In working at the Prisco Community Center in Aurora, I meet many individuals who are dedicated to fitness. Their reasons vary and sometimes they share those reasons with me. When I asked John Brillman about his strict workout schedule, he told me the story of how his devotion to fitness literally saved his life. I asked him if I could share it with The Voice readers and he agreed.
Brillman began working out at the age of 27. He said he looked in the mirror and saw that his waist was larger than his shoulders. He told me “This was not acceptable. I’ve been working out ever since.”
If you ask him how fitness saved his life, this is the story he will tell you: “What happened to me was pretty drastic. I had an abdominal aortic aneurysm. By the time they opened me up, I had a near four-inch tear in my descending artery. I was bleeding so much internally that everything from my lower chest to my groin was purple and I made quite a mess of the operating room. Many of my organs had shut down.”
And yet, somehow he survived his surgery! He explains, “The story of my survival went around the hospital and I had a lot of visitors who couldn’t believe their ears and had to see for themselves. One cardiologist said I was one tough old SOB. His only explanation for my survival was my conditioning. Of course, I think the Big Guy had something to do with it. I apparently have more to do in this life.”
When asked about his workouts, Brillman told me, “My workouts are primarily resistance training, followed by cardio. Bone and muscle structure have to be maintained and will strengthen the heart. For further benefit, I follow with cardio. Doing cardio after a resistance workout will help the body burn fat more efficiently.
When asked what advice he would give someone just starting out, he said, “start slow and light.” He explained that the old saying holds true, “it ain’t the weight you lift, it is how you lift the weight,” In other words, it’s all about “Form, form, form! Go slow and pay attention to doing the exercise correctly. I see far too many people who want to do something, but waste their time and energy and risk injury by not employing the correct form. Get advice from a trainer and concentrate. Same goes for cardio.” He clarified that “Going slow does not mean not pushing. There is a fine line between knowing your limits and artificially imposing limits on yourself.
At age 70, Brillman’s blood pressure and cholesterol are fine and he said that thanks to his exercise regimen, he’s “still able to do everything [he] did at a much younger age.” I asked what made him choose the Prisco Center for his workouts. It made me smile when he said it was the “wonderful gym facilities,” that include many types of classes and other programs . . . “and the staff are always welcoming and knowledgeable.”