Talking CosFit – An Interview

One of my favorite things to do is to peruse the Internet for other great, geek-inspired fitness resources…

Awhile back I stumbled across CosFit,a cosplay oriented fitness group on Facebook.

While not a cosplayer myself, I was immediately impressed with the way they not only promoted getting fit and healthy through a variety of great workout ideas; but also due to the amazing photographers and cosplayers they highlighted.

So I tracked down Mr. A (personal trainer, cosplayer and the creator of this interesting mashup) and asked him if he would like to sit down and talk about fitness, cosplay and what motivates him…

So let’s talk to the mind behind CosFit and see what it’s all about, shall we?

The Jerd – Alright, Mr. A! Thanks for sitting down with me today… I wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk my readers about yourself and Cosfit! But before I start winging questions at you; would you mind telling the readers who might not be familiar with you, or the project, a bit about yourself?

Mr. A – Sure! I go by the handle “Mr A.” and Cosfit, on June 6th, will have been up and running for two years! And basically, we promote fitness to cosplayers and nerds of all kinds.

The Jerd – That’s awesome! So where did this idea for Cosfit come from?

Mr A showing off some new cosplay armor he is working on.

Mr. A – So I’ve been a nerd all my life essentially, and when I went through training to be a personal trainer they told me to select one of four groups to focus on; which were – obese, baby-boomers, athletes or teens. Those are groups they call low-hanging fruit. Groups that are easy to pick up and make money off of. But none of those groups really spoke to me…

I didn’t really feel drawn to any of them, so I asked if I could do nerds. My professor looked at me blankly and said ‘I suppose, but I have no idea what that would look like.‘

So before CosFit, I started a little something called Serenity Fitness Academy, which is the precursor. But the idea was to cater towards people that were like me growing up, that were not athletes, that were not into it, but at the same time didn’t solely identify with being overweight, or old, or a teen.

I identified being a nerd. I started off heavy, but heavy was not what I wanted to define myself as… I’ve gotten older, so I am no longer a teen… and one day I will get old, but I don’t want to define myself that way.

I think people identify with being a nerd, or with being a cosplayer.

The Jerd – So for you, you said you’ve been a nerd all your life… what was the impetus to start working out? Was that something that was always part of your life, or did you discover fitness later on? What was the catalyst there?

Mr. A – I’ve been reasonably in shape most of my life because I have always enjoyed things like dancing; in college I was doing theatre, stage combat, and the like too. But as soon as college ended I wasn’t active anymore! I very quickly ballooned and got quite heavy then I was literally watching “The Biggest Loser” and thinking to myself ‘How do people get that big without realizing it?‘ Only to look down and realize that I had gotten there…

So I started to work out, and eventually I liked it enough that I thought I would try to help other people lose weight, or at least maintain their shape, however they wanted to do it.

The Jerd – And what is it about the cosplay that interests you, how did you get into that?

Mr. A – I’ve done theatre all my life. I actually have a BA in theatre.

The Jerd – Oh nice!

Mr. A – And I didn’t know cosplay existed outside of San Diego Comic-Con (laughs), I didn’t even know there were other cons… and I always said ‘One day I will get there.‘ And then someone told me there was a convention in my area, and I flipped out and decided to go! And since I was going it was only right to dress up for it.

So Wizard World 2013, in Portland, was my first con. I went as steam-punk Joker and got a real positive reaction to it and I decided ‘This is what I want to do!‘

The Jerd – So how did you bring this all together? How did CosFit come out of all these earlier projects that you’ve done?

Mr. A – Um, with nerd-dom being so broad… and I kind of wanted to find a more specific niche. I mean there’s Geek-and-Gamer Fitness, there’s NerdFit, and a bunch of other groups that reach out to nerds to help get them healthy.

And that’s really exciting, but I didn’t want to tread on anyone else’s ground and I also wanted to find my own home. So when I found cosplay it seemed like a really good way to make my own niche, but also do something that I really love and support that community.

The Jerd – And where do you find all the cosplayers that you feature in the workouts on your Facebook group?

Mr. A – So a lot of times it was just going to someone’s page, and then it would suggest different people…

The Jerd – (laughs)

Mr. A – And then I would just go link to link and ask people if I could use their photos. So all the photos I’ve done for my workouts I have permission for, and I make sure to link to the cosplayer’s pages as well as their photographer’s pages; and so I make sure that nothing goes against anyone’s wishes, I try to be very tasteful, and everything like that.

The Jerd – So finally Facebook’s creepy algorithms work out for something positive huh?

Mr. A – (laughs) Yeah… and my thanks and apologies to everyone I have Facebook stalked to get the workouts that I’ve created.

The Jerd – (laughs) So let’s go back and talk a bit, if you don’t mind, about the geek-slash-fitness barrier… obviously readers of my site know that’s obviously what I am passionate about, always trying to break that barrier down. What have you found as ways to break some of the stereotypes and prove that being fit and being a geek aren’t mutually exclusive?

Mr. A – I think a lot of it, at least locally, has been to get them to come to a bootcamp and then have them realize that probably 90% of the people that come workout with me are nerdy. Maybe not necessarily cosplayers, but we have computer programmers… we have scientists… or they have something nerdy they love.

That’s on a local level; when it comes to the broader spectrum I think it is just encouraging people that what they experienced growing up, especially high school, where they were pressured into a team sport that they weren’t necessarily good at… at least from my experience…

The Jerd – I’m following you…

Mr. A – … and it as very embarrassing, and detrimental. And I didn’t want to do it! Because I felt stupid, and I felt embarrassed, every time I had to do it. And to remind people that you can workout and that you don’t have to compete… that you can workout and not have people watch you and be made fun of… and that it can be something that is enjoyable… that’s a new concept for a lot of people!

And I think letting them know that it’s not the same, that it doesn’t have to be the same, as what they probably experienced like I did.

The Jerd – I always wonder, because I think that sometimes those of that run websites or live on the Internet live in a bit of a bubble where we only see other people on the Internet… but I feel like the barriers for younger people are really breaking down, and that you can be in school, and a nerd, and play sports, and no-one is going to bully you for it. What do you think? Are these old barriers coming down for the younger generation?

Mr A rocking his Steampunk Joker cosplay

Mr. A – By all means, yeah! Just look at all the Marvel and D.C. movies coming out, and them being pop culture and not some fringe thing that only a select few of us like! Like those of us who loved Firefly when it came out, or Buffy… we were not in the majority. Especially if you were a guy; you didn’t tell people you watched Buffy!

At least not back then. And now it’s all kind of re-emerging now that all this new stuff that is coming out is so popular. It’s a wonderful barrier to be broken down because you can say ‘I love this movie, and now I started reading the comics‘ and people will be like ‘Oh, that’s cool.‘

And a lot more people are gamers… the fact that gender barriers are coming down when it comes to gaming and cosplay, and everything like that, is phenomenal! I think it not only helps the community, but it also is going to help people realize that you can be a nerd and do other stuff.

The Jerd – Well let’s talk a little bit about your fitness philosophy. When you have new clients, whether they be via the Internet or in person, what are some of the lessons you try to instill in them?

Mr. A – Safety is number one. Like if there’s pain, if there’s something going, you don’t need to push through it. Soreness yes, pain no. There’s going to be things that you aren’t going to enjoy that I am going to try to get you to do, but I am going to do my best to find things you enjoy and focus on them for the most part.

Fitness shouldn’t be this overwhelmingly scary thing, and depending on your goals it can be really invigorating!

If you’re trying to lose weight there is a plethora of things you can do, you don’t have to just sit there and lift weights. If you’re trying to build muscle, that’s where you are going to have to push through the soreness and it might be a little more unpleasant if you are just getting started.

So giving people warnings. Letting them know what is coming. And I think people do better when they are told ‘This is going to be unpleasant‘ or ‘This is going to suck‘ or ‘This isn’t going to be so bad.‘ When you prepare people, they usually do very well.

The Jerd – One of the things we always harp on at TheJerd.com is the fact you can’t outrun your fork. What do you tell your clients and readers about their eating habits? Any tips?

Mr. A – I tell them ‘I can watch you work out, and make sure you are getting a good workout, but everything you do at home that’s what is going to matter.‘ Let’s say they work out with me three times a week for an hour, that’s three out of… I’m spacing here… math… 168 hours in a week!

So there’s a ton of time I am not seeing them. It’s like steering a large ship; small corrections don’t really do much. But if you are doing the majority really good, or really bad, that’s what’s going to dictate where you are going.

So if you are really bad, except when I see you, you are probably not going to reach your goals. If you are doing really well, except maybe one or two bad meals a week, you’re probably going to do fine. Unless those meals are at something like the Cheesecake Factory. (laughs)

The Jerd – (laughs) If you could tell people one thing, one thing that they could do to make a positive change in their lives, what would it be?

Mr. A – Um… I would say start small. Whatever that thing is, whether it be looking at what you’re eating, whether it be exercising just one day a week, just start small and make that change a habit. Then slowly add other positive habits. Some people can change overnight, but I think for the most part people need to be able to dip their toe into the pool and see if it’s for them.

The Jerd – Nice! Before we finish up, I wanted to hit you with some quick-fire nerd questions if that’s alright?

Mr. A – That’s fine!

The Jerd – Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter?

Mr. A – Going to have to go Harry Potter.

The Jerd – Who shot first? Han or Greedo?

Mr. A – Han.

The Jerd – Kirk or Picard.

Mr. A – I’m going to say Picard.

The Jerd – Zombies… fast or slow?

Mr. A – I like traditional… slow.

The Jerd – And let’s flip it back to fitness. Favorite exercise?

Mr. A – Favorite exercise? I’m going with dancing!

The Jerd – Really? That’s awesome!

Mr. A – Yeah, I love it…

The Jerd – So how can people find you and follow your CosFit movement?

Mr. A – So we’re on Facebook… we’re at CosFit.com, we’re CosFit on Twitter and Instagram. We’re all over the place now!

The Jerd – Well thanks so much for giving my readers your time, I really appreciate it. And I am just so happy there is another quality outlet where our fellow nerds can learn how to get a little healthier and feel a little bit better about themselves. It’s a sorely needed thing, so thank you!

Mr. A – It’s truly my pleasure. And like we were saying, if they don’t want to come to me there are other resources out there. So find whatever works for you, find something that motivates you to be as healthy as you can be.

The Jerd – Fantastic advice. Thanks again!

Mr. A – Definitely, thank you very much for having me. Take care!

Like what Mr. A had to say? Have questions for either of us? Let us know in the comments below!

Photo #1 - Dat "Manly" Cosplay/Starrfall Photography
Photo #3 - Branded Beloved Cosplay/Photosnxs

PS – One more time, make sure you check out the CosFit community on Facebook and their new webpage, www.cosfit.com!

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