wanted to thank you.  I just got back from doing a 10k.  Now, I've done three marathons and tons of races, but always power walking, no running.  After my last marathon in 2004, I developed tendentious in my right ankle, and it's taken over a year to get strong enough to get back to racing.  So, this was my first race in last Feb, 2005.  I was really nervous, but I've been using the CC's about 3 times a week on the treadmill. 

Well, I'm no speed demon, but I finished the race in one hour and 20 minutes, which is 10 minutes off my time the last time I did this same race two years ago!  I felt like I had a lot of stamina and was actually running a lot of the race.  I could hear your voice in my head saying, "All right, we're almost there!  Don't give up!"  I'm almost 47 years old, Sean, and I was passing by the high school runners!  Boy, did that feel good!  Anyway, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate you. 

Have a great day!

Fran

Meet Roger, Professional Athlete

I first met Sean during the winter off-season two years ago, when I took his spin class at Inlet Fitness. At this first class, Sean offered a strength test on a stationary bike to the group to measure their progress. I signed up, and was impressed with Sean's knowledge of sports physiology and his commitment to helping anyone willing to make an effort to improve. I am in my fourth year of competing in Masters track events – specifically the 400m. When I decided to get back into track events, I wanted to go for what I recalled was the most painful event – the 400. The 400 is all about dealing with anaerobic thresholds. Sean's spin cardio program, with its emphasis on periodicity and intervals is a great complement for my on-track interval work.

Thanks Sean,

Roger Whiteway, 59 |  Virginia Beach

UPDATE::

Sean,
I Just received a letter from Virginia Senior Games officials saying that I have qualified for the 2007 Summer National Senior Track & Field games.
As you know, I have been training for the 400m and 200m events in Masters Track & Field.  For the past 3 years I have finished in last or near last place.

This year on May 13th at the Virginia Senior games I won the both events and lowered by time by over 10% from two years ago.   
I  credit much of my improvement to my off season spin training in your class and using the Cardio Coach™ workouts to increase my lactic threshold.

I Am looking forward to competing next summer in both state and national meets. 

Thanks Sean,

Roger Whiteway @ the front end of the baby boomers
Virginia Beach, VA.

Meet Jim Gill

Sean,

Remember me (Jim Gill). How are you doing? It has been a while since I spoke to you last. Since we last spoke, I have had quite a few interesting months. Back in October 2003 I got to the point where I was doing both vol. 1 & 2 two to three times a week. I could feel myself improve everyday. One Friday I did my usual work out in the AM hours. I was feeling great because that week I worked out 2 other times and knew I was improving. Lunch time came and I was preparing my lunch when I started feeling chest pains. One of the things that I have gained from your work outs is getting in touch with your body. You even mention that in vol. 1. I was very in touch with my body and how a was “supposed” to feel. The pains I my chest were not normal and I thought to myself “did I work out too hard this week”? Am I having a heart attack? I was reluctant to see a doctor for fear that it was a bad case of heart burn ( would not want to waste the time with that). But because I knew my body well, I went to the doctor. To make a long story short, about a month later I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I had a 10 cm mass in my chest and that is what was causing the pain. As it turned out the pain got worse and worse. I even had trouble breathing because the mass had gotten so big. Well since then I have not worked out at all. I went through chemo and finished March 29, 2004. I am on the road to recovery and still have some hills to climb. The whole time I was being treated I could not wait to get back on the treadmill and exercise with volumes 1 and 2 of Cardio Coach™.

I am here to tell you Sean that tonight I did Vol. 1. I was able to do this work out because of the Perceived exertion. I did it much less intensely than before, but I was able to do it and I feel great. I can't tell you how good I feel right now. As I mentioned before I am not out of the woods yet, but I believe that if I can keep my health in tip top shape I can beat this thing. I want to say Thank you. You Sean are part of the reason that I want to stay in shape and stay healthy. You are not only a cardio coach, you are a great motivator. Your message is not only great for a good work out, but for life itself. I try to surround myself with people like this because I am always trying to improve.

Thank you again.

Oh by the way. Can we expect vol. 3 soon? I say “We” because I have introduced this work-out to several people.

Talk to you soon.

Jim

Meet Rebounding Grandma, Nancy

Hi Sean,

I worked out with you yesterday on my rebounder and I must say I was surprised on a couple of counts.  I already knew I liked the music and the psychedelic images on my PC screen having previewed it a couple of days before, but I didn't expect to do the entire 40 minutes.  Normally 20 or 30 minutes is all I can handle since exercise is not my favorite thing.

As mentioned previously I will be 70 yrs. old in a couple of weeks and didn't begin exercising until my 60's.  Mostly walking and doing exercise videos.  I began rebounding about 3 yrs. ago, but as much as I enjoy it,  I've been very short on motivation lately I heard so much about your CDs that it sounded like something I should try and now I know why everyone loves them so much.  Getting me to do 40 minutes cardio is really something. I was afraid that your CDs would be too difficult for me since I know that many people who workout more intensely than I do use them, but I found I was able to work at my own pace without problems.

I usually work out at a heart rate of about 100 bpm steady state cardio average as I am overweight and a little long in the tooth with a max of around 130bpm, so when I reached 140bpm on that last hill, I was quite surprised.  Even more surprising was the 20 point drop in my bp when I finished.  My bp usually drops of course, but not quite that much.  I know most people use your CDs on a CD player and not a PC, but I'm glad I played it on my PC and am wondering if anyone else has done that and if they have mentioned to you how relaxing the images on the screen are. 

I have studied hypnosis and suspect maybe you have too judging not only from the images, but the way you use your voice.  I am really curious what part those hypnotic images played in the drop in my bp and how much was due to the exercise. Most certainly it is a combination of both. You might be interested in reading my rebounding blog which I wrote in an effort to introduce more people to rebounding.  So many people asked me about which rebounder they should buy after reading my blog that I decided to become a Needak dealer this last August and am as enthusiastic about getting more people into rebounding as you are in keeping people motivated. 

There is no other exercise as nice to your joints as rebounding.  It really is injury free.  Perhaps you can mention it to your clients who may have joint or back problems and think they can't exercise any more.  I have had a bad back and knees since forever, but I can jog and even sprint a little on a rebounder with no problems. I'm going to mention your CDs on my blog and add the link to your site as well.  Perhaps you can put the link to my rebounding blog on your site in return?

Your friend,

Nancy

Meet Theresa Lindman Multinational Forces

Hi Sean,

I just got back from some missions and yes I was so surprised to find such a great box from you. I yelled out for everyone to come see, and got requests from a bunch of people to try, even those who haven't previously.

We have some Australian physical fitness instructors who are going to try and incorporate your cds into some mandatory PT sessions.

I don't think I could say thank you properly. Everyone here says to say thank you, we really appricate your generosity.

I am sending some pictures of some of the training we do here, a triathlon that I did and a huge compotition called Force Skills that encompasses a 5K run, obstacle course, shooting range, road march, land navigation, knowledge test, swimming survival leg. These are all done in full military gear. It takes months to prepare for this and seriously I used your cds to help me get into arobic fitness. This is all done in desert conditions with tempratures ranging from 100 to 130 degrees or higher. I won second place, and look forward to the next one in March.

If there is ever anything I can do for you, please let me know. I owe you. I am heading back to the states in April and will gladly share all these CDs with everyone.

I have lots of great comments from everyone about your CDs, espically the third edition. I have asked that each person send you an email with how they feel it helps them. I have one fellow CPT who has incorporated the Cd into a monthly cardio training session for his soldiers.

Personally, the second and third are both great, but each has its points. I really like the way the third gets right into the workout, and the longer intervals. The second is great for anything running.

take care and I can't wait to see more.

Theresa Lindeman
CPT, TC
Multinational Forces & Observers
Task Force Sinai
Force Transportation Office
Movement Control Officer

William Curry, President, Power Seed Systems

Sean O'Malley’s Cardio Coach CDs are unquestionably a fitness breakthrough [an over-used word but utterly fitting in this case]. There’s much to like here: The professionally composed background music really grabs you, the tempo carries you up and down in sync with the prescribed level of exertion and Sean’s personable voice motivates you and builds confidence. The emphasis on using a heart monitor to learn about your unique heart capacity is educational and reassuring as well. Read the Full Review

A vigorous Cardio Coach workout will leave you with a worked out body vibrating with feel-good endorphins and a crystal clear mind. You’re truly ready to take on the rest of your day. But there’s more! Sean’s real genius lies in creating a seductive, interactive and supportive experience that makes difficult lifestyle changes possible and sustainable. No wonder he received a U.S. Patent for his innovative approach. A machine-based cardio exercise program is hard to maintain on your own. It’s boring and lonely unless you have the resources to hire a personal fitness coach. Well, no more excuses –- now you can have a challenging and compassionate coach and friend at your beck and call any time of day or night. Think of Sean in a CD as your genie in a bottle. Turn him loose and you can learn to live each day with the energy of your full potential. What more could you ask?

William J. Curry President of Powerseed Systems www.powerseed.com

The Powerseed lifestyle change system helps you to eat more slowly, savor your food, avoid thoughtless snacking, and most importantly — stop OVEReating when you are no longer hungry.

Meet Rob

Dear Sean,

I want to thank you for your Cardio Coach workouts. I have never enjoyed cardio workouts until I stumbled upon your site and tried that first one. I have since bought all six of your workouts and they have helped me reach a milestone – 100 pounds of fat incinerated from my body! I have been fat my entire life and many members of my family are also heavy.

Long ago, I accepted the fact that I would always be fat. So, what made me finally decide to get lean? A random act of violence. In November of 2003, I was robbed at gunpoint in my apartment. Two men broke in and one held a visiting friend and me face down on the floor, grinding his gun into the back of our heads while the other completely ransacked the place for nearly thirty minutes. They were so angry and violent that I am actually surprised neither of us was killed. Thankfully, neither of us was physically hurt. I immediately moved into my parent’s basement and went through a serious bout of depression. I don’t care about the physical things they took from me. The most valuable things they took from me were my sense of security and my perceived control of my life. I was 35 years old and felt as though my life was over. I did not have a good night’s sleep for many months and would spend most of my time lying on the couch eating Cheez-Its (yes, that big box from Costco in one weekend) and watching television. In January of 2005 something in me snapped.

I felt that I had to either regain control of my entire life or commit myself to an institution. I decided that if I could control my weight, I could get back control of every aspect of my life. The following month I moved into a duplex with a friend (just a few blocks from my parents). Being raised Catholic and with Lent approaching, I decided to go onto the Atkins Diet for Lent. I hated it! My digestive tract could not decide if it was going to be on pause or fast-forward. I suffered through it and was never so happy to see Lent end. Frustrated with Atkins, but happy with my slightly smaller waist, I progressed to the South Beach Diet. I was hungry the entire time and this only lasted a few weeks.

I then spent some time doing research and trying different things. Then in June of 2005, I stumbled upon Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle program at www.burnthefat.com. I was intrigued but wasn't’t willing to fork over the cash for yet another book that wouldn’t work for me. I found Tom’s e-book book on an online auction for $9 and I bought it (I have since purchased the ‘official’ program). Last July I set goals, re-engineered my nutrition and bought a recumbent bike, smith machine, dumbbells and free-weights. I transformed my basement into a gym and began the program. I am very visually oriented so I made six-foot tall goal posters. I made a cube out of cardboard the size of one pound of fat and placed it on top of the refrigerator to remind me to get healthy snacks. I put a TV and DVD player in front of the bike and a sign on the TV upstairs that said “Get Off Your Ass, Get On The Bike!” Even slow, steady pedaling is better than no pedaling. I made custom wallpapers and screen savers so my computer at work and even my cell phone would remind me of my goals. Most importantly, I enlisted a few friends to randomly call me once a week to encourage me. I created Excel spreadsheets to calculate my TDEE, create a diet from it and to track my progress. I not only met my initial goals, I exceeded them! A few months ago, I hit a plateau, could not get my body to burn any more fat, and became extremely frustrated.

Sean, your Cardio Coach workouts have helped me to re-focus my efforts and reach the 100 pounds of fat lost milestone! I wish I had discovered your site months ago! I am 6 foot 6 and fifteen months ago I weighed over 312 pounds and was wearing pants with a 50-inch waist – with my gut hanging over. I am now under 220 pounds and wearing a very comfortable 36-inch pant – 34s are in my sights! I am nearly 17 gallons smaller than I was a year ago and leaner than I ever remember being! In the past fifteen months I have added ten pounds of lean mass and burned over one hundred pounds of fat! Most importantly, I have a confidence I never believed I could have. I am happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I have never been more spiritually at peace. I can barely hold back the tears while I write this. I feel as though my life is mine again - and more. I feel at least twenty years younger.

Yes, I feel younger than I did in college! People who haven’t seen me in a while don’t recognize me. Sometimes I don’t even recognize me. That is not entirely true – I recognize the person who had been hidden under all that fat: physically, emotionally and spiritually. That is the true Rob. I see old pictures of myself and wonder who that person is. Shortly after the robbery, a good friend at work gave me a little card with a quote from Maya Angelou on it. I have kept it tacked to the corner of my PC monitor ever since. It reads “Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.” How very true it is.

Leaner, Rob

Meet Linda

Dear Sean,

I wanted to thank you again for contributing to the Komen Phoenix Race for the Cure on Sunday. I thought you might like to know the results.

I do the competitive 5K--you need to finish in 30 minutes to get an official time. Last year was my first time running this event, and my goal was just to finish it in the 30 minutes. I finished in 27:57, which made me very happy.

My goal for this year was to beat last year's time. I've had a rough year for training. I had to have my wrist fused in January, and for the next 7 months I didn't do anything, pretty much, except hurt. No running, no walking, nothing. I started training again, and then I had to have more surgery. I'm just five weeks out from that now.

So, I was really worried that I wasn't going to do well on Sunday. Yeah, the event itself is the important thing, and it's so cool to just be part of it. I'm very competitive (with myself!), though, and I REALLY wanted a personal best.

Adrenaline and sheer will can take you a long way. And persistence and a good training plan help make up for a lack of natural talent.

26:52! I was number 276 of 613 women, and of the women in my age division (45-49) I was number 20 of the 46 who finished.

I'm really happy! And planning for next year. :)

I ran to Workout #5, instead of #3 as I'd originally planned. It was awesome! Your coaching and the great beat really pushed me. Instead of hills, I just turned those 4-minute intervals into speed intervals. It worked great--cutting a minute and 5 seconds off my previous time is pretty good! Your coaching is so inspiring and running to these MP3 has made a huge, huge difference. I can hardly wait to see what I can do next year.

On Sunday, I was a gazelle with the heart of a lion. Thank you!

The sign on my back reads www.trainingpeaks.com (whose online training log & mileage schedules I use)

and www.cardiocoach.com . It's hard to read in this little picture, but I didn't want to clog up your mailbox with the big one. Everyone I passed in the race could see it just fine, though--that's a 100-pt font! Sean, your MP3s have made the biggest difference in my running, by far. My slow pace is now so much faster than my very fastest pace used to be!

Just for fun, above is a pre-Cardio Coach (and pre-WeightWatchers) photo. I've been following WW for 8 years, losing and maintaining less than 8 lbs a year. (I'm slow but persistent). This year I lost more than twice my usual amount. The ONLY thing I did differently was running to the CardioCoach MP3s. I wish I could shout it to the world, Sean--your MP3s have changed my life. I'll be 48 on Dec. 29th of this year. I'm in the best shape of my life. I'm 3.5 lbs from my weight goal of 125 lbs (I'm 5'4")--I will reach my goal by my birthday. Even my asthma has improved since starting the CardioCoach MP3s.

Yep, I'm a fangirl. :) And when you made the contribution for the PHX Race, you got yourself a fan for life--that was so nice of you. Sorry, I didn't mean this to be a novel--I'm just very happy with the results, and so impressed with how your programs have helped me!

Sincerely,

Linda