Hi, I’m JD Overton. I’m a Software Development Manager in IT at Measurement Inc. Last Summer, I decided I wanted to lose weight and get in shape. I am 5′ 7″ and at that time I weighed 240 lbs. I already had a membership to the YMCA, but it went unused. I really wasn’t sure why I wasn’t using it. I guess I chalked it up to laziness. Given that I hadn’t been successful there, instead of trying to workout at the Y again, I started doing Strength & Conditioning. Fast-forward to today and I weigh 170lbs, a 70lbs drop, and at 46 years old I am in the best shape of my life. Instead of paying for a membership that goes unused, I am totally addicted to working-out.
I’m sure some of you have heard about Strength & Conditioning, but aren’t aware of all that entails. It is highly structured. Classes last one hour and consist of a warm-up, a strength training phase, and then a 7-20 minute highly intense, metabolic conditioning workout or MetCon. The workout changes daily, so you don’t get bored doing the same thing every time and the effectiveness of the workout isn’t diminished, because your body doesn’t get a chance to become accustom to it.
Everyone does the same workout although each part is scaled to the individual’s fitness level. This means no matter what level you are, whether you just ran a marathon or you are out of breath climbing one flight of stairs, you can fully participate in the entire class. Because everyone does the same workout, you get to know the other Strength & Conditioningters. You talk, joke, encourage each other which for me has surprisingly been one of the greatest things I have gotten out of the program. I find it much more motivating than the very solitary experience I had working-out at a classic gym.
The reason I’m writing this and evangelizing Strength & Conditioning is because I want to share what a life-changing and positive influence it has had on me. I do not have any financial stake in Strength & Conditioning. I was a 46 year old who was starting to think, “This is the way things are. My body is like this, and I’m not going to be able to change anything.” And now, I really see how anything is possible. When I started I couldn’t do one pull-up. Now I can do ten in a row, and I recently did 45 in one 12 minute workout. If you are stuck in a boring exercise regime and not seeing progress, your gym membership is going unused, or you’re just now thinking you need to start doing something about your fitness, I encourage you to try Strength & Conditioning.
The 
gym where I workout is called Courage Fitness Durham. It’s in walking distance of MI at Geer St. and Foster across from Geer St. Garden and MotorCo. They have a Community Workout every Saturday at 11:00 AM that is free to the public. This gives you the chance to try it out before you invest any money. If you are interested, I’d be happy to answer any questions you have. Send me an email at [email protected]. I’d also be happy to go to the workout with you if you are wary of going by yourself.
Thanks for taking the time to read my story. I hope you will give Strength & Conditioning a chance. It has not only improved my health and physical appearance (clothes shopping is no longer a nightmare). It has made me more mentally ready to take on challenges that require determination and perseverance as well as opened up a whole community of awesome people that I now call my friends. There are so many other benefits I have received, I just can’t put them all in this letter. If you want to know, just ask me, or better yet, sign up for the community workout and start to experience them for yourself.