Frequently Asked Questions

How Do I get started?

You can call or e-mail me your name and contact information and I will respond to your message as soon as possible to set up a time for the initial consulation and assessment.

When must I make payment?

Payment is expected before a session can be scheduled. After that, payment can be made at any time up to and including the end of the session.

Do you accept credit cards or debit?

Our trainers do not accept credit cards or debit. Generally cash, cheques or money orders are the accepted methods of payment.

How many days do I need to workout?

This question can only be answered effectively after you have talked with you trainer. It depends upon your current conditions, goals, schedule, budget and your trainers availability. You may “need” to workout with a trainer four days a week, but only have the time or budget for two days a week. In these cases, the trainer will work to teach you a program you can do on your own for the days that you cannot work with a trainer. This, of course, necessitates your willingness and ability to implement such a program.

What if I cancel a session?

Once you have scheduled a session, you must cancel the session more than 24 hours in advance or you are responsible to pay the trainer fully for that session.

What happens if I am late for a session?

The trainer is not obligated to make up time due to a client’s lateness. More than 1/2 hour lateness constitutes a late cancellation and the trainer is not obligated to conduct the session. In some cases a trainer will wait and work with you for the remaining time. But this is solely up to their discretion. In either case you will be charged fully for the session.

I can workout on my own, but I would like to learn new exercises or develop an eating plan. Will a trainer work with me on this basis?

Yes. I will evaluate you, assess your needs, develop a plan and work with you over a session or a number of sessions. You will come away with a program tailored to your needs and can workout on your own. The number of sessions needed for this depends on your fitness needs, how quickly you master the movements and your budget. You can always schedule an additional session or sessions later for a refresher or to upgrade your program.

I have done everything, but I still can’t lose weight. Is there anything you can do for me?

Losing bodyfat effectively is the result of a combination of a specific diet and calorie burning aerobic exercise carried out consistently for a particular duration of time. We usually find that when you think you are doing “everything”, one or more elements is either not being carried out correctly or is not being carried out at all. Sometimes folks will try a variety of fad diets one after the other for short periods of time and then give up. Or they may get on the treadmill at the gym for 15 minutes two times a week and wonder why they can’t lose fat. Bodyfat reduction or “getting lean” is the single most requested goal of clients who come to me. I will work with you on an effective diet and fat-reducing exercise program and will discuss how long you need to sustain this program to achieve results. I will then help you to attain the discipline and motivation to carry it out.

I’ve been working out on my own for a long time, but I have stopped making any progress in weight loss and muscle gain. Can you help me?

Yes. Most people who have been working out on their own for a long period of time eventually hit a plateau and stop making gains. Often, we find plateauing is due to an inability by someone to push themselves to greater heights in their workouts and/or to find new types of routines.

I do hundreds of sit-ups but still have no definition in my abs. How do I get a six-pack?

Getting abdominal definition is only partially accomplished through specific ab workouts involving crunches or flexion of the abdominal muscles. For the most part “definition” is accomplished the same way that “definition” of any other body part is accomplished: by losing the fat that obscures the muscle and building the muscle. Losing the fat is done through diet and exercise, not just abdominal crunches or situps.

After I start working with a trainer, when will I begin to see results?

This is an impossible question to answer without knowing your present condition and training history. There are many variables including your specific starting point, genetics and metabolism as well as your consistency, commitment and time you are willing to put into training. You’ll get results commensurately with what you put into your training and diet. Generally, I like to suggest that, if you are starting from a very low level of fitness, you take it slower at the beginning so you can accustom your body gradually to a training program. I want you to be fit and fabulous for your lifetime!

Why hire Joel as your personal trainer?

A Personal trainer will get you where you want to be in the shortest possible time. How do I do that? Lets look at a few of the most obvious ways:

  1. Exercise technique. Sometimes the pictures in the magazines are a little abstract and can leave some question to the finer points of an exercise. I can tell you from my experience in gyms that unless you’re doing the exercise right and are feeling it in the right areas, your results will be dismal. A personal trainer can show you the right way!
  2. Time off due to injury. This is close to number one. When you move a weight in unaccustomed plains of movement, you have to do it right. It almost painful as a trainer to watch some of the exercises people think they are doing right in the weight room. Inside as a trainer I know it’s only a matter of time before they have to push aside their goals and stay out of the gym to heal an injury. The only problem is that usually the people that need the most help with thier training think they already know everything and would be insulted if a personal trainer offered to help.
  3. Proper training program. So you’ve got the proper technique, great. You feel it where you’re supposed to, awesome. Now you must know if you’re on the right overall program to reach your individual goals. Are you in the right set and rep range? Are you using enough weight? How frequently are you training? Part of a proper training program is your diet. This is where I find that most people need a lot of help. A personal trainer is always on top of the latest research, and that knowledge is there for you to benefit from without the task of looking it up yourself. As a personal trainer, its my job to get you there fast without you having to do the foot work.
  4. Commitment and Motivation. Your personal trainer is going to be there and your paying him whether you show up or not! Just knowing that your trainer is there waiting for you and that the time is scheduled in, is a great help to keep you on track. The other thing a personal trainer does is motivate. I am not all about grunting and yelling. My clients have a personal side that sometimes needs attention too. My guys and gals need to know that when they are down, I’ll do my best to have them “up” by the end of the workout. They need to know that when everything else is crap, their personal trainer will always push them to be their personal best. If that is not in the cards, at least there will be someone to really listen.

These things quickly come to mind and are the roles that I fill as a personal trainer on a daily basis. The bottom line is that a personal trainer is your gym teacher, guidance counselor, shrink and friend all rolled into one. The mind, the body and the spirit are all things that a personal trainer can help you with on your path to true physical fitness. Long term, healthfull, lifetime results. This is what separates me as your personal trainer from the “quick fix” dead ends that fill the fitness market.

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