The bootcamp birth of Dan Semke – The man, the myth, the legend
Let me start this off by taking it back a few years. Back when our bootcamp was in it’s infancy, and back when Roy and I did all the training…and probably over-tortured a few people in the process. ; )
On this particular day, Roy and I just finished a grueling training session with some very dedicated bootcampers. We had brought them through a barrage of exercises – mountain climbers, push-ups, burpees – with all-out intensity. Then, Roy hits them with an announcement.
“The last round we’re doing 2-minute stations!”
2-minute stations? Did he really just say that? (Roy did a great job in those days playing “bad cop” while Forrest was always the nice coach.) It turns out the group we had that day wanted to take it to that next level. We made it optional, and for beginners, they got to do 1.5 minutes then rest before the next station. But for everyone else, it was on!
Bootcampers were smothered in the racquetball court, four towering white walls closing in, nowhere to go but inside yourself where you had to push your limits and dig for something deeper when you physically had nothing left.
This was what made the day today. Nothing else existed. Life-problems like losing your job, paying the bills, taxes, deadlines at work – all of it was completely shut out by the lung-labored breaths, the clutching pain, and the collective rivers of sweat that pooled onto the mats.
Yes…that was in the beginning (our bootcamps started in May 2008) and they were great times.
In more recent times (starting in 2010), a new “personal torture enthusiast” had arrived. Weathered by over 10 years of fitness industry experience, and sparked by a sadistic charm, Dan Semke stepped in as head bootcamp instructor at Fit For Life Bootcamp in Foster City and our Fit Body Boot Camp in Mountain View.
With fresh new ideas and our tried-and-true system, Dan, our new “Facilitator of Madness” went to work, sculpting and molding soft, clay bodies into hard steel champions. Or something like that. ; )
But the point here is this. Out of the name “DAN” came another 3-letter word using the same letters that really made our bootcamps work. This word is “DNA”. Roy, Forrest and Dan literally co-created the DNA of what was to become the Fit For Life “Before and After” Fitness Formula.
Our fitness formula has so far helped hundreds of people create and maintain a life rooted in fitness, healthy living and contagiously positive attitudes towards life…and we’re dang proud of that, too!! Just look at the before and after photos of our last two 6-Week Body Transformation Contest winners!
…And the point I’m trying to make here is that Roy and I would never have had the opportunity to positively impact so many wonderful people if it wasn’t for the consistent and loyal hard-work of Dan Semke. Thank-you Dan, WE APPRECIATE YOU TO NO END!
So, without further ado, here’s a video of Dan “the Man” Semke, where you can understand more about why he does what he does, his fitness philosophy and most importantly, you’ll see if he can do 30, one-leg push-ups in a challenge in front of all the FC bootcampers! This could be really embarrassing. ; )
…And don’t forget to show your appreciation to Dan by giving him a comment below! Thanks!
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 at 11:04 am.