For Joel Jones, food has been an issue for most of his life – eating horrible stuff, and too much of it was normal. But his weight didn’t get out of control until after he graduated from college and became a teacher.  A field trip with his class presents a sad, and very vivid memory. “The kids said – ‘look at that teacher, he’s so fat!’ – and my little fourth graders are saying, ‘but he’s a really nice guy!’ – and that broke my heart.”

And it turned out, Joel’s heart was suffering – just like the rest of his body. He weighed around 400 pounds.  He was only in his early 30s, but his doctor diagnosed him with high blood pressure and pre-diabetes.  “He told me that if I didn’t do something about it I wouldn’t be around when my daughter graduated, and that…that’s not the news you want to hear.”

Joel was worried… but not worried enough to change his life.

“You know what I did?… I went right to McDonald’s and ordered a big chocolate shake and didn’t do anything about it for a couple of months.”

When he was finally ready to do something – he joined Farrell’s.  Founder Lance Farrell remembers those first few weeks.  “When Joel first started he struggled to kick the bag, and now he’s blasting the bag!  He worked so hard – he puts everything he’s got into it.”

Farrell says his mission is to help people live life at level ten.   Joel’s weight was once off the charts…now you could say, his life is. “He inspires everybody – he’s a motivator  and he’s passionate about it because it’s a life change.”

Everything about Joel’s life is different now.  “I play ultimate Frisbee – something I never would’ve dreamed of doing, I’m able to do stuff with my kids that I was never able to do, I love obstacle courses so I do those a lot.”

And he has a new found confidence.  he’s applied for a new job and coaches others in the Farrell’s program. “It’s really fun to be involved in their journey and to help them out. You have to get a cast of characters around you to push you to do this and they won’t let you fail.”

Lance Farrell, owner of Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping. / Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

His public relations agent calls him Des Moines’ fittest man. Lance Farrell, who turned 50 this year, looks the part.

The sixth-degree black belt and former quarterfinalist for the U. S. Olympic tae kwon do team kick-boxes three days a week, strength trains three and works out regularly alongside customers at his fitness facilities across the country — a routine that has kept him, at 6 feet 5 inches tall, a razor-sculpted 205 pounds.

Farrell’s U.S. Martial Arts and Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping businesses employ more than 1,000 part-time trainers and instructors and 100 full-time managers and franchise owners at 46 locations in nine states — with more than 40,000 people completing the 10-week body-shaping programs.

Farrell says he’s still “living the program,” doing kick boxing a few times a week and strength training a few times a week at his facilities. He recently taught five lower body classes in Denver on a location visit and works as an occasional guest instructor locally.

But if those were the only ways you measured Farrell, you’d be missing the quality his closest associates consider his true strength. “Forget about all the business stuff,” said Lou Waugaman of Waukee, owner of a West Des Moines Farrell’s franchise. “He’s just passionate about people.

“At staff meetings, he doesn’t talk about how we’re going to meet sales figures. He talks about how we’re going to help our clients meet their goals.”

East meets Midwest
Farrell grew up on a farm outside Guthrie Center, baling hay, scooping manure and building fences with his stepdad and grandfather. His father wasn’t part of that picture. “He left when I was five,” Farrell said.

In high school, he took a summer job with Guthrie County, slinging a spike hammer to set bridge planks in place. That’s where a co-worker, a student at Iowa State University, told him about Grand Master Yong Chin Pak, an eighth-degree black belt who taught martial arts at the university. Farrell, who had grown up watching “Enter the Dragon,” was interested. In 1980, as an ISU freshman, he signed up for P.E. 171, beginning tae kwon do.

Pak has taught more than 35,000 students and doesn’t recall Farrell’s semester in the class. But Farrell does.

“I watched students kick up over their partner’s arms, and I felt so inferior, just thinking, gosh, I’ll never be able to do that,” he said. “Every class, I had to crawl off the mat. He would pull as much as he could out of you. But I was used to hard work, so it fit me.”

Farrell was also listening to Master Pak’s lessons in values: self-control, discipline, respect. Back home that fall, he stood after Thanksgiving dinner to gather his mother’s and grandmother’s plates. The rest of the family stared. “They prepared the meal,” he said to his brother-in-law, step-brothers and nephews, “so we’re going to clean it up.”

Setting new goals
One of Farrell’s early goals, he says, was to get even for his mom. A vivid early memory, he says, is of her knocking on the door of a trailer where she suspected her husband — his dad — had met with another woman. “I heard him cough inside, so I knew he was there. He came home and beat the crap out of my mom and left. I saw the whole thing. And I was going to look him up so I could teach him a lesson.”

His sophomore year he purchased a plane ticket to Pompano Beach, Fla. But Master Pak’s lessons about honoring parents had made an impression. “I’d decided to get to know him instead. And he apologized for leaving. According to him, my mom was the best person he’d ever met.”

By then, Pak had noticed him: “Number one, he was tall. He was also winning tournaments.”

Farrell remembers it differently, citing a loss in the first round of his first tournament — a blue belt among “a sea of black belts” at the national Amateur Athletic Union tae kwon do championships.

“The first guy beat me, thank goodness. I watched all the way to the finals, where I saw two guys get brutal without wearing safety gear,” he said. “I learned a lot.”

A friend’s request for lessons the next year forced him to confront another childhood hurdle: stuttering. He reached out to Pak, who asked him to serve as a teaching assistant in P.E. 171, counting the cadence for every kick, “up in English, down in Korean: hana, dul, set …”

Farrell memorized a phrase he carried in his wallet: “Do what you fear most and you control fear.”

Twelve students showed up for his first class in the Guthrie Center High School cafeteria. “I taught the exact same class Master Pak taught,” he said. “I planned out every word so I wouldn’t stutter.”

By the time he graduated in 1984, the stuttering was behind him and Farrell had won a gold medal in the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association championships. The NCTA also named him Male Athlete of the Year. He began a career in agricultural sales, continuing to compete for a place on the U.S. Olympic tae kwon do team, consistently making it to the national and quarterfinal rounds.

He also taught martial arts in school gyms in southwest Iowa, hiring a part-time employee: 14-year-old Todd Dorr, who had been a 12-year-old in his first class. That November, Farrell and Dorr had a message for the kids filling their classes: “Thanksgiving is this week. Do the dishes. Your parents work so hard. Be examples for the others in your family.”

Building on values
Farrell has made martial arts values key to the business he’s built in the three decades since — a story he can’t tell without veering off into side conversations about the friends who’ve worked alongside him.

There’s Dorr, now vice president of operations, “my detail guy, my motivator, and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.”

There’s Brandon Miller, a kid in his first Des Moines class and first to earn the certificate and $250 promised to any student who could avoid drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol until age 21. Miller kept the certificate but gave back the cash. “He said he didn’t care about the money anymore,” Farrell said, “because it saved his life.” He’s director of martial arts now.

And there’s Waugaman, a sparring partner, fellow competitor, and customer at his first Des Moines location — in the basement of Plaza Lanes on Douglas Avenue “with the bowling balls rumbling above us.” The two recount their history with the wisdom earned from having made mistakes — the biggest of which, they say, was a lawsuit over a business falling-out. Waugaman credits Farrell for reaching across a two-year divide by inviting him to lunch and later, bringing him to the faith he counts as foundational to his life.

Waugaman remembers the martial arts demonstrations he and Farrell put on at retirement homes in their early years together. “He’s always been a guy who wakes up every day and has 10 ideas, and eight of them are great and the other two, not so much. But he’s got a few close friends who are able to come back to him and be his voice of reason.”

Asked about the numbers that mark his success, Farrell talks instead about the fact that he’s never had to advertise for an instructor or franchisee. “They’ve all been a student first. That means a lot to me.”

Pak said he knows why: “A lot of people will just take your money. But he really cares about his students and family and community. That’s why he is most successful. “

© Copyright The Des Moines Register

FOX News reporter Patrick Elwood learns how to kickbox at Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping.

Kickboxing may be one of the best workouts you can do as far as burning calories and dropping pounds of weight. Learn how at Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping in Lincoln Park, IL.

© FOX News Chicago

© WHO TV13 - Des Moines, IA

It`s known as one of the most popular fitness programs in Iowa, but what if Farrell’s Extreme Body Shaping is too extreme for you?

No worries, there`s a program to help you get there.

Seven months ago Michelle Berg never would`ve envisioned herself doing this.

“Well, I wasn`t very fit. I didn`t have any kind of regular exercise program at all and I knew that I needed to be involved in something.” Michelle said.

She was on blood pressure meds and her cholesterol was getting high. Her doctor was concerned, and so was her family.

“My brother had been trying to get me to do the regular Farrell`s ten week class and I just felt that was going to be too much to start with.”

But when her brother told her about a new Farrell’s program she was out of excuses.

“The nice thing about ‘fit start’ is they do a lot of modifying for people`s physical limitations…it doesn`t move at as fast a pace, there are a few more breaks in it.”

“The results have been crazy…it`s gone really well, far better than we expected.” said Lance Farrell.

Lance Farrell likes to say he helps people live life at level ten. But until he created the ‘fit start’ program, a lot of people didn`t have that option.

“We wanted to bring something to those people who lost hope – they didn`t know what they were going to do…this program gives them something they can do – they can get started”
High impact moves are eliminated and participants can do portions of the class sitting down. That doesn`t mean it`s easy.

“The people who come here six days a week in the regular program are crawling off the mat after a great workout…people in ‘fit start’ are also doing that, but their level 10 is different than the people doing the regular program.” Lance commented.

Speaking of which … Remember Michelle’s brother?

“I called him that first night and I was angry with him…I said, WHAT did you get me into?!?! But by week two or three I was thanking him for suggesting the program and giving me the push to get into it.” Michelle said.

Michelle`s in the extreme body shaping program now and says she`s never felt better.
“I do enjoy it and I miss it if I`m not able to go…so I`m planning to continue for the long term.”

http://whotv.com/2012/05/29/workout-of-the-week-farrells-extreme-body-shaping/

© NBC 15 - Madison, WI
Reporter: Tim Elliott

A local fitness center is targeting an often-forgotten demographic. Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping is hoping to help people who feel they are too overweight to get started on a healthy lifestyle.

We all know leading a healthy lifestyle isn't always easy. That's why the trainers over at Farrell's are simplifying things to help people get started.

This is Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping. These students are part of an intense 10-week class designed to push their bodies to the limit.

“It's very dynamic, lots of big moves, lots of calisthenics, core work, ab work,”

But trainer Stephanie East says this class is pretty advanced and isn't for everyone.

“There was just a segment of the population that we were missing,” she explained.

That's why Farrell's started a new program called “FIT Start.”

“We've taken the same basic principles and slowed it down a little bit,”

FIT Start is designed for people with variety of fitness hurdles including obesity and prior injuries.

“People are heavy,” said East. “Obesity is a huge epidemic in our society and so what we've been able to do at FIT Start in Farrell's is take out those obstacles. The biggest obstacle is those extra pounds that they carry to get back into the gym,” said East.

The program focuses on low-impact exercises to help alleviate pressure off the the joints caused by that extra weight.

“Even our ab exercises are modified. We're addressing the mobility issues we're addressing flexibility,”

The pilot fit start program was a huge success, prompting the Farrell's franchise to implement it in all their gyms across the Midwest.

“It's the whole package, it's the whole program to really give people a starting point to really get healthy and to have the healthy lifestyle they need,”

East says people are sometimes intimidated by the gym.

“One of the first questions that people ask is I'm really out of shape, can I do this?”

Her answer?

“You're capable of more than you think. I tell people all the time get to my door, get to my door and we'll take it from there,”

FIT Start pilot program kicks off mid-April so there is still time to sign up. Head to www.joinfxb.com. 

To see what others are saying about Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping, visit their news page or on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/extremebodyshaping.

About Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping
For more information about the Farrell’s 10-Week Challenge and to find a location near you, visit www.extremebodyshaping.com. Find Farrell’s on Facebook and on Twitter at FarrellsXB.

http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/Tims_Travels_FIT_Start_146405155.html

©KCCI News Des Moines

A central Iowa woman who weighed more than 500 pounds says her life was saved by a local fitness program.

Listen to the interview with Radio Iowa’s Matt Kelley

Fifty-year-old Cherubim Hurdle of Pleasant Hill was injured a few years ago and put on so much weight, she could hardly walk. “I was actually afraid to do anything because I was afraid I’d hurt myself,” Hurdle says. “All of that time, I was just dieting. I wasn’t exercising.” She says a bad situation got worse over the months.

“I injured my leg, went to the doctor, she had a scale that said 420,” Hurdle says. “I topped the scale and went over and she told me I weighed about 500. It really scared the life out of me, but you can be afraid and still not be able to fix the problem.” Hurdle and her younger sister joined Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping in Des Moines together and dove into the FIT Start program.

It involves kickboxing and “bands of strength” six days a week for ten weeks. “Because of how heavy I am, my ankles and my feet would hurt so I found walking impossible,” Hurdle says. “I was so surprised I could actually go to class and work out for 45 minutes and do kickboxing, we have these bags that you kick and you do it at your own pace.”

She’s under 400 pounds now but her goal is to get under 200. Still, she says it’s not just the pounds that are relevant. “I used to be weak and sick and because of my leg, I couldn’t get out,” Hurdle says. “I’m slowly getting stronger and I’m losing dress sizes and getting into smaller pants.”

Hurdle was one of the first participants to successfully complete the FIT Start program.

Darin and Julie Ligtenberg came on the KSFY Morning News to show how many calories are in some of our holiday foods. They said a typical ham holiday meal could run around 1200 calories. When it comes to dessert they say a few servings of cookies could total around 1800 calories.

The owners demonstrated how to use resistance bands and a punching bag to burn off those holiday calories.

Click to watch the video:

Farrell's eXtreme Bodyshaping is new to Madison's Biggest Loser this year. They may be new to the game, but their plan is working!

The pounds are just melting away in this year's Madison's Biggest Loser competition!

We are just five weeks in, but so far, the 25 contestants have almost lost as much weight as the contestants did all of last year!

You walk into the gym at Farrell's and the music is just bumping! Contestants hearts are pumping, the sweat is pouring and of course, the weight is dropping!

“3, 2, 1!” yells instructor Stephanie East.

It's a high-energy, fast-paced workout.

“Stay on your toes keep those hands high! We didn't get up at 5 o'clock in the morning for nothing!” shouts instructor Justin East.

“I feel jacked, I feel really good,” said Rick Kast who has lost about 33 pounds since the competition began.

Five weeks in, the contestants over at Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping are hitting their stride.

“This is my center, I have to build my life around it,” said contestant Brenda Berry.

“It's a marathon, it's not a sprint,” added Stephanie.

“It's a support system and that's how our program is set up,” said Justin.

Working out used to be a chore, but now, it's part of who they are.

“It's amazing to feel this way every morning when you wake up to get done and you have more energy than you've ever had. When you don't make it to class, you feel like garbage,” said Kast.

Rick Kast was last week's individual winner.

“One, two, three kick! Get those kicks high and kick through the bag!” Justin tells his students.

Kast is a former marine and says Madison's Biggest Loser is changing his life.

“You know it's been a long time since I heard the word 'skinny' and a lot of people say you look skinny which feels great, it feels awesome,” said Kast.

“We have really taken the time to give them the knowledge and tools to live a healthier life,” added Stephanie.

“Every single pound that they have lost, they earned it, every ache, every pain, they've earned it,” said Stephanie.

It's not always pretty...

“I hate sit ups, that's the toughest part,” laughed contestant Samantha Remsik.

“I don't think anyone has sworn at me yet...oh wait I take that back, there was one time,” joked Stephanie.

But you can't argue with the results.

“I'm noticing my clothes are fitting differently,” said Berry.

“Actually, I was looking in the mirror and I was like 'yeah, my butt looks good!” laughed Remsik.

“I'm really scared that we only have six weeks left, I wanna do this forever,” commented Kast.

This week, the team over at Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping lost 16.5 pounds

Contestants lost:

Rick Kast -7.5 pounds
Samantha Remsik -4 pounds
Brenda Barry -3 pounds
Aretha Pearson -1.25 pounds
Erik Ringquist -.75 pounds

Dean Clinics are conducting the weekly weigh-ins for the contestants.

All the individual and team weight losses will be updated on nbc15.com later on Tuesday. During the Biggest Loser at 7pm on Tuesday, we will announce this week's winning Madison's Biggest Loser and winning team.

Jason Wilkinson hadn't exercised regularly for 10 years, and it was showing.

"I knew I wanted to do something to lose weight and get into shape, and I just didn't know how to start," said the 35-year-old.

After seeing some before-and-after-pictures that a friend had posted on Facebook, Wilkinson decided to try Farrell's Extreme Body Shaping. "I knew there was no way I was going to get in shape faster," he said.

Wilkinson attended a class on a Bring a Friend Day and went ahead and signed up for Farrell's 10-week fitness challenge. "I knew that if I could just commit to ten weeks I could get over the hill," he said.

Wilkinson hung in there with the support and encouragement of his class coach. "You're not forced to go, but you're expected to go," he said.

He attended strength training classes and cardio workouts and learned a new way to feed his body. It was a big change from the workouts he'd done in his 20s. "I'd lifted weights, but I'd never done any cardio," he said. "It was new to me."

In 10 weeks Wilkinson went from 25.5 percent body fat to 19.9 percent body fat. He lost 3 ½ inches off his hips and 4 ½ inches off his waist.

He said a large part of his success was nutrition. "Nutrition is 75 percent of the equation," he explained. "I completely changed how I eat."

Now his wife has gone through the program, too, and like him, is on the maintenance program. They've worked out a schedule where he goes to an early morning class before work and she attends an evening class.

Wilkinson said he really enjoys the social aspect of working out at Farrell's. "I've got so many friends there," he explained. "After awhile you know so many people."

He continues to improve his fitness level, too. Farrell's uses multiple areas to test for its baseline fitness evaluation, including a mile run. Wilkinson ran a mile in 9 minutes and 22 seconds for his first test and said he was dead the rest of the day. Ten weeks later, he ran it in 7:11 and felt recovered 10 minutes later. Just a month ago, he was tested again and shaved another 36 seconds off his time.

"The biggest thing for me is I'm wearing clothes I've never worn before," Wilkinson said. He has slimmed from a 36-inch waist to a 32-inch waist and has lowered his body fat to 15 percent after 18 months at Farrell's.

Last year Wilkinson began leading others through the 10-week challenge as a coach. "I've had a lot of fun helping other people discover the same level of fitness I've found," he said.

Cindy Moore had struggled with her weight since childhood, attempting various exercise programs without luck. She surprised even herself when she participated in a test program through Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping and bariatric specialists.

The focus was on what exercises heavier clients could perform, rather than results, said Lance Farrell, founder of FXB. It was so successful that Farrell’s is offering 10-week sessions beginning Oct. 3.

A self-described couch potato who hated to sweat, Moore, 58, was hesitant to sign up when she received an email from her bariatric specialist. But she found it built her self-confidence as well as her strength. She could walk up steps more easily and lost 10 pounds and seven inches off her mid-section.

“I’ve been successful in many areas, but have not had much success in weight loss and health. I felt and experienced changes in me that I’ve never felt before,” said Moore, of Clive.
She and 10 other participants exercised four days a week for four weeks at the Waukee location. For many, the effort may be their last option to avoid gastric bypass surgery.
The idea came about after Dr. Nate Brady, then director of a medical weight management program, inquired whether Farrell’s had a program for obese clients. No program targeted that population, Farrell said.

“We were concerned there might be some knee or ankle twisting,” he said.
The test group included patients on the high end of morbidly obese, to the high end of obese with a shoulder or back issue, Farrell said. The heaviest man weighed 430 pounds and the heaviest female 350 pounds. The key was tailoring the traditional 10-week challenge to their abilities.
“What we found out is that they could do a lot more than we thought they could, which was surprising,” Farrell said.

A dietitian and physical therapist modified the nutrition and resistance training portions. They added chairs so participants didn’t have to go down to the floor and then get up, took the jumping and bouncing out of kick-boxing and minimized the twisting. They also slowed down the music.
Elizabeth DiTomaso, head coach at the Waukee facility, added exercises to keep participants moving, increasing the intensity as they went.

“It seems this population is more motivated and more courageous. Maybe a little apprehensive, but once then get into it, they’re extremely pursuant in it,” she said. “They really want to change, so they try so hard.”

Class members work out with others facing similar challenges and will be photographed in tight-fitting clothing so they can see the powerful image of their transformation, Farrell said.
One participant, Scott Clarke, said he liked the structure of the pilot program.
“I had hit a sticking point on weight loss and thought it would be helpful to do more movement,” said Clark, 50, of Des Moines. “The problem is I’m my own worst enemy. Eventually, I’ll just sink back into my old regimen.”
He lost five pounds during the pilot program and strengthened his upper and lower body strength. At 425 pounds, he hopes to lose another 25.
“I’m showing up because I want to show up and I also want to better myself and get fit again,” he said.

The new session meets six days a week. Saturday is a recovery class — a milder workout — and when students turn in food logs. Classes will be offered at eight or more of the 12 Farrell’s locations in Des Moines and Ames. Anyone who feels they cannot do Farrell’s regular program can enroll, Farrell said. To register, call 255-0095.

Article by Estella Villanueva-Whitmann of the Des Moines Register

Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping will definitely kick your butt into shape, but it offers one thing many other gyms do not.

Farrell’s — a fitness club with two locations in Ankeny — teaches classes that focus on leading a healthier lifestyle through nutrition education, kickboxing and resistance training. But unlike other gyms, said head coach Ben Gray, there’s an entire family of Farrell’s participants who are there to help you reach your goals.

“People come to Farrell’s for the sense of community they get here,” Gray said. “The people here care if you miss a class and they care about you.”

When Monica Girdner, 34, of Ankeny, attended her first class in January 2010, she was nervous, but her instructors and classmates helped her feel welcome.

“I thought, ‘let’s give it a shot’,” Girdner said. “Nothing else was working and I heard really good things about (Farrell’s).”

Girdner lost 20 pounds and 14 inches following her first 10-week session at Farrell’s. Following her experience, she signed up to be a coach.

“This program is a little scary at first, and I want to help keep people motivated,” Girdner said. “I want to help them realize they can do this.”

Farrell’s first appeared on the fitness scene 10 years ago, Gray said. It has since become a popular choice for people hoping to shape up and shed some pounds.

“We’re a very stable environment,” Gray said. “We’re not a fad and we’re not going anywhere.”

One type of class is offered at Farrell’s. Fitness and experience level doesn’t matter in the class, Gray said.

“People who’ve been doing this for years will be taking a class right next to the people who just started,” Gray said. “But those people will be the ones coming over to help (the new ones).”

Classes are taught in 10-week sessions, six days per week. Each class lasts 45 minutes, and three days are spent kickboxing, while the other three are spent on resistance training.

“The other hours in the day are spent on nutrition,” Gray said.

The next 10-week session begins Sept. 12.

Gray said the intensity of Farrell’s classes could be intimidating; therefore the company is gearing up to offer its first low-impact class this October. The class will be ideal for those who suffer from obesity, heart problems and other health issues.

Gray said the staff at Farrell’s focuses on teaching participants how to develop healthier lifestyles.

“We don’t call it a diet here,” Gray said. “Everything we do here teaches you how to simply lead a healthier lifestyle.”

LOCATIONS: South Ankeny Farrell's, 2803 SW Oralabor Rd.; North Ankeny Farrell's, 121 N.E. 18th St.

HOURS: Hours vary by location.

PRICE: $ 346.60, 10-week challenge.

HEAD COACHES: Ben Gray, South Ankeny; Lisa Speicher, North Ankeny.

PHONE: South Ankeny, 515-289-0600; North Ankeny, 515-963-4600.

EMAIL: info@extremebodyshaping.com

Click here to view article

Strap on your boxing gloves!
CBS 2 This Morning throws some punches with Lance Farrell, founder of Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping and Pat Thomas, the local area franchisee. Farrell was in studio to explain his 10 week fitness program that is more than just a workout, it's a lifestyle change.

Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping has opened a second Sioux Falls location.

The workout facility is now located at 1618 S. Sycamore Ave. in addition to 6010 S. Minnesota Ave.

“We had a number of people that had showed an interest,” said Darin Ligtenberg, who along with his wife, Juli,e holds the local franchise rights to the national chain. “ We had current clients coming from the east side and decided to move forward and open an east-side location.”

Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping offers a 10-week starter program that combines cardio with strength training and a nutrition plan.

“My wife and I went through it, and it changed our lives,” Ligtenberg said. “We were thinking about moving back to Sioux Falls and decided to do this.”

The first Sioux Falls location opened in May 2010.

Click Here to view the article

Intimidated and nervous, Moreland hesitantly attended his first class, and a transition that would effect every aspect of his life began. Eighty-five pounds overweight, he attended the six-day per week class religiously.

"They (the other participants and coaches) became like a family," he said. "You couldn't miss a class; they wouldn't let you!" Away from class, Moreland followed the nutrition guidelines carefully, and the pounds slowly began to melt away.

"I found I had had more energy; I felt great," said Moreland. He took the program so seriously, he won a $1,000 contest, having made one of the more dramatic transformations in his class.

"While the money was nice and a real motivation to work hard, I didn't want it to end," he said. Moreland immediately signed up for the maintenance classes and continued to work hard and lose weight.
In June of 2009, one year after his first class, Moreland was ready for something new, something bigger. On a whim, he signed up for the Copper Creek Triathlon in Pleasant Hill. Nervous, he made it through the 750-yard, open water swim; 20K bike; and 5K run and had fun doing it. He signed up for the Olympic distance Hy-Vee Triathlon that afternoon. He was hooked. Moreland has continued to live "Life at Level 10," a mantra of Farrell's students and instructors. He now coaches his own class at Farrell's and recently completed the Kansas Half-Ironman Triathlon in June. Lance Farrell, owner and CEO of Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping, is proud of what Moreland has accomplished since he joined in 2008.

Farrell opened his first martial arts studio in 1989. Ten years later, with 40 locations, he is proud of the 30,000 lives that have been affected.

"There are so many stories similar to Kevin's," said Farrell. "We're just here to support people as they pursue their goals. Our head coaches bend over backwards to help participants see success and the classes become like a family - it's a culture, of hard work, admirable goals and support to success."

Moreland, now 50, never dreamt of running a mile, much less a half-ironman. With the support of his wife, children and new family at the gym, he's begun to realize that no dream is beyond his reach.

Click Here to view the article

Name:

Age: 49

Occupation: Assistant principal, Ames High School

Height: 6 feet, 3 inches

Pounds lost: 100 (since Aug. 3, 2009)

Taking stock: I’m 49 years old, and I am in the best shape of my life. I started at 34 percent body fat and am down to 16.5 percent. I don’t think I want to lose more weight, but I want to lose more fat and gain more muscle.

Background: I have been overweight my entire life. When I was 30, I lost a great deal of weight, getting down to 210 to 235 for about seven years. I was a daily regular at the YMCA, doing free weights and cardio. Then I married and moved to a small town in northern Iowa — away from a gym. I put on weight and was back to around 300 pounds for the last six to seven years. I hated the way I looked and felt.

Motivation: I was on high blood pressure medicine and had to wear clothes that did not make me feel good about myself.

Exercise regimen: I am very dedicated to my workouts. Even if I cannot get to Farrell’s in Ankeny, I exercise on my own with a workout that incorporates cardio, push-ups and sit-ups. I have taken part in the “spring fit challenge,” where you keep track of the number of push-ups and sit-ups you do before and/or after the workout. I was averaging 600 to 900 push-ups and sit-ups each week, not counting what we do during the workout. I really noticed a difference in my shoulders, chest and abs. In addition to my regular workouts, I go in 15 minutes early each day and do extra bands for my upper body.

Food factor: We eat very sensibly these days. Whole-wheat everything, lots of vegetables and fruits and portion sizes that make sense. I take my lunch to school and it consists of a bag of fresh mixed veggies, a fruit (grapes, banana, apple, etc.) and a serving of meat. I eat a little every three hours and look at food no longer as a comfort, but as fuel. I am amazed how well my body does with so few calories . I drink lots of water throughout the day, too. That’s a big deal for me.

Pleasant surprises: When I started, I could run only about one block at a time and then had to walk to catch my breath. Over time, I kept putting mental challenges in my head. I recently have run three 5K runs and even have a kick at the end. I’ve discovered sweet potatoes, Fiber One cereal and oatmeal with chocolate whey protein mixed in.

Temptation: Pizza and Grain’s Italian sausage. I still eat it, but I eat less of it and only on “fun day.”

Eating out: My wife and I like to split a meal, and we order something healthy. Take-home boxes are important . At the office, breaking off half of a cookie or a small part of one of those yummy doughnuts is a real treat and won’t kill you with calories.

Best advice: The diet is half of the program. If you really eat as they prescribe in the book, you get to eat what you want, learn how to eat in a healthy way and you get better results. When it’s time for you to go work out, regardless of how you feel or how little time you think you have, get your workout clothes on and get out the door. After your workout, you’ll feel great and very glad you did it. At your workout, kick butt … get your money’s worth!

Farrell’s Extreme bodyshaping
The basic Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping program includes 10 weeks of classes taught by Farrell’s certified instructors, boxing gloves and hand wraps, a course manual, three fitness evaluations to gauge your progress over the 10-week session and a coach to help guide you through the course, says Todd Dorr, vice president of operations.

The three components that give people results are fitness kickboxing, which brings together rhythmic martial arts and bag training in a high-energy environment, proper nutrition to turn food into fuel for the body, and strength-training exercises with resistance bands and medicine balls, Dorr says.

“A Farrell’s week consists of three days of fitness kickboxing classes alternating with three days of rotating upper-body and lower-body resistance-bands workouts, with each class lasting 45 minutes,” Dorr says. “The cost is $389 including tax, which breaks down to about $6.50 a day.”

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Julie and Darin Ligtenberg are opening a second Farrell's Extreme Body Shaping facility today at 1618 S. Sycamore Ave., near 26th Street in the former Blockbuster space.

The couple opened the first location during winter 2010 at King's Crossing on 69th Street and Minnesota Avenue.

Julie Ligtenberg said the best part of owning the business is transforming people's lives daily.

Question: You moved back to South Dakota from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to open Farrell's. How did you decide to open your own business?

Answer: I started the program in September 2008, looking for something to help me lose my baby weight. The program really changed my life. What I ended up learning is there's so much more to your fitness level than just what your weight is. So I ended up being more fit in my late 30s than I ever was, and it was the emotional benefits as well that people find ... you get such a mental change.

It's a change in mind, body and soul. So I started instructing and coaching, and then my husband joined the program because he saw what it did for me. He had the most amazing changes and after he was done, he started coaching and instructing. And we thought if we were ever going to move back, now is the great time to do that and bring this amazing program to this area.

Q: What has this past year been like as a business owner getting started?

A: It's been crazy. Darin's an engineer, I'm a CPA, and it's kind of like we just up and left everything to come here and do it, but we had such a strong belief in the program that we just knew it would go here.

Q: So did you both leave your professions?

A: I do some, I still dabble in it, maintain my license. Darin still has his job, he relocated here.

Q: So how do you juggle all of your work and two children?

A: It's a little more flexible. Our hours are odd. We're opening at 4:30 in the morning, our first class is at 5 a.m., then we're typically done around 10 a.m. We try to just manage schedules, so If I'm opening, he's home with the kids. Now in summer, the kids come in and run and play. There's quite a bit of flexibility of being a business owner, being able to make it work.

Q: Do you include your kids in the exercises?

A: They do it, they love it, not the official class, but they talk a lot about fitness, which is good. They know what to eat, what the healthy choices are for food. They talk about the moves, "Let's do a jab, hook, uppercut." They have fun with it.

Q: What do you like to do with your family to unwind?

A: We like to do a lot of outdoor activities when we can because the kids love to be on the go. So we hit the parks a lot. They love to play freeze tag, baseball. Love to go to baseball games.

Q: What's your favorite team?

A: Our favorite team is the Chicago White Sox. So now that we've moved farther away - we used to be so close to Chicago, we were only 3.5 hours away, so we used to go there quite a bit - so the kids have been begging to go back to a White Sox game. So we'll try.

We're hoping to go to the Black Hills and do some activities out there as well. We just like to get out and be active, camping, fishing.

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"I took the 10 week challenge and dropped 21lbs.. I went from 21% body fat to 13%. Below are the pictures from right after the first 10wks. I like the program so much I signed on for an entire year... I'm down to 8% now :) "

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“Chris not only had a tremendous physical transformation but also gained self confidence and a new energy for life,” FXB Owner Dorenkamp commented. “We provided him with a superior fitness program, motivation, and a fun atmosphere.”

The new FXB location boasts 2,500 square feet of mat space dedicated to the participants’ workout. Fitness kickboxing classes are held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and resistance-training classes are held Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Farrell’s is a results-based fitness program for participants of any age, lifestyle, sex, or athletic ability, combating obesity and developing healthy lifestyle habits. In just 45 minutes a day, six days a week, for 10-weeks, Farrell’s participants make real changes in their fitness and overall health. Participants are part of a team and have a coach and instructor to provide guidance, motivation, and accountability.

The Farrell’s program includes three essential elements:

• Fitness Kickboxing – a Taekwondo-based workout that combines rhythmic martial arts moves, including dynamic kicking and punching, and bag training to push bodies to their cardiovascular limits.
• Resistance Training – an intense anaerobic bands workout that targets “problem areas” through exercises specifically designed to sculpt, tone, and shape the entire body. These workouts turn bodies into calorie-burning machines.
• Nutrition – a well-balanced eating plan that converts food into fuel for the body. By eating six times per day, participants stay satisfied and in “burn mode” all day long.

FXB is enrolling now for its second 10-Week Challenge. For more information email dandorenkamp@extremebodyshaping.com or call (303) 756-2639.

FXB is a transformative fitness program designed to help you quickly improve your fitness level. In ten weeks, you will make positive, permanent changes to your health, strength, appearance, and confidence. Farrell’s Denver – S. Colorado Blvd. is locally owned and operated by FXB Colorado, LLC, a Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping franchisee. For more information about the Farrell’s 10-Week Challenge and to find a location near you, visit www.extremebodyshaping.com.

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A lot of things were going through his head when he started Farrell’s last January. “Number one was how could my wife have gotten me into this!” he says with a laugh. Matt’s wife got him the ten week session as a gift. "It was a struggle the first few weeks,” he says, “but it's getting better and I'm keeping up!"

And it turns out; it's giving him a new life. "After going and getting a workout I feel like a million bucks!” At the halfway point, Matt was down fifteen and a half pounds. “I lost three inches off my chest, four inches off my waist and two off my hips,” he says with pride, “and I could tell because my jeans started fitting better!” And there’s more proof he’s improving his fitness level. He doubled the number of push ups and sit ups he could do and took two minutes off his mile.

We visited Matt at the Farrell’s in Waukee this week. He’s down more than twenty five pounds and thirteen inches overall. "As it turns out, it's been amazing,” he says, “it's hard and I can't say it gets easier but I know I'm getting in better shape and as you get in better shape they push you harder.” Matt’s goal was to lose one hundred pounds and he says he’s not stopping until he reaches it. "I encourage anybody to try it. You know, this isn't something I would have gone out and tried myself but I’m glad I did, I’m glad my wife did this for me, it's a really cool thing.”

Matt says his workouts are just part of his success. The Farrell’s program is also teaching him a lot about food. Not only what to eat and what not to eat, but how much to consume. He says it’s been tough to change some bad habits, but fueling his body in a healthy way has him feeling great.

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Looking to feel the burn? Our readers look to Farrell’s Extreme Bodyshaping, which combines kickboxing, resistance and nutritional guidelines to keep clients in shape. Lives have been changed by 10-week programs that burn fat and build muscle. If that’s not enough, Farrell’s has a $1,000 contest for motivation. Multiple locations.

Runners-up: Kosama, Goals in Motion

Best Place to Kickbox
Farrell’s eXtreme Bodyshaping

It was 10 years ago when founder Lance Farrell began Extreme Bodyshaping. Today, the fitness program has exploded and attracts hundreds of individuals into the 10-week program. Don’t think you have what it takes to get into shape? Farrell’s combines kickboxing, resistance, nutritional guidelines and accountability to help you. Multiple locations.

Runners-up: Kosama, Roundkick Gym

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