Life
Transformations
This is why we do what we do!
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As a lifelong fitness enthusiast, Lou Joseph has seen his fair share of gimmicks and fads. But through 30-plus years of training and working out he’s come to the realization that when it comes to taking care of your body, hard work is key. He believes that if it’s easy, it’s not doing enough to help you. This is the reason that he has stuck with MaxStrength for over six years.
As a college wrestler at the University of Michigan, Lou is familiar with the effects of hard-training on the body. But after years of one- to two-hour grueling gym sessions, he began to get concerned that he was over- training.
Continual muscle aches and sore joints, forced him to start looking for new and more effective ways of training. This is where he found MaxStrength (formerly Overload) Fitness.
The brief, highly-intensive sessions were unlike anything he’d ever done. The first time he came in, his body was completely spent following the workout. The maximum effort approach taken by Jeff and the other coaches was exactly what he was looking for. Being able to accomplish more in 20-minutes than he could in a two- hour period was what originally got him hooked. The results he was getting from this deliberate and well-supervised approach was what kept him coming back.
Lou credits the MaxStrength staff for investing the time to find what his body needs and making the proper adjustments to help his specific goals. This has helped him to continue to enjoy physical activity like golfing with his three sons. With a continued commitment to fitness, Lou says that his training is just as important to him now as it was in his twenties.
“I plan my work, I work my plan. Physically, and in business. You have to plan it, it doesn’t happen by mistake. You’ve got to be aggressive because it’s not as satisfying if you don’t earn it.”
Jaime Priess first found MaxStrength Fitness when her husband, Joe, was searching the Internet for an exercise or workout that would help him with lower back pain. He’d been seeing a chiropractor for several months and was even considering consulting an orthopedic surgeon to explore surgical treatments for his pain.
After going through the search field, they saw our low-force training technique and decided that coming in to MaxStrength Fitness would be the best way to learn more. Jaime showed up with her husband that first day more as moral support than anything else. But after seeing what we had to offer, she decided to join herself, and she’s stuck with it.
Being someone who never approaches anything halfway, she fell right into the system here. Now, almost two years later, Jaime and her husband are still coming in twice a week.
They’ve turned their workouts into “dates” and come in every Tuesday and Thursday for their training sessions. Afterwards they go out to share a healthy post-workout meal. Jaime has lost pounds and inches and says she feels like she’s in the best shape of her life. And her husband’s lower back is now pain free.
Before coming to MaxStrength Fitness, Jaime would have described herself as being moderately fit, but the majority of her workouts were done at home while following an instructional DVD. This method had worked well enough, but after her second child, she found it difficult to drop the additional baby weight.
This is the point when the MaxStrength Fitness system was able to help her make a change. Jaime found that having a specific appointment to meet her trainer really forced her to be accountable when it came to doing workouts. The consistency is really what has made the biggest difference. Working out at home left far too many escape routes, but when Jaime was able to come to the gym and focus her time, she finally started to see the types of results she was in search of.
Outside the gym, Jaime and her husband have been taking scuba lessons, something she doesn’t believe they would have done without the help of MaxStrength Fitness. This couple is a shining example of how training and other types of activities can enhance a relationship. We couldn’t be more pleased to hear about this wonderful success story and hope these two continue to represent all that the MaxStrength Fitness system has to offer.
Before coming to Max Strength, Jerry Schill suffered injuries to his elbow and rotator cuff. The pain was so severe that it kept him up at night, and with arthritis showing up in his hips, he started to experience back pain.
As a business owner, coach, and father of five, Jerry couldn’t afford to be in this kind of pain.
He was never one to take medicine, though, so the idea of reducing pain symptoms through strength conditioning was incredibly appealing.
After his first month of training at Max Strength, a friend asked Jerry what he was getting out of the training. That’s when he realized how much he’d improved. “I realized I didn’t have any lower back pain anymore, and rarely shoulder pain — it was certainly not keeping me awake at night.” It was all Jerry needed to continue showing up at the gym each week.
Jerry has always been an athlete, but his limited mobility combined with aging had really put him in a tough place. He committed to a 30-minute workout at Max Strength two times per week to fit into his busy schedule, and he’s had great success. He found that at his age, he felt he could do a bit more and push himself a bit harder. He said the team at Max Strength is more than happy to accommodate if he asks for a more rigorous workout. Jerry says his core and his legs have become much stronger, and he now lives pain-free.
As Jerry runs between the four different locations of his company and from one sports practice to the next, he appreciates the flexible, accommodating schedule provided at Max Strength.
Jerry recommends Max Strength workouts to anyone looking to push themselves. “If you have the desire to improve overall strength and fitness goals, and you have very limited time, and if you’re looking for a partner who cares about your health as much as you do, Max Strength is a great partner to have.”
We’re so glad to have you, Jerry! Keep up the hard work.
When Debbie Gregoire joined MaxStrength in August of 2009, she had been dealing with pain in her knees, difficulty breathing, and a lack of energy. Her boss, Lou Joseph, was already a member, and wanted to help her make a life change. Debbie was in pain, and Lou could see she needed support to take her first steps toward getting well. He referred her to our gym.
Besides her knee pain, Debbie had struggled with eating healthy. She was on high blood pressure medication and had to undergo two knee replacement surgeries. Since beginning her workouts, Debbie has seen significant improvement in her health and overall well- being. She now has normal blood pressure and cholesterol, and she is much more mobile. Once the type to stay in, with her new positive self- image, Debbie now enjoys going out to meet people, and takes her pug-bulldog mix on daily walks for comfort.
Debbie says what she likes most about working out at MaxStrength is how energized and positive she feels when she leaves.
“A lot of people don’t invest in themselves, and they need to do that,” Debbie says.
Debbie is grateful for the trainers at MaxStrength Fitness who keep her on track and motivated.
“They take care of those who come in and want to change their lives,” she says.
Since exercise is now one of the most important things in her life, things seem to be getting better and better for Debbie. She still struggles with her diet, but has learned to love eating healthy foods and making her own meals.
Debbie has lost 56 pounds just in the last year, and is focusing on losing 20 more by February.
Keep up the outstanding work, Debbie!
Pat Perotti tried many exercise programs in the past, but they just didn’t work for him. Everything changed when he overheard a law partner talking about MaxStrength Fitness. The partner’s husband was the owner of MaxStrength Fitness, a program that approaches exercise in a totally novel way.
The MaxStrength Fitness program sounded interesting, so Pat tried it and hasn’t looked back since. One reason he likes going to MaxStrength Fitness is that it’s structured around specific, scheduled appointments with a personal trainer. Exercise becomes part of your weekly routine, and just like you’d never miss a business meeting, you also wouldn’t miss a scheduled workout with your trainer. That feature is key for Pat, and one reason why he’s still with MaxStrength Fitness after more than 7 years.
The other reason is results. MaxStrength keeps you healthy and strong without injury. Pat had been to workout classes where he tried to keep up with the instructors, but since Pat’s not an expert, he ran a high risk of injury. And when he did work with personal trainers, they were new each time he walked in the door.
At MaxStrength Fitness, you work with the same one or two personal trainers for years, so they get to know your ability and history. Each workout, the trainer is there to guide you on the specific form for safety and efficiency, and the facility’s temperature is kept at 64 degrees to prevent overheating.
As part of the intense MaxStrength Fitness workouts, our trainers emphasize slow movements, which rob the body of momentum. You can’t jerk or go quickly through the workouts, so the risk of injury is greatly reduced. Even so, in a 20 minute workout with little time between exercises, you work the entire body, targeting each muscle group with pinpoint accuracy for amazing results.
Pat loves what the program has done for him. Even though he’s approaching 60 and in reasonably good shape, he couldn’t indulge in his passions of jet skiing, downhill skiing, ice skating, or roller skating without MaxStrength Fitness. What’s more, Pat feels 20 years younger than he is and has a 24-year-old son and a 17-year-old daughter who he can still keep up with because of his workouts.
We’re so happy to provide Pat with the fitness program he needs to feel his best!
In November, Hamp and Jennifer Howell completed their first year as members of MaxStrength fitness. Jennifer got Hamp a temporary membership as a birthday gift, and it didn’t take long for the Howells to realize MaxStrength was the perfect fitness program for them.
“We’ve belonged to other gyms in the past,” Hamp says, “but the personal attention at MaxStrength is unlike anything I’ve experienced. From day one, I could tell that this place was different. And we started seeing results right away, which offered great positive reinforcement.”
Jennifer adds, “It’s amazing that everyone on staff knows the program and recognizes the members. We’re always warmly greeted, and it really does feel like a big family pushing you to your limits.” The
Howells train at the same time and enjoy the atmosphere at MaxStrength.
“It’s a family environment for sure,” Hamp adds. “From the front desk to Jeff’s office, everyone knows our names and is genuinely invested in our progress.” In fact, the Howells have been so impressed with MaxStrength that they’ve referred two other couples. Their son also participates in our Precision Nutrition Program.
“People definitely notice our enthusiasm,” Jennifer notes. “I truly believe MaxStrength has allowed us to improve not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. We live in a stressful world, and going to MaxStrength is a chance to escape for 20 minutes and focus on what’s in front of you. It also doesn’t hurt that we’ve seen our golf games get better as a result of training!”
We’d like to congratulate the Howells on their first year of MaxStrength training. Here’s to many more to come!
as strong and flexible as I was when I was much younger.
Catherine Golladay’s fitness journey has been what you might call a long and winding road. As a high school and collegiate athlete, fitness was always somewhat of a priority in her life. She played tennis and volleyball and she was expected to stay in shape. But
when her playing days were over, the motivation to continue her fitness and take care of herself fell by the wayside. Diving into a career and having two kids caused Catherine to continue to add weight throughout her late twenties and thirties. Twelve years ago, when her health was beginning to come into question, she made the decision to have bariatric surgery to reduce the size of her stomach.
While the surgery was a success, the ability to lose weight and keep it off has been a constant battle. Over the twelve years since the surgery, Catherine has lost a total of 110 pounds. Losing that extra weight was an incredible feeling to her, but she was still concerned with another factor of her health-her joints. She knew that being thin and frail would only add to her risk of further injury, so
she decided to come in and to talk to us.
As Vice President of Participant Services at Charles Schwab, her schedule is filled with meetings and travel, so finding the time for exercise is never easy. For this reason, she decided to try out MaxStrength Fitness. She joined us back in June of 2013 and has stayed for this long primarily because of the trust and relationships she’s built while training here.
With the little bit of spare time that Catherine does find, she loves to travel with her family and friends. Whether it’s a surfing adventure or a quick daytrip- she’s always up to explore. For her next big adventure, Catherine says she would love to go on a surfing and yoga retreat. We here at MaxStrength Fitness are determined to ensure that she’s healthy enough and strong enough to do it.
Back in 2006, Jeff Warnkin had an episode where his heart went out of rhythm. Fortunately, the issue was resolved without surgery, but the ordeal was a huge wake- up call. Jeff was in his early 40s and was anxious that he’d have another problem with his heart. He knew he needed to take action, but he was worried about overexerting or even injuring himself at the gym. When he heard about MaxStrength, it just clicked. Jeff went in for a consultation and was signed up that very day.
As a business owner, the efficiency of working out at MaxStrength makes sense for Jeff, whose time is a precious commodity. With the goal of increasing his lean muscle mass and strengthening his heart, Jeff knew the accountability of MaxStrength was going to be what kept his plan on track. Once he learned, firsthand, how efficient the workouts were, relative to the great results he was enjoying, Jeff was hooked. By putting in a tough 20 minutes once a week, Jeff can see and feel the results. He has increased muscle, decreased fat, and now enjoys the benefits of perfect blood pressure and cholesterol. “At the end of the day, I couldn’t ask for more than that,” says Jeff.
A decade has passed since Jeff’s heart episode, and he has since had no problems. He’s grateful for having the strength to keep up with his three kids, and now he has the strength to do yardwork, too— something that would have left him with back pain previously. In fact, Jeff can’t remember the last time he was laid up due to an orthopedic issue, and he gives a lot of credit to his dedication to training at MaxStrength.
“I’m one of their biggest fans,” says Jeff. “A true believer.”
Thanks, Jeff! We’re fans of you, too. Keep up the hard work.
At MaxStrength Fitness, nothing matters more to us than developing meaningful, long-term relationships with our clients. We always strive to deliver real change, and the best evidence of this is a continuing relationship. One of our favorite members, Jenny Bartell, has been with us for 3 1⁄2 years now, and we are so grateful to have her share her MaxStrength Story.
“I saw an article about MaxStrength Fitness in a local newspaper around the same time that I was researching personal trainers in the area. Something about MaxStrength caught my eye, and once I began exercising there, I was hooked. As soon as two weeks later, I could tell something was different. The milestones kept piling up after that one month, three months, six months, one year. Now, I look forward to every Monday and Thursday, because they are my MaxStrength days. My visit to the gym definitely helps me get through my Mondays.
“What I love most about MaxStrength is that their goal is your goal. They are aware and respectful of the fact that not every individual has the same needs. They challenge you, but in the right way. MaxStrength does not just want to improve your fitness — they care about your quality of life. In over three years, I have never once been bored, because they avoid monotony through variation. The staff are also great teachers. I have learned things that I never knew I didn’t know.
“When it comes to my fitness routine, my eye never wanders. MaxStrength is the only gym I trust, and I love every moment I spend there.”
Elaine Kosco was inspired to check out MaxStrength Fitness about two years ago when she noticed an article in the style section of the Plain Dealer highlighting one of our members. Since the cool woman in the article was just a bit older than Elaine, and dressed so fabulously, Elaine says she wanted to be like her. And since she had recently had a poor doctor’s visit and was feeling the need to get her health back on track, Elaine headed to MaxStrength to see what we we’re all about.
She had tried a million different exercise programs, “Starting with aerobics in the ’80s,” and admits this is the only exercise program that has stuck. Elaine loves the expertise of our trainers and the convenience of the workout. “I can see the results with my own eyes,” Elaine said. She noted that she feels healthier, stronger, and in overall better shape
since she started at MaxStrength. “I appreciate MaxStrength Fitness’ nutritional advice,” says Elaine. It was especially helpful when I first signed up and barely knew a carb from a protein!”
Elaine’s family is athletic (her kids, 17 and 21, are both involved in sports), but she’s never understood the competitive nature of sports and doesn’t claim to be an athlete. Regardless, Elaine says working out at MaxStrength Fitness has given her the confidence to try other activities, including yoga. Her friends all tease her that it’s like she has been “born again,” but Elaine says it’s sort of true. She gives credit to the one-on-one training as a motivator to stay on track. “I can achieve in a half hour what I’d achieve on my own in an hour,” said Elaine. “The trainers push us and know the tricks of the trade.”
Bob Vilcheck joined MaxStrength Fitness about four years ago when he realized his back problem wasn’t going to fix itself. A friend referred him, and he began trading out his home workouts and boring health club routines for MaxStrength – and he hasn’t looked back. Bob is 68 years-old, but you wouldn’t know it. “I’m mentally and physically stronger,” he says. Bob attributes his increased mental alertness and better muscle tone to the quick and intense workouts he gets in just two days per week at MaxStrength Fitness. Pushing himself to the limit, Bob enjoys the physical and mental challenge of getting through his program, and he appreciates the total exhaustion he feels after his workouts. “When you’re done, you feel great,” he says.
When winter sets in and Bob is out trekking through the snow with his dog, hunting pheasant, chukar, or quail, the increased stamina is very welcome. Bob also enjoys golf, and although he’s always been a good golfer, he’s not as tired when he leaves the course. Bob is appreciative of the personal and proactive nature of our training. “It’s not
a place you go in on your own and do your exercise and leave,” says Bob. “It’s an absolute hands-on situation. The staff truly cares about you and your overall well-being.”
Since Bob started at MaxStrength Fitness, he has seen improvement in his back, despite his initial worry that training could worsen his symptoms. Since we were able to sit down and talk with him about his issues and prescribe a proper program for him, which included exercises to do on his own to alleviate some of the problem, Bob’s training has been going well, and we’re very impressed by the progress he’s made. Keep up the great work, Bob!
Beth Stewart heard about MaxStrength through a bit of serendipity. “My neighbor is a member and told me about a promotion that was happening,” she recalls. “There was a promotion where you could receive a free trial, and the proceeds would go to charity. I figured I would give it a shot, and after the first session, I had a ‘wow’ moment.” She’s been a member ever since.
Beth is no stranger to traditional gyms. She’s done cardio, free weights, and classes the whole nine yards. It didn’t take her long to realize that MaxStrength is different. “I love that it allows for me to get in shape without needing to go to the gym every morning or evening,” she says. “I work in sales, and my life is busy. Twenty minutes twice a week is a commitment I can stick to.”
The other aspect of MaxStrength that stands out to her is the one-on-one training at every session. “Even with a class at a gym, it’s easy to be anonymous and cheat on the number of reps,” she notes. “At MaxStrength, the trainers push me to a level I wouldn’t be able to reach on my own. They know the science behind the workouts and know when you can give that little extra effort. You can’t fake it.”
Outside of training, Beth enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family. “I don’t want to give up my evenings to improve my fitness,” she says. MaxStrength allows her to maintain a healthy balance between work, life, and fitness. And the results are evident. “People have noticed my improvement,” she tells us. “When they ask, ‘What have you been doing?’ I’m more than happy to share my secret.”
