During the last century in this country, technology influenced our lifestyle immensely.  Computers, automobiles, and machines now do everyday jobs that individual people worked hard to complete.  We no longer use our bodies to the degree our forefathers used theirs.  Our diets are now "convenient" and manufactured.  We eat Hamburger Helper while our great grandparents ate fresh meats and vegetables and drank raw milk.  They were able to run, jump, and lift heavy weights well into their senior years.  They never stepped into a "health club."  Today, some people don't even sweat when they work out.  Most people are obese and have lifestyle diseases that were rare or non-existent a hundred years ago like obesity, diabeties, heart disease, and cancer.  As a society, we don't know how to work hard and sacrifice like we used to.  This is the culture of drive-thrus, iPods, little fix-it-all pills and SUVs.  Very few people really workout and when they go they think that more is better.  They are "fatigue addicts" and believe that more is better.  They don't realize that quality, and not quantity, is the key.

People now need a change.  They need to change their bodies, their lives, and their habits.

Typical health club classes share common characteristics:
 
-50-60 minutes in length.

-Stress mostly aerobic energy pathways.  You still need a separate strength program to improve strength and keep your muscle "tone."

-Easy-to-learn generalized repetitive motions.

-Usually train the body by individual parts.

-Exercises require little coaching.

-Limited number of movements are specific to the class.

-A very passive environment with no competition or means of monitoring progress.

-Tend to cater a certain "type" of person for each class.

-Classes are sometimes divided into seniors, beginners, advanced, women, men, sculpt, tone, strength, cross-training, step, etc.

-Usually do not have any work outside of the class.

EPT classes are much different:

-They are short and intense.  Most sessions are less than a half hour.  May go up to 45 minutes on occasion.

-Do not emphasize any one particular energy system.  They address strength and endurance, aerobic and anaerobic all in the same workout.  There is little need to have a "strength" program and a "cardio" program.

-Exercises, motions, and drills require practice.  They are very specific but offer multiple physiological benefits.  They encompass balance, coordination, flexibility, mental focus, agility, and power.

-Time is taken to coach and teach the proper form for each exercise to ensure safety and maximum output.  The body learns to move and perform correctly in a natura way.  Progressions are used to take individuals from their current ability to beyond their current limitations.

-Many different exercises and exercise modalities are used.  Anything that can be used to do the exercises in a different way or capacity is utilized and mastered.  Most methods are considered "whole-body" to ensure each individual is getting the greatest benefit.  Each session will increase your strength, aerobic capacity, muscular endurance, overall power, flexibility, and body awareness while helping you to lose or gain weight based on your goals.

-Individuals are treated as individuals who are along their own goal path.  Each person is expected to keep track of their progress in various exercises and will be tested at various times.  It is an intense competition with yourself and we will keep you on track.  Comparisons with others is encourage to understand how your body is adapting.

-EPT is escalating conditioning training that is applicable to everyone.  We will have a 60-year old grandma next to an overweight accountant and in the same class as a competitive college athlete.  All are doing the same exercises.  All are performing to their maximum abilities, all are focused on their own performance and goals.  They are for everyone who wants to have or make a change in their lives. 

-EPT participants practice certain movements and exercises in their "off" time.  They embrace a lean and mean EPT "Warrior" method of eating.  Meats, veggies, and fruits are the majority with limited processed foods.  Fermented foods are encouraged to assist with digestion and overall body balance.  Sugar and excess sodium are removed from the diet as much as possible.  Fried foods and fast food are eliminated or minimized.

Sessions are based on the quality of work and not on how much a person can do.  Precision and plenty of variation accompany progression as keys to perfomance.  Participants realize through training that strength and intensity improve endurance and fat loss.  Cardio work is kept intense through the use of intervals.

EPT has been called a way of life.  It is both gruelling and satisfying.  It involves some discomfort but it gives you a deep sense of pride.  It will change more than your body.  It will change how you think, how you live, and how you look at life.