When The Fight Became Personal

When I turned 50, I quit smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes a day and started eating a little better. I was overweight, yet strong. I’d been an athlete most of my younger life but no longer. There is a history of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in my family. I had not been to a gym in years and knew I needed to take action. 

I went to a gym with my wife and did not want to create a workout program for myself or pay a trainer. I was aware of group training and noticed a class with awesome music and people punching, kicking, and moving. I went to my first BODYCOMBAT™ class wearing sweats and a hoodie, covering as much of me as I could. I stayed in the back row for a couple of months until the music and choreography started to make me feel in charge, relevant, and happy with the physical results. My mind and body began to change. 

I took BODYCOMBAT and BODYPUMP™ three or four days a week for a couple of years before reaching out to my mentor, friend, and BODYCOMBAT Instructor of fifteen years, Dawn Stecklein. I asked her about becoming an Instructor. She directed, encouraged, and shared her experience while guiding me through the certification process. She introduced me to Rachael and Dan.

I became certified with the release BODYCOMBAT 67! I found my first gig at a corporate gym before my friend Dawn opened a Les Mills exclusive studio, Tr1be Fitness. I taught there for three wonderful years. At the same time, Blue Valley Recreation Center at Hilltop gave me a chance to be their first BODYCOMBAT Instructor, three days a week.

I remember teaching my first class there eight years ago to zero people. Director Jason Goin and current Group Fitness Director MaryKate Warnken have been unbelievable, allowing me to continue my journey through good times and challenging times. We have grown into a facility with several Les Mills options and full BODYCOMBAT classes. I have been very fortunate to pass the Instructor gift on by encouraging several members to become Les Mills Instructors in BODYCOMBAT. Some have also gone on to certify in BODYPUMP and BODYBALANCE™.

The main reason I love to teach is the members. I want to give them the chance to experience what courage, drive, and confidence this program can develop, along with the physical change and health maintenance.

I had a few injuries and challenges before and after certification: arthritis everywhere, shoulder dislocations, rotator cuff surgeries, knee maintenance, heart flutter, and degenerative disc disease were the early medical battles. BODYCOMBAT was my baseline for recovery from two shoulder dislocations with subsequent rotator cuff surgeries and a cervical double discectomy. I always went back to class a couple of weeks early with a brace or sling, just to be around our members and stay in touch.I feel strong and confident as a BODYCOMBAT Instructor. I gained confidence in life by working hard at technique, connecting with members, and striving to be the best version of myself. I openly share my struggles and successes before, during, and after class. I always get back more experience, strength, and hope than I might give by listening to members’ stories. I let them know if they don’t believe in themselves, I do. 

In February of 2023, my hip started to hurt badly for the first time. Here we go again! I got this! I continued to teach while going to physical therapy and receiving an injection in the hip. The pain worsened, and I had to take leave from all physical activity in September. I started using a cane to move around and finally scheduled a hip replacement for November. On a Friday, ten days before surgery, I had bloodwork completed. My wife saw that my white blood cells were unusually high, so she dropped me at the ER and went home to bring me back a bag “just in case.” Fifteen minutes before she returned, a doctor told me I had some type of leukemia. One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was tell my wife I had cancer. 

I was told I had either Acute or Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. Acute requires extreme treatment with varied results that are generally not long-lived. With my Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, I take a pill with several side effects every day for the rest of my life. I am fortunate to have the latter option. The best side effect is I get to live. I went into remission seven months later and had my hip replacement in May of 2024.

Throughout my challenges, I stayed in touch and visited class members at the gym. I wanted to get back to BODYCOMBAT and participate. I knew my plan would work as it had before. Jason and MaryKate provided fantastic support, allowing me to come back and teach whenever and for however long I wanted. Dawn covered all of my classes in my absence. I started taking her classes four weeks after hip replacement by walking in place and punching hard while regaining my balance. I returned as a two-class-a-week Instructor just four months after surgery and am still teaching all levels of participation. I have now been back for a year as a BODYCOMBAT Instructor – strong, happy, and looking forward to the future.

I shared my story once again with my class. The support was unbelievable! Members need to know that they don’t have to be in a certain shape or age group to take BODYCOMBAT.

Do what you can! Give yourself some grace, embrace your options, have fun, and keep moving!

Max