Athlete of the Month

June 2011- Brian Hohendorf and Bobby Halso 

Since this month marked the first month of PowerStrength, we thought we'd celebrate by having 2 Athletes of the Month- it also helped that both of these guys are animals! Brian Hohendorf and Bobby Halso both play varsity football at Forest Hills Northern High School. 

PSTS June Athlete of the Month- Brian Hohendorf

Brian will be a Senior this year and has been at PowerStrength since Day 1. He trains a MINIMUM of 4 times per week. Coming into PSTS he had already made a huge transformation training with Mark and it would’ve been easy for him to sit back and be happy with the success he already attained this offseason. Instead, Brian stayed hungry and is one of PowerStrength’s most dedicated athletes. He ACTS on his coaching in regards to his training and nutrition. Not only has Brian improved his strength in every category- he took his old bench max of 185 and can now perform an easy 10 reps with it- but he holds one of the gym’s Box Jump Records with a 45” jump- doing so at his all-time heaviest bodyweight! When we get a new athlete in our program, Brian is the first one to reach out to them to make them feel at home and to show them the ropes. We expect big things from Brian on the field this year and are proud to have him be a PSTS athlete.

PSTS June Athlete of the Month- Bobby Halso

Bobby Halso will be playing Varsity football this Fall as a Sophomore. Knowing this he committed his entire off-season to prepare himself. Bobby will be a fixture on our record board for years to come. This month he trained 3 times per week and a 4th day with Jared for lineman training. At 255 pounds, Bobby can do it all- from push-ups, to dips, to squatting 500+ pounds.  This off-season he added 21 pounds to his frame (234 to 255), while taking his bench from 255lbs to 315lbs! He also added over 80lbs to both his deadlift and box squat! Bobby is very serious about his exercise technique and attempts to perfect it every day. As strong as he is, Bobby is never satisfied as he always pushes himself to turn his weak points into strong points. Be sure to follow him as he begins his Varsity career as you haven't heard the last of Bobby Halso. 

July 2011- Lance Deemter

PSTS July Athlete of the Month- Lance Deemter

Football player, Lance Deemter of Unity Christian High School earned the athlete of the month award for July. Lance owns 5 records on our board! They are: Box Squat (455lbs), Bench Press (260lbs), Vertical Jump (32.5”), Box Jump (51”) and Thick Bar Hold (1 min. 7 secs.) which are all improvements since he started at PSTS. In just 4 short weeks, he went from 185lbs to 190lbs and is jacked! Lance was already a great athlete before he came to us but we really focused on perfecting his technique and adding some effective exercises he wasn’t used to. He is very competitive but also very humble. One of Lance’s best qualities his how responsible he is and how he's always ‘on the ball’ during his workouts. He’ll be a senior this fall and is looking to continue his career at the college level. Lance has the work ethic that will make him successful at anything he chooses to do.

August 2011- Ahmad Qassem 

PSTS August Athlete of the Month Ahmad Qassem

Ahmad has been training with Mark since he entered high school. Now a junior, he has made an enormous transformation from the tiny freshman who once thought squatting was bad for your knees. Ahmad’s all-time best box squat is 500lbs! You don’t get to 500lbs by being lazy and undedicated. He has been one of the most consistent athletes at PSTS since we opened. Ahmad soaks up all the coaching ques and details you throw at him and always helps out any new athletes that might be in the gym. All that being said, this month, Ahmad began varsity football at Forest Hills Northern. He also participated in Ramadan- so he couldn’t eat or drink from sun-up to sundown. Despite football and Ramadan, Ahmad still came to train 2x per week to maintain his strength levels. It’s hard enough getting athletes to realize the benefits of an in-season training program- but try making them realize the importance after they haven’t ate or drank anything all day.  Ahmad will be the first person to tell you that he still has much room for improvement on top of what he has already accomplished. His dedication and hard work will lead him down a path to much larger successes. 


September 2011- Marcus Barissi

PSTS September Athlete of the Month Marcus Barissi

The Athlete of the Month for September isn’t the biggest or strongest athlete in the gym, at least not yet. Marcus Barissi is an 8^th grade football player at Forest Hills Northern Middle School. Marcus has been training at PSTS for just over 3 months now. He first began in our “Lil Beasts” training group this past summer. While that group met twice per week, Marcus scheduled a third day to come in on his own and train while the older athletes were training. Normally, we recommend younger athletes stay with their peers but we could tell Marcus was different by how serious he took his training and coaching. Even as an 8^th grader, Marcus is a great representation of a PowerStrength athlete. He’s never missed a training session. Never makes excuses or complains. Helps out new athletes. Is responsible and respectful in, and out of the gym. Marcus also takes his classes just as serious as his training, as he is an honor student with straight A’s. It’s easy to make physical gains as an athlete when all these other characteristics are in order. Marcus is getting stronger and more athletic from workout to workout, while pushing the pace and intensity every day. He is a coach's dream as he truly values the new knowledge he learns and doesn't take it for granted. Marcus loves football and loves to train. He will be a staple at PSTS for a long time. We're guessing this is just the first time you’ll hear about him. 

Also, take a look at what his mom, Barbara, had to SAY about Marcus’s experience at PowerStrength! 

October 2011- Karum Abdelqader

PSTS October Athlete of the Month, Karum Abdelqader

The Athlete of the Month for October is football player Karum Abdelqader from Forest Hills Northern High School. Karum has been a regular at PowerStrength since day 1. His preparation allowed him to see plenty of playing time as a junior. Midway through the season, Karum realized that he had to train year-round if he really wants to dominate on the field. All of October Karum trained 2 times per week- often times alone after a long day of school and practice. In-season training can test ones dedication and focus and Karum never made an excuse and trained with a purpose every session. He re-gained the bodyweight he had lost, maintained his strength, and stayed healthy. While other athletes will need 4-6 weeks to play “catch up”, Karum is ahead of the game and will immediately start attacking his goals of playing college football and preparing for a memorable senior season. He is a leader on his high school team and a leader in the gym. Karum will be a staple at PSTS for a long time- make sure to stay on the lookout and track his successes. 

November 2011- Austin McCrory

PSTS November Athlete of the Month, Austin McCrory

The athlete of the month for November is long-time PSTS athlete Austin McCrory. Austin prepared extremely hard going into his senior season of football with goals of playing in college. He was having a great year when bad luck hit and tore his ACL and MCL in his knee midway through the season. Austin persevered and was back in the gym literally crutching around in between sets. We got creative and designed a warm-up and a program to train around his injury. He trains 3-4x per week and had perfect attendance throughout November. Austin trains with the group as much as he can then branches off on his own to complete the rest of his workout. Where there is a will, there’s a way and Austin always finds a way- rather than an excuse. Needless to say, his upper body is getting very strong and soon the focus will switch to catching up his strength and athleticism in his lower body. Despite some bad luck, Austin is now preparing to create his own luck and continuing to work towards his dream. PowerStrength is fortunate to have him and look forward to watching his future successes!

December 2011- Colin Moran

PSTS December Athlete of the Month, Colin Moran

The athlete of the month for December is Grand Rapids Catholic Central sophomore, Colin Moran (football and lacrosse). December marked his first month at PSTS and he was dedicated to the program from his very first workout. Colin is one of the most responsible and coachable athletes we have, as he is always listening intently and immediately applying everything he learns to his training and nutrition. He is highly motivated and trains 4-5x per week.

Colin has fit right into PowerStrength and is a great athlete and training partner to have around. In his first month he went from 157lbs to 164lbs (Colin brings a post-workout shake every day to have immediately following his workouts).  His first workout he learned to box squat and hit 185lbs for 2 reps. Last week he worked up to 275lbs for 3 reps, then did a second set with 275 for 3 reps again! Colin was a solid athlete from the start but his work ethic and dedication this past month is what is going to take him the farthest. He’s just getting warmed up. 


January 2012- Gus Penning

PSTS January Athlete of the Month, Gus Penning

The athlete of the month for January is college freshman Gus Penning. Gus first came to us in December as a Grand Rapids Community College football player looking to add strength and size, while maintaining (and increasing) his explosiveness. Needless to say after his first 4-weeks, Gus made one of the biggest transformations PSTS has ever seen! He trains 4-5 times per week, never misses a workout, and takes his nutrition and recovery just as seriously as his training. Most importantly, Gus fit right in to our PSTS family and is well liked and respected by all of his fellow PowerStrength athletes.

Gus continued to build on that first month through January and has just decided to play football at Riverside Community College in California. He will be leaving us next month but will be back to the gym whenever he is home. He has lofty goals for his career and we’re excited to follow along as he takes this next step. 

February 2012- Travis Lasley 

PSTS February Athlete of the Month, Travis Lasley

The athlete of the month for February is Travis Lasley of Forest Hills Eastern High School. Big Travis trains 3 times per week and never misses a workout. He is always on time and ALWAYS motivated to get better.  Travis never needs to be reminded to do the little things or to get focused. Travis applied what he learned very quickly and his strength and athleticism began to improve instantly. He holds the 225lb Rep record in his category with 16 reps and went from box squatting 315 to 395 in 7 weeks! Travis had a lot of raw strength before he came here so we focused a lot on his technique and overall athletic improvement. Travis had a goal of playing college football and he'll meet that goal this fall during training camp at Alma College! 

March 2012- Tyler James

PSTS March Athlete of the Month, Tyler James

The athlete of the month for March is Tyler James of Central Montcalm High School. Truthfully, there were a handful of guys that deserved it this month, which says a lot about Tyler. What put Tyler over the edge was his dedication and sacrifice. Tyler has only been with us for a month and trains 2x per week. He drives an hour (one way) to come train with us! He never misses a workout, complains, or makes excuses about his long commute. Every workout he is more and more energized to get better- having all his numbers go through the roof might have helped (he took his old squat max and was hitting it for sets of 5!).

When he’s not training with us, he trains two other days by himself following our program. Tyler never misses these workouts and follows the program he was given to a ‘T’ (pun intended ha ha). He makes sure he eats his pre-workout food on the drive in so he’s primed for his workout, then immediately has his post-workout shake ready for the drive home. Always doing the little things is why Tyler is the athlete of the month.

He’ll be playing football (offensive tackle) for Ferris State University next fall and we're excited to watch him develop over the next four months!  The Bulldogs got themselves a good one!

April 2012- Jake Howe

PSTS: April Athlete of the Month Jake Howe

The April athlete of the month is sophomore football player Jacob Howe. This was a tough decision as it was such a great month made up of a few deserving athletes. What set Jake apart was his consistency and determination to beat the last workout. Jake trains 4x per week and NEVER misses. He raises the intensity of the gym as he has a contagious work ethic. It’s no wonder he has played (and excelled) varsity football for the last two seasons! He receives great support from his parents and is taking full advantage of the opportunity he has to train.

Jake played basketball this winter and still trained during the season. He opted not to play baseball so he could get four solid months of training as he prepares for his junior football season. Jake worked hard this month on his technique, as he is a “brute force” type of lifter. Once this improved, his numbers reflected it as they are still consistently on the rise. He has gained over 13 pounds in the past 6 weeks since he’s been back at PowerStrength full-time! There aren’t many high school players who want to willing tackle a 243+lb fullback! Believe me, Jake is just getting warmed up and is definitely an athlete to follow along with in the future. 

**STAY TUNED FOR MORE ATHLETE'S OF THE MONTH ON THE NEW POWERSTRENGTHPRO.COM WEBSITE! COMING SOON!!!