Getting Back Into Shape

Name: David Carl

Age: 36

Occupation: Personal Trainer, Owner of Fitness2u

Location: Vancouver, Canada

What is your fitness story?

I started playing sports from a very early age. I started playing soccer when I was only 4, I took up baseball at 8 and football at the age of 9. When I was 13, I found wrestling and fell in love with it. I quit everything else and put my heart and soul into it. I wrestled in tournaments all over North America, winning many of them. This is also when I was first introduced to the art of weight training and building muscle.

When high school ended, wrestling did too and real life began. For the next 10 years or so I worked different jobs, had some success with real estate and got way out of shape in the process. By 2010, I weighed 265 pounds with no muscle. I was quite depressed and I didn't like what I saw in the mirror anymore so I said "screw this!"

I got down on the floor and did push­-ups until I couldn't anymore. I was only able to do 12. I continued doing push-­ups every day for one hour until I got up to 500, or 20 sets of 25 push­-ups in one hour. Doing push­-ups every day had given me the courage to finally go to the gym.

The gym was a new world, so much had changed. I hadn't been to the gym in years and never without my teammates. As I became more comfortable, I started working out more and more. I completely embraced this new world, always watching, listening and learning, picking up tips wherever I could.

The gym became my passion. As my body began to change, fitness became a healthy addiction. I started changing my diet, little by little, one little change at a time. First I stopped putting sugar in anything. Then I stopped eating sweets. Then I cut out all beverages except water. Then went all dairy. Then I quit bread (that was a hard one) and later pasta.

Eventually, by late 2013, I was eating only whole foods. My diet consisted of fruits, vegetables, lean meat and water. I had gone from 265 pounds with no muscle to 208 pounds, lots of muscle and about 11% body fat. Since that time I have loosened up my diet, but with a lot of walking, I manage to keep my weight between 220 and 230 pounds with less than 16% body fat.

In June 2014, I became a certified personal trainer and soon after that I started my fitness delivery business Fitness2u. Shortly there after, I discovered Argus and I have put all my clients on the app as a way to monitor their progress.

What is your typical Fitness Routine?

I walk 3km to the gym. I warm up, then I do my sprints, then I work a single body part (legs, arms, chest, back, or shoulders) for about an hour, then I stretch and then I walk home.

Since I work out so often, I am able to devote a complete session to one body part, while still being able to work my whole body within the week, maximizing muscle growth. You need to be able to devote at least 5 days a week to strength training and have good recovery in order to do this type of training. Depending on what your goals are, it's not for everyone.

What motivates you to stay fit?

The typical answer is family and friends and that's true, but the main reason is I don't want to slip back into my old lazy unhappy lifestyle. I'm in such a great place mentally and physically right now and being fit is a huge part of that. Fitness and teaching fitness make me happy and what could be more motivating than happiness?

How do you fit working out into your life?

There is a very simple answer to this question. I deliver fitness for a living. Most of my day is spent in a gym. It is easy to fit working out into my life when fitness is my life!

What are your health and fitness plans for the future?

Stay away from negative influences. Stay fit and always try and eat healthy. Expand my fitness delivery business Fitness2u.

How long have you been using Argus?

I have been using Argus for just over a year now. This app has improved my fitness in so many ways. I encourage all my family and friends to use it and I have put every single one of my clients on it as a way for me to monitor them. With Argus, I can keep track of clients' diets, workouts, and calories burnt. I can even keep track of their step totals. This app is a fantastic tool for a personal trainer and I take full advantage of it.

What are the top 3 things you track using Argus?

I map all my long walks and hikes. I log all my food and all my workouts along with progress photos.

What advice would you have for new users of Argus?

Honestly, add some friends and get involved in step challenges. About a year ago, myself and a lovely lady from the Netherlands, named Dita, started racing against each other to see who could walk more steps. It became quite popular, and we both had people cheering us on from all over the world.

Argus then implemented organized step challenges with up to 20 people with their own private chat rooms. I walk a lot and I love to chat, so I immediately became hooked on these challenges.

Svetlana K, then came to me with the idea of a 10 on 10 team step challenge. We have done several of those now and they are a huge hit on Argus. There is a group of us that have become like a family from taking part in these team challenges.

Argus is unique in that it combines health and fitness with social networking. This allows you to socialize with people from all walks of life who have the same interests and goals as you do. I find this aspect fascinating. The friends I have made through Argus are real. Every morning, I can't wait to check my feed to see what they are up to next. Argus has found a way to make fitness a whole lot of fun!