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Just Bring Your Body)/ Carmel Rodriguez

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Bored with your at-home workouts? Want to look like this foursome! Openfit has just launched a new program called JBYB, which stands for Just Bring Your Body, and all you need is you. No weights are required for these action-packed 30-minute workouts. This 5 day-a-week, 60-day total body conditioning program features not just one, but an elite team of four trainers. They are some of the most influential fitness personalities and ready to crank up your fitness. Known as the “Fit Four”, each trainer brings their own specialty and expertise. There is dancer and gymnast Julian Daigre; stuntman and martial artist Ryan Tremaine Klarenbach; boot camp elite trainer Scott Mathison; and body mastery trainer Carmel Rodriguez. Together they combine the elements of the most effective bodyweight training styles like yoga, HIIT, MMA, and plyometrics in one program. Each takes a turn leading the workout, while the other three train alongside them… and us. The trainers may be elite, but they have designed the JBYB program for every fitness level. If you’re looking for inspiration, look no further than four of the most ripped and fit athletes you’ve ever seen! We had the opportunity to talk to one of them, Carmel Rodriguez, about the JBYB program and the advantages of body weight training. Carmel may be the most impressive of the four given that she’s 44 years old and the mother of two! STYLE OF SPORT: What are the benefits of bodyweight training as opposed to using equipment or weights? CARMEL RODGRIGUEZ: Not a lot of people have access to weights or gyms right now, so the concept of JBYB is really timely. What I love about bodyweight training is that you don’t have an excuse not to do a workout program. But beyond that, what we all strive for, and what I strive for as a trainer myself, is to be stronger in real life situations. We don’t carry weights around with us. Being effective, efficient, and able with your body is why we are all training. SOS: I’m in full agreement and preach it myself. It’s in those real life situations you want and need that functional strength and conditioning. Tell us a little bit about your fitness background. CR: The reason I went into fitness training was I wanted to be a ninja mom. I used to have this nightmare where my kids were playing in the front yard and they ran into the street. There were cars coming from either side, and I had to run to try to save them. I couldn’t save both and I had to pick one. It lit a fire and I decided the only way I could protect my kids was to become a ninja mom. That was my motivation and drive for so long. A lot of the moves stem from that — agility, speed, jumping — acting like a ninja. PART OF THE TASK WE HAD AS “PERFORMANCE” TRAINERS WAS MAKING SURE THE EXERCISES AND WORKOUTS WERE FOR ALL LEVELS. THE MOVES ARE CHALLENGING BUT THEY ARE DOABLE… THEY ARE THE FOUNDATION FOR A LOT OF THE PERFORMANCE MOVES WE DO. SOS: How did you come to be involved with Openfit and become a part of the Fit Four? CR: We met through social media. Not met so much, but knew of each other, and ran in the same circles. We met in person when we were training together and designing the program, understanding the different abilities of one another. SOS: Each trainer has their own unique skill set. You’re described the “body mastery trainer”, and you’ve referred to yourself as a ninja. When I look at all the trainers’ Instagram handles, you are all doing these super impressive, crazy moves. CR: Part of the task we had as “performance” trainers was making sure the exercises and workouts were for all levels. The moves are challenging but they are doable and we have modifications. They are the foundation for a lot of the performance moves we do. In order for you to do some of the handstands or calisthenics or stunts that Ryan would do for example, or flips that Julian would do, it has to start from somewhere. There is a basic level of conditioning, a basic level of core strength, and a basic level of mobility you need in order to do these things. We wanted to bring to this program that basic level with a little bit of ninja, a little but of stunt, a little bit of the things we are known for, but still grounding so people are safe. It’s a strategic workout that allows you to progress and get better and stronger for whatever you want to do. SOS: Talk to us about how the program progresses over the 60 days. CR: The exercises have progression within themselves. You may struggle with an exercise in the beginning — either the speed or the form or the endurance — but the progression is in the improvement on any of these. This is extremely important in how it translates into other exercises and daily life. SOS: I like the variety and rotation of the four different trainers. You are four of the fittest people I’ve ever seen together in one workout! What’s it like for you working with this team? I’m very curious about your dynamic as a group. CR: We are a bunch of jokesters. You’ll notice on the set we make fun of each other and are competitive, but we’re still building each other up. We’re like a little family that didn’t know we needed each other. We got along so well. You can’t fake that dynamic. And those muscles may look intimidating, but we got ripped doing that program. SOS: Oh good, I’ll look like that in a few weeks! My goal is to be able to do one of those superman push-ups I keep seeing all over Instagram! Do we get to that by the end… or will I be strong enough to try it? CR: We don’t do it in the program for safety reasons, but we’ve structured the program so you’ll have the strength, you’ll have the cardio, you’ll have the mobility. SOS: I’ve never done one of these programs before and can’t to see what happens. I’m all in for the 60 days!