Hard Evidence

Thomas Szymanski

"I have been a member of InnerFight since 2009, After years of playing rugby on a highly competitive levels and designing my workouts on a Westside Barbell power lifting model I was looking for a new challenge. It became apparent quite quickly that the tenacity, focus and self determination demanded by the regiments I foing on InnerFight were at a level nlike any other I had ever encoutnered. I was hooked.

With my other workouts putting up big numbers become routine, became mundane, become mindless. Yet with InnerFight - and really what I have found to be the core of InnerFight, what sets it apart from everything else - I had to be focused, 100% of the time on my form, my strength, on myself.

Though at the end of my InnerFight workouts, I would leave the dumbbells and jump rope at the gym, the attitude of self confidence and preservance developed and honed with each double under and each box jump followed me home.

I was only shortly after delving into the world of InnerFight that I found out serendipitously during a routine medical check up that I would need open heart surgery to correct an aneurysm in my ascending aorta. From the time the aneurysm was found to the time I was finally under the knife (about a month) the aneurysm grew from 4.7cm to 5.5cm. The doctors didn't have to tell me twice how lucky I was. Throughout recovery, I found myself time and time again invoking lessons learned in my trials and tribulations with InnerFight. Three months later, and just as the first signs of spring were showing I was back and started things off right with some Green Grass. Less than a year after that I found myself uprooted from New York and planted off the beaten path in Benin. No electricity, no running water, no cell phone reception, no reason not to bring the InnerFight to a new front.

Though my access to barbells and rowing machines are limited as a rural community health volunteer with the Peace Corps, I continue to maintain a workout regiment based on InnerFight and have found new ways to integrate the InnerFight philosophy into my daily routine. 

Simply put, I wanted to thank you for bringing the focus of fitness back to where it belongs, within the individual, and pushing your followers to exercise that most powerful, yet often forgotten muscle, the mind."

Neil Bryans

From my early teens to my early twenties I was always into sport and performing at a high level, I loved it, I was good at it and people loved me for it. As a result I was in good shape physically and mentally. Confident and always able to push myself and deliver, what ever the situation. I still abused myself but at that age nothing was an issue, I was that type of guy.

Fast forward 15 years and chuck into the mixer a history of cigarettes and alcohol, a few serious injuries, a career and family and a whole lot of good living and it catches up with you, I guarantee it. I was still working out but with no goals, no frequency, no structure and no motivation. I was only doing the vanity stuff, no cardio and no idea and it was all slipping away. Don’t get me wrong I knew what was happening and it wasn’t an issue but I missed the confidence, the self belief, the drive, the competition and the banter that you can only get from being around a bunch of like minded people. I knew some guys that were training hard and had been for a long time, they looked good and had that attitude. They were younger, fitter, stronger, they were who I used to be, or were they?

Enter Innerfight and the biggest slap in the face I’ve had for a while, I missed it and I liked it. The whole program, schedule, ethos what ever you want to call it can be broken down into bite sized chunks; Training, it provides the vehicle, you destroy yourself every day, 5 days a week. Diet and Nutrition, put in the good fuel your body needs to run, you will burn it! Sleep; get enough without it you will die doing this stuff. Attitude, you’ve got to want it or you will quit trust me, it’s that simple.

So here we are 5 months in 15kg lighter and a whole lot stronger both physically and mentally and we’re just getting warmed up. Marcus Smith knows his stuff, Innerfight does what it says on the tin and it’s not just for young buff guys!

* Neil Bryans placed 2nd in the UAE Fitness Challenge on 25th June 2011

Hani Hout

Oh man, where do i begin... Since joining Innerfight June last year I had participated in over 110 morning sessions. I'm 30 years old and I can assure you that throughout my 20's I did not take part in a total of 100 sessions of any activity. I don't recall having witnessed so many sunrises in my entire life!
For over a decade I allowed myself to delve into all kinds of extreme indulgences, from substance to circumstance. My excessively chaotic behavior eventually led me to dark places for the costly price of my complacency and self esteem.
I realized that if I don't grab the reins of my mind it will only become heavier. So I embarked on the uphill journey. From detox to yoga and meditation, I was in pursuit for grounding and clarity. More so I was looking for discipline and commitment. That is when I was getting ready to join Innerfight. I am lucky and grateful for the opportunity finally met the preparation and that is when the magic happened. I now look back at the past 9 months and my heart overflows with beautiful emotions. So much to say to the extent that only silence can give justice to what was done. HARDCORE.
When I get into the elevator at work in the morning I observe half asleep hungover colleagues carrying their 1 liter coffee mugs and of course stinking with the sacred morning cigarette. I think to myself, man, I've been awake for the past 4 hours, blacked out twice, received not less than 20 'keep it up' and 'good work', maybe broke a PB, and getting ready to eat my third meal. I will not elaborate on what that means to me, you figure.
Thanks MS for the big heart and the surrounding eye. the influence of your person and program will live on within for a long time.

Chris Yates

Just wanted to drop you a line about how much I am enjoying InnerFight. This will be my 3rd month on the InnerFight program. Let me tell you, I have done a lot of Fitness Programs that did achieve results but I wanted to up the bar and push myself even further. InnerFight has allowed me to do this and more! I live InnerFight now!

It has not only made me think about what I am putting into my body, it has also changed my mental preparation in what I do, whether its InnerFight daily exercises to running or even work. 

Your dedication to InnerFight and to its followers is truly inspirational and I wanted to thank you for your support. I can always count on getting information from the website or if I cant find the answer emailing InnerFight via the website or Facebook and I am answered pretty quick with what ever query I may have. This for me puts you above the rest. You care about the people doing your programs. We are not just a “number”.

The feeling you get after an InnerFight workout is hard to describe, it hurts (in a good way) but you feel on top of the world soon after.  InnerFight is like a drug – addictive as hell and I love it!

Just one last thing - SHOW NO WEAKNESS

David Clarke

It’s not that I wasn’t working out, on the contrary I was at the gym 3 times a week and training for my passion and desire of Rugby at least twice a week. However, I was training without a sense of direction, variety, targets or goals and stuck in a mundane routine. My mind was losing interest and I was losing the battle. I found it all too easy to come up with excuses not to train.

“Innerfight” changed all that and helped me set my goals and targets and introduced new workouts each day helping me maintain a focus and interested over what has now been a sustained period of approximately 7 months.

Now, if I miss a session (very seldom) I double up the next day, a good enough reason NOT to skip a session as one’s challenging enough. I cannot wait to get into the next training session and take on the next challenge – even if carrying a knock/injury I’ll work around it substituting what I cannot do, with other exercises etc.

I, although have not yet mastered, have a greater degree of control over my body and mind and when either begins to quit the other kicks in to pull me along. Results are not just pictorial (as depicted), some are not so easy to quantify and may take the form of results outside the gym – in work, sports or in any other facet of life. Whether just getting up a little earlier, taking advantage of daylight hours or by achieving a higher rate of productivity in a shorter space of time at work, “Innerfight” is transferable to all facets of life.

For example, it’s made me question everything that goes down my throat and although I love food, I now feed and snack on things that are going to help me with my InnerFight, not be counterproductive. I never really appreciated what mine and I am sure all Mothers used to say, “You get out, what you put in”!!!!

I refuse to get old and at 34 I am by far the fittest I have ever been. My work, sports and life targets are now clearly defined.

Matt Howes

Just got back from the gym, I really was not looking forward to this one at all its named Crystal Clear. It starts off with a 400m run and ends with a 250m row; let’s just say these are two of my least favorite activities at the gym but I smashed it.

I am six weeks in now and to be honest the first time that I have noticed my change in attitude to how I am training was this morning, the fact that I went the extra hard yards not because I was pushed but because I wanted to push myself. Now, I’m not saying that I have a bad attitude when it comes to training, in fact I would even go as far as to say that I think that I have a pretty decent mentality and work effort in all aspects of my day to day life including the gym but I need to be pushed a little. I need to train with good people and I need to have certain direction in what I am doing. The InnerFight program has got me interested, the guys I train with have got me motivated, I can already see the changes to my body and my way of thinking, my diet has improved so I feel healthier and I know that I’m starting to look better and the fact that I get to Saturday night and I’m looking forward to getting up at 5.15am says that my attitude has changed.

I have made the commitment in my head and to my training brothers that I am going to continue with this program. If you’re looking for a recommendation, get involved because you will not look back.

Mike Riley

InnerFight is one of the most powerful training systems I use in my arsenal. It has given me the edge in both explosive power and insane cardio. Just getting through these sessions is reward enough but survival is just the beginning. What you learn is how to apply mind over matter. So no matter what awaits you at the gym you have the mental fortitude to not just survive but to push and reach new heights in your training.

InnerFight is a fresh and radical training system that is appropriate for everyone who wants the best out of themselves. I have been challenged daily and find the routines tough but a breath of fresh air.

I highly recommend InnerFight to those who think they have tried everything out there. Be prepared to not only challenge your physical limitations but also explore how powerful the mind body connection is.

As a former competitive bodybuilder and power lifter I faced many challenges in training but the intensity of InnerFight at 6am with the local chapter is absolutely mind blowing! (Mike has played International Rugby, completed body building competitions and played American Football at a high level)

Jeremy Austin

Do I really live, or do I just exist. I was asking myself these questions over a year ago. I was asking myself these questions until I found Crossfit. What a remarkable change that has come over me in the last six months. I have a new outlook on life, on my wife, my family my total existence. I have been looking for something that would challenge mind, body and spirit. I have now found it.

My father passed away from cancer and heart related problems when he was 44 and his lifestyle was not as it should have been with three young children. For the sake of my wife, Renee and my two children, Jake and Chelsea, I needed to find something that would keep me healthy and strong – not just in body but in mind. Not only this but keep me revitalised, energetic and stimulated.

After starting Crossfit, I was amazed at what some people were able to put their bodies through, how far they could push themselves and reach their limits both mentally and physically. I never thought I would be able to achieve these levels. I was wrong. Before starting Crossfit, I was in the gym for 1 ½-2 hours a day doing the usual routine of compound weight exercises and the occasional cardio session which was normally a 5K or 10K run. I got to the stage where I needed something more out of my time. I wasn’t able to do 5 pull-ups in a row, I was limited to around 20 push-ups and a muscle-up was way out of reach. I finished the Gold Coast Marathon in 2007 in just over 5 hours – a feat I thought impossible.

What a change a year makes. I have now lost 16kgs from my rugby union playing days. I am able to do 30 pull-ups and 50 push-ups without stopping and can now do 30 muscle-ups in less than 9 minutes. My body shape has changed completely. My body also knows what should be going into it and what shouldn’t. My entire focus of exercise, diet, wellbeing and life has all changed due to something that should have been second nature. It’s all in your mind and what you believe in yourself you can achieve, not what you think you can achieve.

Jonathan Brookes

I have trained on and off since I was 16, my interest and motivation has tended to cycle. It would peak with morning training sessions happening daily often combined with bike rides in the evening and rugby training and matches too and a high level of strength and fitness. Diet would be carefully monitored and everything would be good.

The problem was always the troughs; something would always happen to make me miss a session or get out of the habit of going, maybe a holiday or work trip away or even something as simple as a bad hangover and next thing you know 6 months or longer would have passed and I would not have even looked at my gym shoes, bike or rugby kit. The diet would have gone to pot and with it strength and fitness too.

Each time I hit a trough it lasted longer and became harder to crawl out of. Where previously it would have only taken a couple of sessions to get back to speed it was taking a couple of weeks and then a couple of months, the troughs became deeper and the diet worse and the waist and weight bigger.

In 2003 I weighed 130kg and had to sit down to put my socks on. I was in a big trough. I used my wife’s pregnancy and abstinence from alcohol as an opportunity to change my lifestyle (yet again) by crash dieting and a difficult training regime that included monotonous weights and treadmill workouts I managed to shift 25kg before the birth of my son. I was fit and lean. The problem was this new lifestyle was not sustainable, my waist began to grow as did my weight again.

After a two year trough of very little structured exercise or diet other than ad hoc rugby training and flirting with the gym I had to reassess my life once again I was now 125kg and growing I did not want to reach my earlier all time high. I had to find out why my previous efforts ultimately led to failure and ensure I did not fall into the same traps as before; a decision had to be made on how to move forward for a healthier sustainable lifestyle and body. I was looking everywhere for ideas and motivation and then it occurred to me to look within.

I realised it was not about what I did in the gym or on the bike or on the rugby pitch, it was not about what I ate before or after training it was about me and who I was. It was then that I realised I had a choice, I could choose who I was and how I lived my life; I could to continue to yo yo with my fitness and be like all the normal people; slow, fat and unhealthy or I could choose to be different, better, leaner and stronger. As soon as I realised it was my choice and had nothing to do with anybody and that the decision came from within I knew that I was not going to be that person anymore.

I subscribed to a different lifestyle, one which is born of a totally different mental attitude and the fitness has followed. I have taken control of my life. I use my desire from within to help me maintain my overall choice which helps me when making little choices daily about what I eat or drink or how hard I push myself.

I train every morning at six a.m. I eat well, I drink less. Not because I have to but because that is who I have chosen to be. It is not about what I do in the gym, it is not about what I eat but it is about me and the choices I make that come from within. It is about everything I do from the moment I wake to the moment I go to sleep; it is about how I sleep. It is about what is inside me and the desire to be me.

Some people mock me and say “you can’t eat this” or “you can’t eat that” and I tell them I can eat whatever I want to, but I choose not to. Some say “go on, just a little one, one drink wont hurt” and I look at them and feel stronger inside for being able to choose what I want to do and when I want to do it.

I choose not to quit, I choose to work until it hurts so much and then work that bit harder. I choose to keep moving the bar up, to row harder, and to push more. I choose to ignore the pain and the nagging doubts from within, I choose to be mentally strong and that mental strength helps me make my choices that helps be to be mentally strong and so I get stronger.

Now I have peaks and troughs because not every session can be the best session of the week, the difference now is that each trough is much higher than the last and lasts for far less time, it may be only for one set or one day or even one week but each peak that is reached is higher, and each corresponding trough is at a higher level than the one before. The peaks are now timed to coincide with rugby matches or other such events and the troughs are to coincide with holidays etc, clear recovery plans are put in place and committed to before holidays or troughs and because of this each day, each week, each month I am stronger than before.

Once you have control of your internal choices you can choose to be mentally strong, then by definition you are and you will enjoy the life that follows.