Tom's Journey

Meet X Shadyside Personal Training client, Tom!

Meet X Shadyside Personal Training client, Tom!

A former member of the United States Marine Core, Tom has been working with personal trainers at X Shadyside for over 3 years. For the past 6 months he’s been working with Personal Trainer, Josh.

Tom has come a very long way and has made a tremendous amount of progress over the past 3 years training at X Shadyside.

During that time Tom has…

• Lost 70lbs!
• Not had to walk with a cane in over two years! (He used one when he started training)
• Started doing mostly machines but has been able to incorporate many new free weight exercises!
• Completely recovered from a hernia operation in 2007
• And can do 5.3 miles on the stationary bike in 30 minutes. When he started he could only do 2 miles in 30 minutes.
• Tom’s favorite exercises are banana crunches and assisted pull-ups!

“All of the personal trainers have been great, and they helped me lose a lot of weight!”

Why did you decide to start personal training?

To lose weight and keep in shape for heart surgery/hernia recovery

What were your original fitness goals?

To lose about 50lbs.  I knew that it would take a long time; maybe 2-3 years. Also, to have proper guidance in physical training!

Did you achieve your original goals?

Yes! I have achieved weight loss of over 80lbs (260lbs at the start) since the beginning of my structured program, which was about 5 years ago. I am also fully recovered from my hernia recovery and am currently tackling new obstacles with Josh, such as minimal dietary changes, and committing to a fitness journal consisting of all of my daily exercise records of weight loss and exercise programs.  

Whats your favorite part of Personal Training?

I like the fact of how Josh is very understanding of my needs and adaptable of my program to be properly adjusted on the fly if I make a mistake.

What are your favorite exercises?

The bicycle; sit-up board; hammer curls; pull-up machine

What are your least favorite exercises?

The treadmill, because the amount of aerobic effort is very high and it is difficult to keep my endurance/stamina over a time greater than 30 minutes, especially when I’m at an incline!

Why do you like working with Josh?

He is great at offering dietary advice and great at consistently updating my dietary information/needs.  He is wonderful with listening and offering proper education on how to achieve the goals that I’m seeking out currently.  His information on the way that food affects the body is very knowledgeable. He's been training me for over 4 years and has been working as a trainer for over 10 years! I recommend him to anyone looking to succeed with their fitness goals.