Spectrum Fitness Training

When I begin working with a new client, I gather as much pertinent information as possible prior to our first appointment. All of my forms are on my website and can be completed in advance. This saves time, and we can get right to work. 

I use that information to choose a direction. If there has been a joint injury, we will begin testing the stabilization of those joints. If the client is free of health problems and simply wants to work on sports performance, I take a look at the client's ability to perform exercises that are related to specific movements in their sport. 

The answers to my questionnaires give me a starting point. Then I spend the next few sessions advancing the exercises until I find your limits. If a client is strong in one area and not in another, I note that. Then I put together a master plan and design the program with the client's goals in mind.

My prices are listed on my website, but my favorite price plan is the Power Start Plan. With this plan, I offer new clients a great deal if they start strong. I find that most clients will not continue to train with me if they do not see some results in the first four weeks. It is because of this that I ask new clients to give me 12 hours in their first month of training. If I can get you to give it your all in the first month, it is highly likely that you will never turn back. This approach has worked time and time again. It is by far the best chance I have at giving you results that will keep you engaged.

13 years ago, I became an athlete. After my 4th child, I needed a fitness program, but I had no idea where to start. The elliptical wasn't cutting it anymore, so I made what turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. It felt selfish at the time, and since I was mainly focused on my dress size, I felt vain. I had never spent so much money on myself, but I knew that I needed a change. I was tired, sluggish and unhappy with the changes in my body. 

I hired a personal fitness trainer. I am an all or nothing kind of person, and I bought the biggest package they sold, committing myself to 3 training sessions per week, followed by 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. After one year, I had gone down 6 dress sizes. What surprised me the most was not that I had lost body fat. It was the fact that I absolutely loved strength training. I loved being strong. I loved my improved posture. I loved the fact that I didn't need machines and could work out in the free weight room. I loved having more energy. I played on the playground with my kids. I biked with them, and I ran with them. Ultimately, I loved the fact that I was fitter and more coordinated at the age of 32 than I had ever been in my life!

Here are a few of the many types of clients I have worked with:

• Police Academy - Physical Agility Test (Including the fence jump!)

• Grade school children desiring to pass the Presidential Physical Fitness Test

• Senior clients suffering from osteoporosis working to increase bone density

• Senior clients with Parkinson’s Disease working to improve strength and balance

• Client training throughout breast cancer treatment in order to remain strong, provide her body with more oxygen with cardiac efficiency, and fight the inflexibility caused by some cancer drugs by administering myofascial release on a regular basis

• All ages needing to lower body fat and increase lean mass

• Grade school children desiring sports scholarships

• Clients with joint dysfunction working to avoid or recover from surgery

• Clients with sport specific goals, such as rock climbing, hiking, or race car driving

• Clients seeking to relieve low back pain

• Postpartum clients with the goal of strengthening the core

• Families working together to be fit with partner training

I have to talk about two events. One involves a young lady I trained who was in middle school. She was very shy and self-conscious. She felt that she was uncoordinated but has a passion for sports and dreams of playing sports in college. She reminded me a lot of myself at her age. Being the straight A student that she is, she trusted that the science of adaptation was on her side, and she was able to address her weaknesses in a private setting where nobody was watching her. As time passed, her confidence grew, and she ended up leading exercises and drills for her soccer team! One who has truly learned something can teach it.

Another story I'd like to share is about a lady who had suffered multiple injuries to her left shoulder. With no options left, surgeons attached her arm to her shoulder with a cadaver tendon. Her rotator cuff muscles were unusable and could not be repaired. Physical therapists refused to touch her because she was too much of a liability, and she was only offered occupational therapy. Her goal in personal training was fat loss. I love challenges, and I really loved this lady's will and determination! So I matched her determination and did my research. I figured out what her arm WAS able to do and which muscles we could recruit to do the job of the muscles that she no longer had working for her. Before training with me, her routine was very mundane. We had so much fun as we discovered just how much she could do. Not only did she lose the weight that she wanted to lose, but she gained better use of her arm and was able to perform weight lifting exercises with creative modifications!

Be wary of trainers who are not nationally certified. Be cautious when purchasing large session packages. Some trainers offer lower prices when you buy in great quantity, but this can turn out to be a bad thing if the trainer does not live up to their end of the deal. Make sure there is a contract and that you understand the terms of the agreement. Most trainers do not offer refunds. My Price Plans are designed to protect the client and the trainer. Make sure that you are receiving a personal program and that the trainer is not using the same workout with every single client that day. If you have any health issues, consider paying a little bit more for a more experienced trainer.

This is a very good question. It is extremely important for the student to know what they want to ACCOMPLISH, but it is difficult for them to know exactly what they NEED. You are hiring a professional who should be able to tell you what you NEED to do in order to ACCOMPLISH your goals! 

So, the best thing you can do is be very clear about your goals, the amount of time you are willing to commit to personal training and the total amount of time you are willing to commit to exercise homework. Make a list of any obstacles you see that will delay your goals. This includes health issues, joint pain, stiffness, dietary struggles, time constraints, etc... Your trainer should know about ANYTHING that could impede your progress. 

If you have the right trainer, they will be able to help you work through everything and give you what you need to get the job done!

Feel free to go to my personal website and fill out my "Fitness Goals" questionnaire. The questionnaire covers all of this!