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'It Was Awesome To Learn From A Professional Athlete'

Photo Provided By The Ryan Nece Foundation

Melissa Caraminas gets a high-five from Bucs linebacker Ryan Nece during their workout.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 20, 2008

Chrissy Beaulieu, 29, Tampa and Melissa Caraminas, 30, both of Tampa

Goal: Participate in a one-hour professional athlete workout with Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ryan Nece, Luke Petitgout and Will Allen at Tampa's Speed Source Athletics.

Why we did it:

Chrissy: Melissa and I work out at the gym a lot. We saw this workout up for silent auction at the Ryan Nece Foundation's Night with the Stars event and saw it as a good opportunity to do something different. I worked for the Bucs for three years and I've seen their workouts and training sessions but I didn't know what it would be like. I thought it would be like a personal trainer session. We bought this in the last two minutes of the auction.

Melissa: I've loved sports since I was little. It was awesome to learn from a professional athlete what they do. And I love football; it's my favorite sport. I always thought it would be something neat to do and see how they approach the game.

How we did it:

Chrissy: I can't say I did anything additional to prepare. I like to run and I take a lot of weight classes. Melissa and I will do free weights a lot. I work out five to six times a week. We had been warned that the main difference between normal exercise and this workout were that there were a lot of agility drills and quick movement intervals to get your heart rate up. Luke and Ryan wanted us to see a lot of what they do on the field. We did some drills, trading on offense and defense, where we would try to get around the lineman and get to the quarterback. They gave us tips on placement and where to put our hands and how to get around the lineman. It was fun. You don't realize how much there is that goes into it. They're thinking about many things at once.

Melissa: I work out about four times a week and I knew the workout was only an hour long, so I wanted to go full force and be pushed. And we were. When we first got there we learned it was where top athletes work out. To go there was definitely a little intimidating, but we were so excited. Obviously, you know what they do is far more complicated and harder than what we did, but they were so nice. They told us to do what we could and not push too hard. They were very encouraging. They showed us how to do things correctly so it was a lot like a team effort. To do that with a professional football player is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Hurdles:

Chrissy: Running hurdles was hard because I'm 5-foot-2. Also, I've never been a sprinter, and we did some sprints in the sand which were very difficult. Jump squats in the sand were hard, too. When we got to that point, I wanted to know if the workout was done. But I like when someone tells me to try harder. That was a great motivation. We were talking to Ryan afterwards and he said we did about 60 percent of what he does normally. We had longer breaks than they normally get. We didn't do any weights, which they normally incorporate into their workouts.

Melissa: Running hurdles was hard. That is not my strength. I loved sprints and jump squats in the sand. I love running on the beach. It was a great way to end the session. It was hard but I liked it a lot.

Going the distance:

Chrissy: What this experience showed me was that the different agility drills could help me with my running. If I could incorporate some of those drills it would improve my times.

Melissa: Chrissy and I decided to do adventure races this summer. It was great because there were several things we learned in this workout we were able to apply for the adventure run. We ran in the sand. We ran through the water. We ran through tires. I think what we learned with Ryan is that you need to have the drive and stamina to get through it.

Best advice:

Chrissy: The athletes, it's their job to be in top form and they take it very seriously. It showed me that even as an amateur, I should take my health seriously and I should continue to push myself and stay in shape.

Melissa: They're professionals. They show that you can't be just average to make it. You need to work as hard as you can to succeed. You should apply that to everything you do in life.

Keyword: Made It, to tell us about a personal fitness goal you have reached and how you accomplished it. Or send your story to mshedden@tampatrib.com or Mary Shedden, The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa FL 33606.

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