The Challenges
Despite being knowledgeable about fitness and consistently active, Downs faced interconnected challenges that DIY and traditional medicine approaches couldn't solve:
Chronic Injuries: “I struggle with chronic injuries, like a cartilage fracture in my back and a pinched nerve in my foot,” Downs said. “I really wanted to be active, to cycle, to run, but when left unsupervised, I was really injuring myself a fair amount.”
Medical Limitations: “When my back injury was diagnosed, traditional doctors had said, ‘Just stop doing all the things you love,’” Downs said.
Weight Loss: Like many women, Downs entered the RAPID program focused on losing weight. “I had the typical female notion of, ‘I should lose five pounds,’” she said.
Nervous System Dysregulation: As a crisis management attorney and self-described perfectionist, Downs struggled with chronic stress. “I was like, ‘I'm relaxed,’ but my cortisol levels told another story,” she said.
The Solution
Downs chose RAPID after consuming Galpin's content and appreciating his scientific yet accessible approach to performance and wellness optimization.
Mindset Transformation
When the RAPID team presented a customized plan based on her lab results, Downs realized that she needed to shift her mindset. “Andy really challenged me and said, ‘You don't need to lose weight – you should build more muscle,’” Downs said. “I thought, ‘I'm already strong.’ But I wasn’t.”
As she began the RAPID program, her perspective altered. “I fundamentally changed the way I think about my fitness and myself,” Downs said.
Comprehensive Assessment
RAPID's initial analysis revealed opportunities across multiple domains, including body composition, cortisol levels, mobility limitations, and nervous system dysregulation that standard medical approaches had failed to address.
Personalized Coaching
Downs worked diligently with Katie Bathgate, her RAPID endurance coach. “Katie was a Division I runner, so she’s a high-performing athlete,” Downs said. “I think Andy picks great people who have a solid perspective and understand some of the challenges women face.”
Injury Management Protocol
Rather than accepting medical advice to stop horseback riding, running, and lifting weights by her doctor, RAPID designed protocols to work around Downs’s injuries. “The RAPID team said, ‘No, that's BS. We can work around those injuries,’” Downs said. “We'll get you strong and stabilize those parts of your body. And they did.”
Progressive Strength Training
RAPID implemented a strategic progression that increased her work capacity. “I'm lifting 25 pounds over my head when doing shoulder presses, and my back has never been stronger,” Downs said.
The program emphasized resistance training over pure cardio. “Andy helped reinforce the importance of strength training and that conditioning was not the be-all and end-all,” Downs said.
Flexible Programming
Rather than issuing rigid daily prescriptions, RAPID provided weekly exercise targets Downs could adapt to her schedule. “I was given a set of exercises to achieve within a week,” Downs said. “I think that was helpful.”
The RAPID coaches also made her appreciate different training modalities. “I hated resistance bands initially, but Katie helped me integrate them into my workouts,” Downs said.
Nutrition Overhaul
Working with Dan Garner transformed Downs’s relationship with food. “I grew up in a culture that says caloric deficit is the most important thing,” Downs said. “Dan reversed that and said, ‘No, you should eat early in the day, you should fuel your workouts, and you need to make sure you get protein afterwards.’”
The shift was significant. “I'm fueling myself and recovering as an athlete and not somebody that exercises punitively,” Downs said.
Nervous System Regulation
RAPID’s in-house breathwork expert helped Downs learn how to downshift at the end of a stressful day. “She explained to me how my nervous system worked, and how even when I was sitting at my computer, my body' was upregulated because I was fully focused on what was right in front of me,” Downs said.
Hightower provided practical tools Downs continues using. “My husband and I still use the yoga nidra protocol that Emily gave us,” she said.
RAPID also programmed strategic recovery days. “I would fight with Katie and say, ‘What do you mean? Why can’t I work out for seven days straight?’” Downs said. “She told me that I needed to downregulate because my nervous system was upregulated all the time. She could tell from my cortisol levels.”
Long-Term Application
The RAPID program emphasized sustainable lifestyle changes over quick fixes. “I still felt I was making progress when focusing on recovery,” Downs said.
Results
Body Composition Transformation
Two years after starting the program, Downs achieved exactly what Galpin predicted, despite her initial skepticism. “I lost five pounds and also gained five pounds of just pure lean muscle,” she said.
She maintained the same overall bodyweight while completely transforming her body composition through lean muscle gain distributed evenly.
Injury Elimination
The chronic injuries that had limited Downs’s activities were resolved through proper strength and stability work. She now routinely lifts more than twice what medical professionals told her was safe.
Athletic Performance
With RAPID’s help, Downs not only elevated her health but also her sports performance. “I've been horseback riding comfortably and improving since RAPID,” she said. “I’ve won several competitions.”
Her cardiovascular capacity also improved dramatically. “I'm able to do more cardio than I was prior to strength training because all of my joints are better stabilized,” Downs said.
She set personal records in both 45-minute and 60-minute Peloton classes. “When I came to RAPID, I couldn't get through a 60-minute class without some nagging injury stopping me,” Downs said. “The fact that I'm not only completing these classes but actually PRing is pretty awesome.”
Biomarker Improvements
RAPID's comprehensive approach delivered measurable health optimizations:
- Cortisol levels normalized
- Nervous system regulation improved significantly
- Joint stability enhanced across all major joints
- Recovery capacity optimized
Sustainable Lifestyle Changes
Rather than just achieving temporary results, Downs built habits she maintains years later. “Just by making minor changes to the way I approach fitness and nutrition and prioritize downregulation, I was able to make lifestyle improvements that I can sustain for the rest of my life,” Downs said.
Mental and Emotional Transformation
Beyond physical changes, Downs experienced a fundamental shift in self-perception. “I am now considering myself as an athlete with a body that can function into my nineties, instead of just thinking, ‘How small can I be?’” Downs said. “It's now, ‘How strong and stable can I be?’”
Program Philosophy
Downs appreciated RAPID's evidence-based yet flexible approach to total health and performance optimization.
Personalization Over Protocols
“The RAPID program felt very personalized,” Downs said. “If you are trying to focus on your longevity or optimize your health and fitness in a normal medicinal context, it's almost impossible without RAPID.”
Comprehensive Integration
Instead of offering isolated interventions, RAPID addressed multiple systems simultaneously. The program included strength training, cardiovascular work, nutrition, supplementation, nervous system regulation, and injury management, all coordinated as one holistic system.
Female-Specific Expertise
Downs valued RAPID's understanding of women's unique challenges. “I think the other thing about the RAPID program that's helpful for women is the flexibility that it offers,” Downs said. “It's not just about smashing as much weight as you can in the gym three times a week.”
Anti-Dogmatic Approach
“There's no silver bullet, and anyone who's trying to sell you that you should just stop eating carbs or run every day is wrong,” Downs said.
Final Thoughts
“I'd recommend RAPID if anyone felt like they were plateauing or is overwhelmed by the amount of fitness and nutrition information online,” Downs said. “One of the specialties of the RAPID team is coming up with a plan that's personalized and effective and that you can carry with you throughout your life.”
RAPID delivered on her initial goals and exceeded expectations. “I wanted to look and feel the best I've ever felt by the time I was 40, and I did,” Downs said. She has built a sustainable approach to health and performance that will serve her for decades to come.
