March 14, 2017

Meet Joz of Burn N Shed™ in Tarzana

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joz.

Joz, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I really don’t have a great story of why or how I got started in the fitness industry. But, what started off as a selfish move became bigger than what I expected. I started strength training at a local gym on a fitness bet with a friend. While working out there, my sister asked me to try out a lift class with her. It was my first class, ever. Surprisingly, I liked it and after a few classes, I thought, I could do this. I also realized if I got a job with the gym, I didn’t have to pay for my membership. I just wanted to sub classes and get paid to workout.

So, I got certified and started subbing classes throughout the LA area to practice my craft live and become better and stronger. My initial approach was to teach the class and leave, then I could I could concentrate on my workout. Well…that didn’t exactly work out as planned.

After class was over, members would come up to me and ask for advice and/or thanked me for challenging them. This part of the job, I didn’t expect. I never did that. Before I became certified, I would workout in the class and leave just like I would do when I worked out on the gym floor. The more and more people came up to me after class, I quickly realized, this is not about me. I became a permanent boot camp instructor at a club and the people would show up (sometimes as many as 60) started becoming regulars and then friends in a community atmosphere where they would help each other push through the workout challenges and welcome new students.

So what started off as a selfish act, evolved into physically, spiritually and mentally changing lives through fitness movement. It was not an intent, but is certainly now a purpose.

After training many, I decided to create Burn N Shed™. It is a core-based strength and conditioning workout that builds lean muscle utilizing calisthenics, weights, boxing and plyometric. The format is for all fitness levels to push at their own pace and level to build functional strength and get leaner with every workout. It is definitely for the determined and in 2013-2014, ranked “Best Workout in Studio City” by Yelp reviewers.

I believe in the “old-school way” of working out, using your own bodyweight. If you can lift your bodyweight, you can lift weights, it’s not necessarily the same the other way around. Once a student masters their form then they can use weights. I emphasize proper form. I’m more concerned with the form and technique, than with the rep. “Two or Twenty” is my motto. If two is all a person can do, then let that person do their best two! I would rather he or she do two good reps than eight bad ones. Because I am very passionate about my clients, I encourage and motivate them by working out alongside them. I often say it in class, it doesn’t get easier, but you do get stronger, you just have to keep coming back. If that means you can do one more rep the next time around, you are that much stronger! And most importantly, just do your BEST!

This very successful format has helped many not only achieve their fitness goals, but surpass them in a short amount of time. The program provides the following:
-builds and increases lean #muscle
-protects bone strength from osteoporosis
-reduces visceral fat & diseases associated with it
-boosts metabolism
-improves flexibility & posture
-increases strength and endurance
-allows you to live a more powerful quality way of life!

I am also a former Nike Training Club Trainer.

Has it been a smooth road?
From the beginning, it has not always been a smooth road. I had other instructors from the gym who knew I was trying to get certified and were not very encouraging. One in particular said things that would make a normal person want to quit. Fortunately for me, I’m not normal. That conversation only added fuel to my drive. I studied and practiced day and night and at odd hours at times. But I practiced and practiced my new craft.

Something else I didn’t expect during this journey…was to make friends along the way. Some for seasons and some for life. Challenges that I have grown to learn is to draw a line and stay professional and not personal. But when you’re helping someone with their growth not just in fitness but in life, you can’t help become personal with that person. It doesn’t always work out, which saddens me, but I guess it comes with the territory.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Burn N Shed™ story. Tell us more about the business.
I help run the day-to-day. I structure the workouts and edit the music for class as well as the videos for social media.

I am most proud of being in business for five years. It’s tough in this market as a fitness gym/studio is on every corner. But what sets me apart from the rest is what my members have told me. I base it on their experiences with other gyms and myself. It’s been said, “No matter how big the classes are, it always feels like personal training and it’s never the same workout.” Because of that structure, my members don’t have a chance to plateau. Since I’m very particular about form and technique, I am always correcting to prevent injury and never compromising form. I want to make sure everyone in class gets it. So I will work with an individual, who is having a hard time or is new, separately in the class and after class which helps that person not feel lost. All I ask from everyone in the group is to do their BEST! I always introduce exercises they would THINK they cannot do. At first try, they have a hard time doing the exercise, but with practice, proper form and technique, they always surprise themselves by seeing what they CAN do! I believe in each one of them. I’m told I do this “without using intimidation.” Another member explained to me, “If someone has a weakness, us as a team all work on it.” I always promote getting stronger together by helping each other along the way, which brings a stronger bond within the group.

I’ve also been told that I always provide a tailored experience regardless if it’s a group class or a personal training session. Their progress is my progress as I feel a personal responsibility to the individual and the community. The results not only make them a healthier and stronger person but one who feels better about themselves. My workouts are core-based because it’s our foundation and that’s where our strength should come from. The Burn N Shed™ format is definitely for the determined!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As long as there are people growing older, there will be a need for health and fitness. It is a matter of the individual taking charge in their life to take advantage of the services out there to prevent them from being sick and/or hospitalized. I work with various ages, but am very concerned on getting my middle-aged clients strong and active so they have a better quality of life in their later years.

There are a lot of options for the consumer to choose in their fitness journey from group dance/cardio classes to strength/HIIT workouts. But as trends come and go, one thing that will remain the same, is the basics. We always start there: push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, planks, etc. Bodyweight exercises are not a fad but a must, to stay healthy and active because they can work out anywhere. Exercise will always be the best medicine.

I believe many trendy workout formats/programs will eventually drop off but bodyweight and strength training will continue into the future especially with wearable technology once the apps that track progress becomes more accurate. The different workout programs included in the apps that do not need a gym will become popular to bodyweight training.

I think worker incentive programs will continue to grow promoting a healthy lifestyle which increases work productivity. But one thing I would like to see become mandatory and not a choice is Physical Education from Kindergarten to 8th Grade. Children should not have to wait until they can become part of a gym or high school to start being physically fit and eating healthy. P.E. is just as important to a student’s progress to succeed as studying.

I think the group class goer will shift from big corporate gyms to smaller boutique gyms that will appeal to their style and workout. The big gyms will be left with on-the-floor strength training and personal trainers. I believe corporate gyms will lose their group fitness class members to smaller studio classes. A trainer can give a person more attention on form and technique and injury prevention in a small group class, thus the retention rate is higher and personal relationships evolve.

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