Eastern Michigan University’s Rec/IM played a role in bringing together a local couple who was recently on an episode of MTV’s “Made.”
Brian Young was working at the Rec/IM and his wife Nancy was an undergrad when the couple met, and the rest is history.
“We knew all the same people, but hadn’t met in person,” Young said.
The couple, who recently celebrated their two-year anniversary, is behind EMU’s B Young – B Fit fitness program and the BYBF center in Ann Arbor. They were chosen by “Made,” a TV show that follows students who have a dream of being “made” into something, to coach four female students from Grand Valley State University.
On the episode, which aired Jan. 5, Brian and Nancy worked to prepare the women for the Tough Mudder, which according to toughmudder.com is a 10-12 mile obstacle course “designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie.”
Although four students were trained, only three completed in the race. The experiences they had with the women were all too familiar.
“It reminded me a lot of the normal student population at Eastern,” Young said.
He spoke of the differences between the age groups he has trained: People in their late 30s and 50s are concerned with health and fitness, but the 18-22 age group has a different agenda.
“The guys want a six pack and the girls want a Beyoncé booty,” he said.
Young said having worked with students at Eastern helped prepare him for his experience on “Made.”
“It was just like training four girls from Eastern,” he said.
Young said he has lived all over Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti and attended Pioneer High School. He has been visiting the Rec/IM since he was 6.
After graduating from Barton College in North Carolina, he made his way back to EMU and got his first personal training job at the Rec/IM.
“That’s where I developed the fitness plan for B Young – B Fit,” he said.
In 2006, the first BYBF training studio was opened, and a few years later the program was brought to EMU.
Young was also an adjunct lecturer for the EMU School of Health Promotion and Human Performance.
The couple enjoyed watching the episode with family and friends when it aired.
“That was the coolest part, being able to share it with me and Nancy’s family,” Young said.
He also mentioned the special connection to the Rec/IM.
“A lot of people there had seen the journey over the last seven years,” he said.
Nancy received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from EMU. In her biography on www.byoungbfitness.com, she said, “In my last year, I started to realize that this was not how I had intended on helping others. I didn’t want to be a [shrink], I wanted to be an innovator.”
Brian and Nancy currently teach fitness classes at the Rec/IM. Brian is a certified personal trainer, and Nancy is a certified cycling instructor. She also is the owner of Delicate Beauty Therapeutic Spa, located in Ann Arbor.
