Simply put, Starting Strength Dallas changed my life. Low back injuries made it hard to be the kind of mom I wanted to be (active, hands-on, physical, and adventurous). But, through Jayne and Brent's patient, consistent coaching; and Starting Strength's powerful programming; I've gotten my life back. My back issues are resolved; and I am the mom I always wanted to be.
I do not consider myself a weightlifting type. I was more of a cardio/yoga/10 pound hand weights type. Then, my first son was born, and my back issues got worse. I kept throwing my back out doing baby-related activities (lifting the stroller out of the car; carrying my baby). I was afraid to travel with my son for fear that I might throw my back out en route. I had always wanted to be an active mom, and these back issues were preventing me from being the mom I wanted to be.
So, I went to physical therapy; got serious about back stretches and exercises...nothing seemed to make a difference. Until Starting Strength Dallas.
I started the program skeptical -- I had never really trained before; and I was concerned that training could make my injuries worse. Boy was I wrong. Within 2 months of joining Starting Strength, my back injury had resolved.
Jayne was my first coach; and she was patient, understanding, consistent, and helpful. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing; but she made the experience anything but intimidating. Slowly and consistently, she helped me get stronger and stronger...until I was fully comfortable traveling alone with my son; and living the adventurous life I had dreamed of for myself.
I got pregnant again, and vowed to stick with the program through the pregnancy so that I could be as strong as possible through the delivery and recovery process (pending my doctors approval). It was a high-risk pregnancy likely to end in c section; but I knew that staying strong would help with the recovery.
Then, the pandemic hit...and threw a wrench in those plans. Though my doctor was comfortable with me continuing weight training, she wasn't comfortable with me doing so at a gym. I worried I would lose all of my progress; and that my second pregnancy recovery would look like my first -- injury-ridden and confidence-killing.
Enter Brent and Jayne. They bent over backwards to come up with a program that enabled me to keep training. Brent would come to my house (specifically to my garage, which we kept open to the outside) to train with me once a week. And Jayne would coach me virtually by video twice per week. They showed up for me in a big way.
Over the course of the pandemic and throughout my pregnancy, through the dead of Dallas summer, Brent showed up at my (steamy, buggy) garage every week. He adjusted exercises to accommodate my changing body; he wore a mask and kept distance the entire time. He was kind, dedicated, consistent, patient, flexible, encouraging...and he made getting stronger fun!
With Brent and Jayne's help, I trained until the day before my c section. The baby is perfect; and my recovery was about 80% easier than my recovery from my first c section -- no back issues, no mobility problems. I was able to recover quickly and jump right into being the mom I wanted to be. I attribute all of that to Brent, Jayne, and the Starting Strength Dallas program. read more
