Meet our fitness coach: Joe DeCree

Meet Joe DeCree, the Drop-A-Ton Challenge's fitness coach. (Wait, what's the Drop-A-Ton Challenge? Stay tuned -- more on the Challenge in the days to come!). Joe is a retired US Army officer and lifetime physical fitness aficionado.

A two-sport high school athlete in baseball and swimming, Joe focused on athletic technique rather than brute strength to excel in sports. He pursued baseball into his college years and joined the Army in 1985.

Joe really began to study and practice of physical fitness in uniform. As a Special Forces (Green Beret) officer he trained those elite soldiers to be fit on deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan. During his military years he successfully competed in Kodokan Judo and Olympic-style weightlifting. He still holds the 2 minute push-up record for the 2nd Brigade Pa. National Guard in Washington, Pa (120 in 2 minutes set in 1992).

He also trained as a power lifter and was the assistant coach/trainer for the Ephrata Recreational Powerlifting team. Joe enjoys many fitness-based hobbies liked rock climbing, biking, and hiking. Here's a picture of Joe saving gas:

















Whatever works, right?

Joe trained successful college athletes both male and female, amateur runners, competitive weightlifters, elite soldiers, coached youngsters in swimming and baseball, and trained lots of regular people in the art and science of physical fitness over the last thirty-five years.

Right now, Joe is working on a fitness book geared towards fitness without weights -- the focus is on bodyweight exercises and functional strength. Joe's a regular here at WOW Cafe & Wingery and I can tell you that he's middle-aged and lean. That's key, because I don't like taking fitness advice from twenty year-olds with naturally high metabolisms.

We're gonna lean on that thirty-five years of experience to help us out with the Drop-A-Ton Challenge. More details on the challenge are coming!