CHANTFit III of III: Tad Reed commits to reaching his fitness goals
by Pippo
This past January, 35 Coastal Carolina University employees and/or students began their six-week CHANTFit journey. We followed Capt. Kenneth “Tad” Reed, captain in the Department of Public Safety, through his fitness journey. Each week, Reed charted the progress he made.
Emily Cottrill, a sophomore recreation and sport management major from Pittsburgh, Pa., is Reed’s trainer. She created workout routines with select exercises designed to help him reach his fitness goals. Reed said he joined CHANTFit to learn about what exercises are best for him and how to stay committed to a regular workout schedule.
He had never worked out with a personal trainer before CHANTFit. During the program, Reed met with Cottrill on Mondays and Wednesdays at 1 p.m. in the HTC Center to train. He reached his goals by also exercising on his own, using tips he learned in his sessions with Cottrill.
WEEK 4 Feb. 18-22
Reed has reached the mid-way point in the CHANTFit program, and he is doing more advanced workouts than before. Cottrill’s exercise routine for Reed has changed since the beginning weeks.
It is clear that this program is improving Reed’s fitness level, because Cottrill is giving him more advanced exercises to do. “I can’t say they are easy, but Emily adds additional weights or more advanced exercises to do as we go along,” he said.
Now, Reed is able to perform high-intensity cardio workouts with low weights, along with exercise on strength machines with higher weight in the HTC Center. The combination of cardio and strength training means Reed is losing weight and gaining muscle.
WEEK 5 Feb. 25 to March 1
Reed is happy with how CHANTFit is progressing, and he enjoys that Cottrill does not have him do the same workouts every session. Even though he doesn’t necessarily know what to expect when he goes to train with her, he knows it will get him that much closer to reaching his fitness goals. “I know that the exercises are all part of a series of workouts that Emily has planned for me that day.”
Although it is hard work every session, Cottrill and Reed have fun during the trainings. “It’s nice when I have a client who is outgoing and we can have a good time working out together,” said Cottrill.
As the last week of CHANTFit approached, Reed was confident that the program was working for him. “I have said from the beginning that it will be a slow process, but I can feel some changes at this time,” said Reed. “I have not yet reached my final goal yet, but I do feel better.”
WEEK 6 March 4-8
Week six is the last week of the CHANTFit program. To get an idea of the progress that Reed made throughout this journey, he took a fitness assessment, which is the same one he took before the program started. The results showed how Reed’s hard work and dedication payed off.
He lost around six pounds, lost two inches from his waist, and gained some inches and muscle in his arms. Besides toning up, his overall fitness level is better. In the fitness assessment, Reed held a plank for three minutes. “That is really good because it shows how strong his core is now,” said Cottrill.
After going through the six weeks, Reed says he would recommend CHANTFit to anyone who is not sure of what workouts to do in the gym, or to those who need someone to hold them accountable for going to the gym more often.
Even though CHANTFit is over, Reed continues to work out at the HTC Center. Reed and Cottrill discussed training together again when she returned from spring break. “That’s all I could want as a trainer, for my client to stick with me and keep going after the program ends,” said Cottrill.
Read Part II of the CHANTfit series here.
Read Part I of the CHANTfit series here.
Watch student Erin Elliott's CHANTfit journey via video by clicking on the links below:
