Feeling that he was in decent shape but wanting to look better and be stronger than he was, Mike talked with Niki about what it would take to work himself into condition. Turns out, "work" was the right word. Niki encouraged him to begin training with her, and he began spending a half-hour three nights a week with, as Mike calls her, the torture queen.

Mike had enjoyed weightlifting in high school and college, and he'd been working out in his home gym, but Niki soon had him pushing himself harder than he'd thought possible. Working chest and biceps one session, back and triceps the next, and legs and shoulders the third evening, Mike has achieved more than he ever imagined — and family members who've lifted are equally impressed. He's achieved two- and three-fold increases in strength — his leg press began at 400 pounds and is now at 700, bench press began at 135 pounds and is now 205 to 215, and he's been known to max out on the triceps machines. And to cap all this (pun intended), he managed to flip a 537-pound tire, something he never thought he would be able to do!

This has all been — and continues to be — a lot of hard work. And how does Mike feel about it? If you ask him what the best thing is about the results he's getting now, he'll tell you he really enjoys the increase in energy, but the best thing might just be the sense of accomplishment.