What's Your Strong: Karen Kemp

Just over a year ago Karen Kemp couldn’t do a lunge. 

To her fellow Spears Strongers who workout with Karen on a daily basis, that might be hard to believe. 

A regular at workouts and dominate in everything she does, Karen Kemp is an inspiration to all her fellow Spears Strongers. But in the spring of 2015, when Karen started working out with Spears Strong Trainer Jonathan Spears, she was recovering from knee surgery and had very limited range of motion. 

Today she’s lunging on the regular (and even doing crazy moves like adding a calf raise to static lunges). 

“I have become stronger and more flexible. For awhile, we worked on eliminating pain and gaining range of motion following knee surgery. His methods provided a perfect transition from physical therapy to being able to participate in the workouts and my usual activities again. I have also been able to continuously refine how I fuel my body and feel great because of that,” Karen says. 

Jonathan trained Karen for two Seattle to Portland bike rides (an over 200 mile ride) and she finished with no knee pain. And in 2016 she went the farthest on Day 1 of STP than she ever had before. Karen says Jonathan not only helped her with the physical aspect of the ride but the mental side too as well as hydration and fueling. 

Karen is a regular at Spears Strong workouts, oftentimes riding her bike to the workouts at local parks. 

“Jonathan’s style is like a breath of fresh air,” Karen says. “He is upbeat, positive, encouraging, very knowledgeable, and explains the ‘why’ to what we’re doing, I enjoy the variety of workouts. He promotes a healthy lifestyle outside of class and encourages his clients to enjoy nature and all the activities our area has to offer.” 

Expect positivity, encouragement and equal footing for all at a Spears Strong workout no matter your age or ability. 

“I would tell people that if they are looking for something more personal than the “big box” gym experience, that this is the place to be,” she adds. 

Karen’s strong is determination. 

“Determination to do my best in each Spears Strong workout, show that age should not be a barrier to fitness goals, to not let some of my physical challenges limit me to motivate and be a role model to others and to push myself forward,” she says. 

And her next goal? To be in the best shape of her life by the time she turns 65 in March.