MEET THE TEAM: Derek Goodman

It was June 17, 2016. Staring at myself in a family photo taken earlier that day with my wife and 2 daughters, I came face-to-face with the fact that I was in the worst physical shape of my life. Reflecting on both my physical health and less than stellar family medical history, and wanting to do best by my wife, kids and the people I work with daily, I became determined to change the path I was on and whip myself back into shape.

That very day, I weighed in at an all-time peak of 220 pounds. Seeing “220” on the scale shocked me. I immediately set a goal – by October 31 – I would cut my weight to 185 pounds.

I drastically changed my diet by omitting junk foods, processed foods, and sugar. I started hitting the gym for 1 hour a day, 5 days a week. While I dropped 10 lbs. within the first six weeks, I quickly became bored with the monotony of a typical gym routine. I needed to “upgrade” my workouts in order to stay on track and make a permanent and lasting change. I wanted a workout that allowed me to train as I did when I was playing team sports back in high school and college. Importantly, I had to find a workout that fit within my hectic schedule and made the most of my limited time by continuously pushing me beyond my limits.

After hearing about Tone House from my friend Matt, I knew it was “no ordinary workout.” I read articles and watched online videos, eager to learn more about the fitness regimen that I was considering. Having lost my father in 2003, at the young age of 60, Alonzo’s reasons for starting Tone House with respect to his Mother resonated with me. I thought to myself, this was THE workout.

On August 7, I took my first step onto the turf for a TH 101 class. I set a personal goal for this class – no matter what, I would complete every single rep of every single exercise, even if I was the last person left in the building at midnight.

On August 7, I took my first step onto the turf for a TH 101 class. I set a personal goal for this class – no matter what, I would complete every single rep of every single exercise, even if I was the last person left in the building at midnight. By the end of the warm up, I was gasping for air. But, I pushed through the class and succeeded, albeit barely.

For the next two weeks, I stuck with the TH 101 classes. In every class, I continued to be the worst performer, by far, sucking wind up and down the turf. That said, the encouragement I received from the Tone House instructors helped me complete each class.

By mid-September, after a month of TH 101’s 2-3x per week, I was no longer completely sucking wind and I was seeing improvement – warm-ups were easier and I was dropping weight. It was then that Adrian suggested to me that I step it up to the regular class. A victory – to most a minor one, but to me, a major feat.