As a special treat for Valentine’s Day, we sat down with Coach Jen and Coach Irma —a power couple you might recognize if you take studio fitness classes at our Napa, Suisun or Elmira clubs! Get a little peek into their love story and why they enjoy working out together, plus some tips for couples who aspire to be workout buddies.

How long have you been together?

Irma: “We just celebrated 15 years together and will be married 8 years this April.”

What do you teach at In-Shape?

Jen: “Currently I’m teaching SPRINT, CORE, and Pop Pilates. I’m also certified in cycle, BODYFLOW, BODYCOMBAT, Pilates and am also a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist.”

Irma: “BODYCOMBAT, BODYPUMP, SPRINT, CORE and Freestyle Ride.”

How’d you meet?

Jen: “We met at work, Metro by T-Mobile, in 2004. I was in Customer Operations in the regional office, and Irma had started as an admin assistant. It wasn’t until she promoted into the Human Resources department that her office was close to mine and we started to become friends.”

How did you two get into fitness?

Jen: “We were both athletes in school, but after that, fitness wasn’t as central or consistent in our lives. We went through a couple of years where we became obsessed with running: we even ran the California International Marathon before retiring from running. It wasn’t until we uprooted from Sacramento to move near Napa that we started getting into the fitness industry.”

Irma: “Jen started working at a local gym, and she introduced me to a lot more fitness classes to try out. Then Jen invited me to tag along for a BODYCOMBAT Master Class, and I'm so glad I went! I was completely inspired and in awe of the 100+ people that attended. That was the day I decided to get certified for BODYCOMBAT in 2018 and the rest is history.”

Do you have a favorite way to work out together?

Irma: “Les Mills SPRINT, especially when Jen teaches the class and motivates me to push myself beyond my limit. Jen’s very inspirational. She'll make you laugh so you forget about the pain, and she can get you to maximize your effort in a way that feels incredible when done. At home, we enjoy doing Les Mills CORE for functional training and BODYFLOW for stretching and mobility improvement.”

Jen: “I love to be part of Irma’s BODYCOMBAT classes, not only because she delivers a great workout with her personal approach that makes it fun to do, but also because I can appreciate her growth and how she continually gets better and better at her craft.”

How do you help each other stay motivated?

Jen: “I think, in general, we both watch what the other is doing and ask ourselves, is that something I want to do, too? Which often means that when I’m sliding into complacency, her strength compels me to step up. And vice versa.”

Irma: “We constantly cheer each other on. Whenever we try something new, we share about the experience and invite the other to join. But we’re also willing to push each other and to get fired up to be our best selves. And once in a while for fun... we will place bets and whoever loses buys the other something from Reebok. :)”

What advice do you have for couples who want to work out together?

Jen: “Find what you enjoy doing together, but don’t become dependent on your partner—don’t allow their excuses to become your excuses. Find the balance of what you can do as a team and what you do independently.”

Irma: “Be open to trying new things together but remember that having individual time is key. Understand each other's goals. Challenge each other, but don’t forget to cheer each other on and have fun.”