I Stopped Skipping Leg Day—Now, I’m Stronger Than Ever
How Tonal member Munir Frank put on 25 pounds of lean muscle and finds time to train even with four kids under four.
By Munir Frank as told to Karen Iorio Adelson
As a former high school football and basketball player, I used to be pretty athletic. But after having kids, I didn’t prioritize my fitness. Then, in 2021, I got very sick and lost a lot of weight. I was diagnosed with diabetes, and that’s when my wife and I realized we had to get serious about working out at home. We bought our Tonal so I could work on building back muscle. It was the best decision we could have made.
My strength on Tonal has improved more than I ever thought it would. While I lifted a lot in the past, I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been in my life. Part of that is because I used to only do upper-body workouts, but Tonal has me doing more well-rounded workouts and strengthening my legs as well.
It did take me a while to realize I needed balance in my workouts, though. At first, I only worked the muscles that I knew were already strong, like my arms. I would skip leg day religiously. If a workout had Bulgarian split squats, that would be an automatic skip. I’d do the exact same workout day after day and I’d just be so sore. I’d wake up and not even be able to pick up my kids because my arms were always sore.
My wife asked why I was achy, so I showed her my workouts, and she pointed out that I did arms five days in a row and no leg work. She’s the one who told me to try programs to get in a mix of exercises. Because I’d lifted before, I assumed I could just make my own custom workouts, but clearly that wasn’t working for me.
Since switching to programs, I’m not sore going into my next workout. I used to get bored with workouts where it felt like I was just going through the motions, but Tonal keeps challenging me by increasing the resistance as I get stronger. I like that it pushes me to get just uncomfortable enough to test my limits. Coach Joe Rodonis and programs such as House of Volume are great for that. Every time I feel comfortable with a week’s workouts, it gets a little bit harder the next week so I can level up. It’s crazy how fast you can improve with a coach and program like that.
I also love how the coaches guide my form and positioning to get more out of every exercise. Another one of my favorite programs is Functional Muscle with Coach Ackeem Emmons. That one taught me that fitness isn’t just about how strong you are, but how you can move and use your body. If I do want to focus on a specific muscle group one day, I like that I have that option with Custom by Tonal workouts such as Ultimate Arms and Ultimate Chest.
With Tonal inside my house, I have no excuse, no matter how busy my schedule gets. In addition to chasing around my four boys–all under four years old–my work schedule is pretty intense. I live in Wisconsin Dells, a tourist town in Wisconsin that’s known as the “waterpark capital of the world,” and my wife and I run one of the busiest restaurants and gift shops in town. My hours are always occupied by either work or kids. In the past, I tried going to the gym but that would take hours out of my day that I just didn’t have. Now, I can easily commit to waking up early and working out consistently, four to five times per week
With Tonal inside my house, I have no excuse, no matter how busy my schedule gets.
– Tonal member Munir Frank
Since I started training on Tonal, I gained 25 pounds of muscle. My blood sugar has also been normal for the past six months. I’ve lifted more than 2.3 million pounds on Tonal. Best of all, I simply feel better doing my everyday activities like playing with my kids or working at the restaurant. I used to ache doing simple jobs, but now I can work a 12- to 16-hour day at the restaurant and still feel good by the end. Plus, I still have the energy to work out.
My friends, who were once worried about how sick and weak I looked, now can’t believe how much my life has changed.
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