Are you intimidated by the idea of picking up heavy objects then putting them back down?

Enter Climaxed Fitness; a start-up company formed by Elon juniors Corey Mitchell, Tracey Coppedge, John Silas and Zach Dupree.

Their mission statement is to “offer comprehensive and individualized training programs for anyone looking to get fit”, but this foursome of fine young men are much more than just guys looking to Instagram pictures of their biceps.

This afternoon, I had the honor of sitting down with Corey Mitchell and Tracey Coppedge to discuss their business plan. Both North Carolina natives, the two got into sports early on, “I started football when I was seven,” says Coppedge, a physical education and health major. “When I was little, my friend told me I was real fast, told me I should play football, so I went for it.”

Now would be the time to address that all four men are on the Elon football team, and thus have had entire teams of people throughout their middle school, high school and college careers helping them train in order to reach peak fitness – we’re talking 2% body fat, while consuming 4,000 calories a day; waking up at 5 am for morning workouts before 8 am classes, and still making the Deans list. That’s dedication.

“We’ve competed at the highest level, and in order to get here (into a Division 1 athletic program), we’ve had a lot of practice getting into the shape that we’re in. We’ve got a lot of experience to offer”, says Mitchell.

Being in the weight room all the time, and having built a strong sense of team mentality over the span of their lives, these guys just want to help others with something they’re passionate about. “We want people to contact us, through emails, instagram…we’ll mentor you virtually if we can’t get to you physically. Today, that’s how a lot of personal training operates anyway," says Mitchell.

“A lot of people think that more is better, but that’s not the case. A 30 minute high-intensity workout can be more effective than a two-hour workout. I learned that from my father, who learned it when he was in the service,” says Mitchell.

Coppedge adds, “thirty minutes is standardized. Jumping jacks, push ups, any movement is better than nothing. So if we can meet you for ten minutes to set you up for that thirty, we’ll do it.”

Not to say that everyone needs the help. Mitchell recalls "a girl in blue leggings" who really impressed him, “The other day, I saw this girl walk into the downstairs of the gym, by herself, and just start doing like, textbook workout stuff. I didn’t want to stare, because I didn’t want to be creepy! But from a training standpoint she was just amazing, she was doing squats and pull-ups better than most of the guys down there – better than guys on the team can do. It was amazing.”

The guys are all about breaking stereotypes, especially when it comes to women in the weight room. “I want girls to know that they can do everything that guys can do, and do it in a way that won’t make them ‘manly’ or ‘bulky’,” says Mitchell.

 Their girlfriends have played a role in this too, helping them understand the stresses and intimidation girls can face during a workout, “They’ve told us that as a girl it’s hard to get yourself into the weight room,” says Mitchell. “They feel limited by stereotypes,” says Coppedge, “we want to help (women) break those stereotypes.”

Shall we talk more about breaking stereotypes?

“You won’t find me watching ESPN,” says Mitchell, “I watch cartoons.” He’s also a freelance graphic designer who, unlike most of the team, doesn’t dream of going into the NFL. He started coding in high school and says he’d be perfectly content behind a computer screen as a post-graduate. “Not many people want to sit for seven hours coding, only to have it not work because you missed a period…but I like it,” he says with a grin. A computer geek who can bench press 330? Not something you see everyday.

On the team they say, ‘Look good, feel good, play good’. These guys want to bring that motto to the rest of us, “If you’re more comfortable with your own self, then it allows you to do more. When you feel good you’ve got that extra boost of confidence that makes all the difference.”

I dunno about you guys but I’ll definitely be hitting them up for a write up of ab exercises to try... If you want to do the same check them out on Instagram (ClimaxedFitnessGroup) Twitter (@ClimaxFitnessGroup), or shoot them an email to set up a meeting at ClimaxedFitness@gmail.com