“Hi, my name is Sue Hess. I am 45 years old, and I am a mom of three. I’m a fitness instructor here at Forged Fitness. I’ve been at Forged Fitness since 2008, and it has completely changed my life.
After having three kids, I obviously put on a lot of weight. I was very self-conscious about my body. I never wanted to put a bathing suit on, and I never wanted to put shorts on. I first started back at an all ladies gym. And I got a good start at that gym. I did enjoy it, but it was just so time consuming. It was 2 hours every day minimum. I would do an hour of the same routine of all the weights, and then I would do an hour of the cardio. And I still felt like I wasn’t reaching all the areas. I really wasn’t building up a good sweat either. After a while I just got bored with the routine, and it just took too much time out of my life.
So a friend of mine said “Come on down to Forged Fitness, we’re gonna cut your work out in half”. I did not believe it! But I went there, and within the first few minutes I was already out of breath. I said “Wow, this going to challenge me!” and I felt like I was getting a great total overall workout.
I would say within six months I had already dropped two dress sizes. I had lost a good six pounds. What was showing on me was just the lean muscle mass that I was building. My arms were sculpting, and I could wear shorts again. Within 10 months, I was in a bikini and I was feeling confident at the pool. I was strutting around in my short shorts and just feeling great about my body. So much so that I wanted to become a trainer, because I really enjoyed the process.
Being a mom with three kids, I loved that the workouts are, on average, about 20 minutes long. If you do a nice warm-up and some stretch time afterwards, then you could be out of the gym in about 30 minutes. That was very appealing to a mom who is on the go and has to get errands done before the kids get home from school.
I hadn’t been able to look this good since high school. The machines at other gyms use the same muscle groups and movements day in and day out. Here at Forged, you’re doing natural movements, and you’re using weights that incorporate your core. You’re building endurance, and you’re strength training. It’s really hitting all areas: agility, balance, etc.
I started to do triathlons, and I’ve done a half marathon. The training at the gym has really prepared me for these. It’s just unbelievable how you can take the workouts that we do here, and then specialize in a different sport, and really enhance your performance in that sport.
I can’t say enough how much it’s changed my appearance and fitness level. My energy is through the roof; I’m never tired anymore. It’s just really been an overall life improvement for me.”
