Dustin: My name is Dustin and I’m from Mesquite, Texas.
Ian: Before you worked with us, what had you done before to keep in shape? Were you involved in sports or anything like that throughout high school?
Dustin: Yeah, in high school I was in football.
Ian: Yeah? What position did you play?
Dustin: Linebacker.
Ian: Linebacker, so you’re all over the field. What got you started into training?
Dustin: Well, I got in a car wreck and then I was just sitting around at the house so I decided I needed to do something better for myself, so I wanted to start training.
Ian: Absolutely. And tell me a little bit about the car accident—kind of what happened?
Dustin: Well, it was really bad. It was almost 4 years ago.
Ian: Right…
Dustin: My brother and my girlfriend were with me and I was riding with my brother in his car. They both died.
Ian: I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sorry to hear that.
Besides physical injuries, Dustin also sustained a brain injury.
He was in a coma for 3 weeks.
He still has trouble with his left hand and he says his brain “moves slower…but it’s all getting better now.”
Ian: So what about from your perspective? How did that impact your life from a physical standpoint?
Dustin: It affected me really bad. I had to relearn to do everything.
Ian: So lots of physical therapy?
Dustin: Yeah.
Ian: So really, weight training and personal training was more almost like post-therapy recovery still for you, to a big degree.
Dustin: It still is.
Ian: Absolutely, and it’s always going to be like that. I mean that’s the thing with fitness, it’s…
Dustin: My life now.
Ian: Exactly, but it’s great that you got on the right track after such a traumatic accident.
Dustin: Exactly. I did.
Ian: Absolutely. So tell me a little bit about your specific goals that you’ve accomplished since relearning basically how to walk. Outside of the basic, fundamental stuff, where have you gotten since then?
Dustin: Lots of places.
Ian: Yeah?
Dustin: Since I started training with Jared, I learned to ride a bike and drive a car.
Ian: Wow.
Dustin: That’s pretty awesome.
Ian: That’s incredible.
Dustin: I put on like 10 pounds of muscle and lost almost 10 pounds of fat.
Ian: That’s incredible; it’s a huge body composition change for you.
Dustin: Pretty much.
Ian: What would you say your life is like now because of the achievements you’ve gotten with Jared and with New Wave?
Dustin: I like the schedule.
Ian: Yeah?
Dustin: It’s pretty [much the] same all the time. I like it though.
Ian: You like the consistency?
Dustin: Yeah.
Ian: The accountability of having someone here all the time to keep you in shape?
Dustin: Yeah.
Ian: And Jared’s really good at that.
Dustin (left) lost all of his independence after the accident.
But now, besides learning how to ride a bike and drive again, he is living on his own in a nice apartment!
He says that makes him feel more confident and that it’s “Pretty important. I want to be normal.”
Dustin: Diet is a big part of getting better.
Ian: Yeah?
Dustin: How you eat.
Ian: Yeah? So have you made some pretty good nutritional changes since you’ve been working out with us?
Dustin: Yeah, pretty crazy.
Ian: Yeah? So tell me a little bit about like what your eating habits are like now.
Dustin: Well, just like protein.
Ian: Yeah? Lots of protein.
Dustin: Yeah, lots of protein.
Ian: And good produce and good vegetables and fruit to go along with it?
Dustin: Yeah, lots of veggies and fruit.
Ian: Great, great. All right, so tell me what you might say to someone that is on the fence about making a decision to seek professional help for their health and fitness?
Dustin: It’s good that you want to get better but you need someone that’s professional to help you.
Ian: Right, it’s just much easier…
Dustin: It’s easier, yeah.
Ian: Much easier to get them to kind of come over here and guide you through the moves, make sure we’re doing it all right?
Dustin: Yeah.
“My definition of crazy is doing the same thing over and over,
expecting different results, so I’ve done this, trying to change
what I do. It’s helped a lot.”
Q: What is your biggest dream?
“Being my old self. Running, jumping and stuff.”