Last week a client (and former intern) had a day to remember at our Ann Arbor facility, his name is Jesse Rubin and he completed 7 of our weight loss solution classes in one day. 6am-check, 8:30am-check, 9:45am-check, 12pm-check, 4:15pm-check, 5:30pm-check, 6:45pm-check.. The headline alone grabs your attention, but we wanted to dive a little deeper and learn more about this workout warrior. Check out his interview below!
1. One AFS class is pretty tough, what could have possessed you to want to do 7 of them in one day!?
I had done Weight Loss Solution (WLS) twice in one day several times and then last week Mike saw me doing a two a day and made a comment. Naturally I had to up the ante so I jokingly told him I was going to come in and do all of the classes in one day. He didn’t outright say I couldn’t possibly do it, but definitely expressed doubt that I’d make it beyond the second class. I took the doubt as a challenge. I went home that night and looked at my school schedule and class schedule and decided that Tuesday April 12th would be the day!
3. You’ve been a client for quite some time! What brought you to AFS 4 years ago?
I came to AFS as a 10th grader. I was swimming and playing polo for Pioneer and wanted to learn how to lift weights properly and get bigger. When I first met Mike I didn’t even weigh 100lbs. I look at these picture of me from before I came to AFS and I just laugh. I was sixteen, but I could’ve easily passed for a fifth or sixth grader.
4. You’ve been with us for so long, what keeps you around?
Well for the first four years I was just staying around to impress Carli, but now that she’s gone…..
Just kidding! AFS honestly means the world to me. I don’t think there is a place that I’m happier. I’ve had the opportunity to not just be a client, but an intern so I’ve lived the AFS experience from both sides. I know some of the newer clients don’t even know who Mike is because he isn’t in the front lines as much as he once was, but I owe a lot to him. If you’d asked me four years ago what I would be doing with my life I would’ve told you there wasn’t a snowballs chance in hell I’d be going to college. Now I’m almost done with my first year at Michigan studying Health and Fitness. Mike is 99% responsible for that change. I can’t wait to continue my journey with AFS as an employee.
5. Back to the challenge, In your first station of the first class, what were you thinking?
Honestly the first class was the worst. 6am with Jared. I was a little nervous because some of the practitioners and a certain marketing assistant (Corbin!) had expressed concerns over my sanity in embarking on this journey. They were in my head a little bit so I was experiencing some self doubt that first class. It also probably didn’t help that I didn’t sleep much the night before. I was too excited, like a little kid on Christmas Eve.
6. What was the hardest part?
Physically: coming back at 4:15 after a three hour break was rough. I had Jared, Tom, and Chris in my 12 o’clock class and I had Jessie as my instructor. That combination took a lot out of me. Jessie is always really good at pushing me and giving me challenging modification with my boot. And then you have Jared who hasn’t done a WLS class in god knows how long. Those guys worked their butts off so I really got into it. I had to be able to give them a hard time and I couldn’t do that unless I was going all out too. So when I got back at 4:15 I was really dragging. I don’t do caffeine, I’m a drug free athlete. My body was basically hating me at that point. Luckily I had a good family friend in that 4:15 class who helped push me through.
Mentally: not getting Mike to take a class with me.
7. Aside from the feat, you’ve made tremendous changes as a client, what principles have been the guiding light for you in your journey?
It’s actually something I read in a blog Devin Tarrant wrote a few years back about a bad assessment he himself had. He quoted Mike saying: “Excuses are the bricks that built the house called failure”. I remember reading that and thinking 1) of course Mike would say something like that and 2) that’s spot on. That phrase motivates me in my decision making. I certainly don’t live the typical life of a college student. I don’t go out to parties or drink (not that there’s anything wrong with that from time to time). I live at home, not in the dorms. I work twenty hours a week training my own clients and coaching swimming. Then most of the time that remains is working out, making my food, and spending time with a couple of my buddies are similarly driven. I’m not going to let other peoples’ judgements or stereotypes get in my way, because those are just excuses. Whenever I am struggling between a choice that I know is good for my body or one that will be more enjoyable in the moment I think of that quote and nine out of ten times it keeps me on track.
Jesse, we love you..But you’re crazy 😉