|
|
Mike Horn (left) |
|
Check the list of bodybuilding and fitness competitors at any major show and chances are you'll find at least one bodybuilder in the group with a fitness competitor for a spouse, or vice versa. It's a pairing that seems to be increasingly common, and West Tennessee's Mike and Jan Horn are part of that trend. But describing this couple only as husband-wife competitors barely scratches the surfaces of their lives. Both are heavily involved in opening and managing health and fitness training facilities across the eastern half of the U.S. They co-own Lord's Gym in Jackson, Tennessee, and sponsor/promote the West Tennessee Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships. Both are involved in a wide range of civic, community and professional endeavors. For Mike, his accolades include numerous awards for his service in the U.S. Army; a long list of bodybuilding victories, including the heavyweight title at the 1999 Jr. USA; a slew of state, regional and national titles in powerlifting and bench press competitions; a state Karate championship; and business/sales awards of every shape and description. Like many NPC competitors, Mike has an extensive background in sports, including football, baseball, martial arts, kick-boxing and track. Jan's background, however is significantly different. Her foray into fitness competition is a story of courage and determination that serves as an inspiration to many. "I got involved in weight training because I was once completely crippled due to rheumatoid arthritis," she explains. "I could not walk or move my arms and hands. I even had braces on my jaws and hands. I was supposed to have my knees replaced. I could not to the simplest task for myself, such as brushing my hair or my teeth." Most of Jan's doctors told her to "learn to live with" her arthritis and the numerous medications and therapies they prescribed -- but exercise generally wasn't among the recommendations. "Life was miserable. I could not even sleep. I was willing to try anything. I became suicidal," Jan says. That's when Jan improvised a workout routine using cans from the kitchen pantry. Her makeshift rehabilitation enabled her to regain enough strength and mobility to make it to the gym, where she met her future husband Mike, who worked there and pushed her to train heavy. "I was terrified at first," she admits. "I was scared I would injure my weak joints.But going heavy ended up being my lifesaver. I was finally able to strengthen my joints to be able to carry my own bags and water ski again." Jan kept training and subsequently won her height class and overall fitness title at the 2000 NPC American Classic in Birmingham, Alabama -- a remarkable turnaround from her prognosis just a few years earlier. Both Mike and Jan plan to be at the NPC Nationals in Las Vegas August 5 -- Mike as a competitor and Jan as an NPC event staffer. And two weeks later they'll have their hands full with the West Tennessee competition they sponsor. Mike and Jan can be contacted at Lord's Gym, 1926 Emporium Drive, Jackson, TN, 38305; by phone at 901-660-9060; or my e-mail at MIKEJANHORN@aol.com. |
