MJ and fiance Nik are both favorites of our coaching staff and members.

Get to Know MJ

Age, where are you from?
I’m 27, and I’m from Riverside, CA.

What do you do for work?
I’m a dolphin trainer at SeaWorld where I do interactive programs and educational presentations!

What do you do for fun?
I love cooking, hanging out with my pup Gaia and my fiancé Nik, going to the gym, and at the moment, I’m planning a wedding!

Favorite and least favorite exercise?
My favorite movement is easily deadlifts! I paused for the second part of this question. I wanted to say push-ups and pull-ups because when I first started at P360, I struggled with both movements, but now I sort of love them and I would be lying if I said they were my least favorite. I don’t necessarily have a least favorite exercise, it’s more of a combination of movements like back squats and rowing in a circuit. I mean who needs their legs for the rest of the week anyways, right?

What’s the most valuable bit of coaching you’ve received at P360?
Literally anything and everything the coaches tell me. I love to learn and I love constructive criticism, so it’s hard for me to select any piece of information as more valuable than the other. Every coach has encouraged me to push past what I only thought I was capable of.

What is your most proud achievement at P360 so far?
This nomination! I think it’s cool as shit for a gym to recognize their members through shout outs and member of the month nominations. It’s even more honorable for me because every class I go to, there’s a member in that class pushing me to be better and they deserve this just as much as I do.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve done physically at the gym?
That would definitely have to be the 9/11 firefighter fundraiser workout we did. Rowing a mile, I blacked out during whatever was in the middle, and then running a mile. Yeah I was feeling that workout for a while.

If money was no concern, what would be your dream job?
I’m currently working my dream job! When I was a little girl I would visit SeaWorld with my family all the time and it is where I fell in love with marine animals. I knew that when I grew up, it was a field that I would pursue. Dolphin training is not a lucrative career and you couldn’t pay me millions to do anything else! The relationships that you build with the animals is far more rewarding than anything else!

Embarrassing fact most people don’t know?
I constantly pronounce words way too literally without even thinking about it. For the longest time the work “paleo” wasn’t pail-eo, it was pa-lei-o. I knew every time after the word came out that I was saying it wrong, but I just couldn’t stop. My fiancé calls me out on it all the time.

Hidden talent most people don’t know?
I can paint, but unfortunately it’s hard to find time for it these days.

If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be and why?
A sundae because it’s delicious and classic and you get a little bit of everything in it. Plus there’s hot fudge, and who doesn’t like their ice cream smothered in hot fudge?

If you could teleport to any point in the past, where would you go?
The pre-Columbian era in the Americas where everything is untouched by industrialization. I can only imagine how beautiful and pristine the land and beaches were. I would love to see that with my own eyes.

Favorite naughty food?
Anything with bread and cheese! Pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese plates, burritos… I’ll take it all. Also, I’ll add vanilla malt shakes because my fiancé introduced them to me and the are amazing!

What’s the biggest overall improvement you had made since joining?
Just not being timid or afraid of trying new things, and avoiding certain classes because I was scared of a movement I hadn’t done yet. The only time I had ever touched a barbell before joining P360 a year and a half ago was doing bench press in college for the water polo team. That’s it. So barbell movements were quite scary and exciting all at the same time for me. It was a huge learning curve and now I embrace it all.

What was your favorite cartoon growing up?
The Little Mermaid! I don’t know if this counts as a cartoon character, but I had all of the VHS movies growing up and would watch them all the time.

Famous person you’d most like to have a drink with, and what drink would you buy them?
Johnny Depp, because hello, it’s Johnny Depp. I would buy him something with rum in it, obviously.

What’s a funny story from your childhood?
Long story short, I was potty trained in like three days. I would refuse to wear diapers and would take them off. My parents would fight with me to wear them and always put them back on me, and finally after a few days, they realized I had already potty trained myself so they just stopped. Oh and I also would throw severe temper tantrums where I would hold my breath until my face turned blue. Yeah, I was quite the stubborn little shit.

Which public figure or celebrity would you like to put in a dunk tank?
There’s quite a few, but if I had to choose just one, right now it’s Donald Trump. And maybe I’d use my water polo skills to hold him under water for a few seconds longer.

You have one song and movie on a desert island. What are they?
Pirates of the Caribbean because that movie never gets old, and who knows, maybe it will help me figure out how to get off the island, and In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins.

What is your biggest goal for the rest of 2015?
My goal this year was to make it into Level 2 Barbell and I finally made it! I would like to keep on pushing myself and getting stronger, and I would also love to exceed my max pull up number of 5 by the end of the year. I have also been very inspired to get into Club Forged over the past couple of months. I’m one point away and if that could be accomplished by the end of the year, I would be stoked. If not, 2016 it will be!

Thank you again to everyone! I’m so glad I found P360 because it has really changed my life and the way I look at health and fitness!! Keep up the amazing wor

Lenny Weiner

Lenny’s amazing month has been well documented. Over the past 30 days he has hit PRs in his mile (5:50), deadlift (410#), box jump (55″), pull-ups (20), 800m (2:26) and on top of it placed 2nd in Friday’s”Mr. Silver” benchmark. Good enough for Level 2 Barbell, Level 1 Mile, Level 3 Flight Club and Level 2 Prison Yard Club. If these physical accomplishments were not already impressive enough, Lenny is one of the more positive people in the midday classes, always vocal and encouraging his classmates and station partners. Lenny has been setting goals and going after them with clarity and effort. We fully expect his assault of the whiteboard to continue.

Lenny (left) and Lucas.

Get to Know Lenny

Age, where are you from?
35 years young, and from Adrian, Michigan

What do you do for work?
I consult small independent pharmacies, and I’m expanding my self-storage facility in Michigan.

What do you do for fun?
Well my passion is fitness, so P360 is definitely a big part of the fun portion. But I also thrive on spending time with great high energy people. I’ve met a whole slew of awesome, genuine friends within a year and spending as much time yucking it up, eating, and playing with them as possible.

Favorite and least favorite exercise?
Favorite is the deadlift. Really starting to feel comfortable in this movement as I keep practicing it. Least favorite is the Hang Clean, because I can’t get into that DAMN front rack position. This is going on a goal list.

What’s the most valuable bit of coaching you’ve received at P360?
I have received a ton of great tips from all the coaches, but I’ve struggled with low back problems on squats, so when Dave explains the breathing portion of that lift, it really helps me to stay focused on the movement and hold posture.

What is your most proud achievement at P360 so far?
Landing a 55″ box jump

What’s the hardest thing you’ve done physically at the gym?
Oh wow. I’m sure it’s one of those timed challenges. Wait, no. Surprisingly it was the Mile run. I didn’t think it would be that taxing, but it put me down for 45 minutes after. Probably just shows you that my running abilities need some fine tuning. OR NOT.

If money was no concern, what would be your dream job?
Now were getting into the deep part of the conversation, really starting to twist my mind a little. It’s actually a tough question, I did get my nutrition and training certs because I thought it would be coaching and helping people achieve their fitness goals, but I have yet to make that transition.

Embarrassing fact most people don’t know?
I dressed up like the “Rock” every day of the week prior to Wrestlemania. Also, for that time in my life, pretty sure I didn’t have my own personality. i just mimicked his wrestling character. yeah, that’s embarrassing.

Hidden talent most people don’t know?
I’m a phenomenal table tennis(ping-pong) player.

If you were an ice cream flavor, what would you be and why?
“Everything but the Kitchen Sink.” Because it’s kooky and doesn’t make sense, but damn it’s good.

If you could teleport to any point in the past, where would you go?
I would teleport back to when Mark Canter was a teenager in the early 70’s, so we could follow Led Zeppelin around on tour and get weird.

Favorite naughty food? All things sweet.
Cookies, cake, ice cream, pies, breakfast cereals. oh. I can’t forget trail mix

What’s the biggest overall improvement you had made since joining?
I would say my overall athleticism. I definitely feel more balanced, flexible, and strong in a variety of areas.

What was your favorite cartoon growing up?
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I would pretend to be Leonardo.

Famous person you’d most like to have a drink with, and what drink would you buy them?
This has probably changed 40 times in my life, but at the current moment it would be Maynard James Keenan. He would probably prefer his wine, but i would force some whiskey down his throat, get the night started right.

What’s a funny story from your childhood?
Me and my two best middle school friends decided it would be a cool idea to wrap me up in toilet paper like a mummy, one sunday morning. Little did i know that when I was totally wrapped up they planned to shove me, well they thought i would just easily tip over and land on some pillows. I stumbled back and cracked my head on the register and by the time I ripped out of the toilet paper my dome was spiting blood everywhere. Ended up getting 6 staples.

Which public figure or celebrity would you like to put in a dunk tank?
I know my UK fans(Brenna) aren’t going to like this, but it would have to be John Calipari. That dude just oozes slime.

You have one song and movie on a desert island. What are they?
Jambi by Tool, and Dusk Till Dawn.

What is your biggest goal for the rest of 2015?
57″ Box Jump and 450lb deadlift pull. Those are my biggest gym goals.

A big congratulations to both MJ and Lenny. Please make sure to congratulate both next time you see them around the gym.