The workouts taxed Bush’s middle-aged body. He tore his rotator cuff
and injured his knee while training.
But the training schedule was challenging for Yates to tackle, too. A
professional athlete, he was used to
training with other fitness buffs. To
turn a middle-aged scholar into a
rodeo clown, in less than two months,
seemed a near-impossible task.
“It was tough for me to push him as
hard as I wanted to, because I didn’t
know much about diabetes,” Yates
admits. “I’m not a doctor. If I was
going to train him [typically], I would
take six months to a year and train him
in a specific way to get him to lose the
weight. But I was trying to train him,
get him to lose the weight, and get him
in a ring with bulls in six weeks.”
first time he stepped into the ring
with a bull. “It was so much fun,” he
says. “Once we got into the arena
working with the bulls, it was very
scary, but it made everything worth-
while—the pain and the aching bones.
It was exhilarating, but I was scared
to death!”
He pushed through the fear, how-
ever. Ranch owner Chris Hammack
and Yates were both surprised when
Bush entered the ring—and ran
toward the bull. Bush did a fake, just
like he’d learned, and spun the bull
around to where it needed to be,
impressing the guys.
Pain and Gains
Bush wasn’t used to playing through
the pain. “Professional athletes are
a different breed,” Yates explains.
“When I started to push him, he
would have knee issues. I’ve had knee
surgeries, so for me, you just suck it
up and you do it.”
When watching Bush’s episode, it
seems as if there were times he
wanted to call it quits, but today he
says it was all worth it, especially the
People Pleasing
Bush had plenty to be proud of, himself. He tackled his fears, and his
training helped his health. By the
time he stepped into the ring for
his first rodeo, he had lost about 25
pounds—and his doctor had reduced
his daily insulin by half.
New Lease on Life
His feelings and his body still fully
intact after a few run-ins with bulls,
Bush says he’s not headed back into
the arena any time soon. But he’s
still active. He gets up and walks for
30 minutes to an hour each morning,
rain or shine. He’s using resistance
bands to build his shoulder back up
post-injury, and he and his wife swim
together. The training he did for his
rodeo clowning has stuck with him as
a real lifestyle change. “Bottom line, I
would say, the quality of life, just from
getting up and walking for 30 min-
utes a day, is astronomical in how I
feel every day,” he says. “I make sure
I stay consistent and constant.”
Crenny says that type of change is
why Made is compelling television.
However, he says, Bush’s honesty,
hard work, and personality sold his
episode. “Here was a guy who really
wanted to change his life, and he
did,” Crenny says. “He’s one of our
success stories.” ▲
