Pass your Physical fitness test! Pft, CFA, and bootcamp pre

"My dream was to be accepted and attend the United States Naval Academy. I started by preparing for SAT's which I took a whole year solely to focus on and to keep raising my score. During this time I was quite sedentary, and despite having played basketball or ran track in my earlier years, I was not in physical shape prepared for the USNA Physical Fitness Entrance Assessment nor for the Academy's General Physical Requirements. I felt weak, I felt slow, and was also embarrassed. I also lacked the guidance and discipline at the time. What I needed was both physical and mental training and that's what I got. Brian's training changed me in a lot of ways and gave me a new found confidence. I learned the importance of strength training, dynamic movements targeting multiple muscle groups, developed internal motivation and the ability to mentally push and propel myself further. The results were phenomenal. I not only looked and felt better, but successfully passed my Physical Entrance Exam and was set up for success later during Plebe Summer(7 week rigorous physical and mental training prior to the Naval Academy's Academic Year) and for the next four years at the Naval Academy. During Plebe Summer I specifically recall a moment when at the very end of an obstacle course we had to finish by climbing up a 30ft rope. I was with a group of 50 men and women broken up into 5 teams. In order to have called the obstacle course complete, all members of the team had to climb up to the top of the rope at the end of the course. Between the teams, not every male and definitely no other females were able to climb to the top of the rope after exerting themselves on the course. But I managed to, and remember shining that day, leading my team to the finish line. I held my head high and was proud. I was and still am truly thankful for the training I have received from Brian. Without it, I probably would have been the weakest link during Plebe Summer and definitely wouldn't have been able to mentally engage and drive myself to working harder and surpassing my previous limits. I have experienced lasting effects and never did shy away from entering a gym or using equipment surrounded by only men and mostly meatheads. I never once felt out of place or was worried that I wouldn't know what I was doing. I felt comfortable and focused on my routine and my performance alone. I didn't care who else was around me or who was watching me. This gained me the respect of my fellow peers and set me up for a healthy lifestyle for the following years. I utilized the exercises, skills and techniques that I was taught, and have been applying it ever since in my own training, thus giving me a sense of independence and self reliance. Brian helped me focus and achieve my full physical potential. Without his guidance I may have fallen short of achieving my goals and the military fitness requirements at the Academy. His tutelage and expertise gave me the knowledge and structure that set me up for a transformational change in the way that I viewed fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. Moving forward if I were to give any piece of advise, I'd say to never give up. Keep faith and keep pushing to be a better version of yourself from the day prior. There will be times where you don't feel like it, you may feel lazy or lethargic, or unmotivated. That's okay, just 'fake it until you make it.' It all becomes second nature eventually after enough practice."

I was first introduced to Brian Hamil through my older  sister, Naadia, who had enrolled in personal training with Brian during  her preparation for her application to the United States Naval Academy.  An integral part of the candidature to applying to the United States  military academies is the Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA), a test of  an applicant’s physical aptitude and ability to be athletically  successful as a cadet or midshipman. With guidance from my sister on her  physical preparation for the CFA, from her instruction from Brian, I  too, was able to successfully prepare for my CFA. I accepted my  appointment to the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Spring  2015, and it was at this time, I was honing more into my physical  preparation for the initial 6-week Basic Cadet Training. I hoped to test  my physical and mental limits through physical training. It is for this  reason I reached out to Brian for his guidance and instruction.

From  our first meeting, Brian was sure to understand and appreciate my goals  for training and for my future career. I had a desire to be pushed past  my physical limits at each training session, as I had no idea how I  would be physically put to the test during my Basic Cadet Training.  Brian intentionally formulated training sessions with my goals in mind,  combined with his prior military experience in the U.S. Navy. I trained  with Brian for two months, and during this time, I was introduced to  forms of exercise I had never tried before, to include rope climbing,  weighted runs, and sparring. Yet, each had a purpose, as Brian would  explain during and at the completion of our training sessions. Moreover,  Brian provided me the foundational skills to be able to weightlift  safely and effectively on my own; these are skills I draw upon to this  day, as I train on my own in the gym. From my training period with  Brian, I noticed significant improvement in my overall calisthenic  strength, running times, and agility. Most importantly, I had a newfound  confidence in my physical abilities and conviction that I would perform  my very best athletically during my Basic Cadet Training and cadet  years at the Academy. Today, I serve as a physician and lifestyle  medicine champion.