Client of the Month - Karen M.

Congratulations to Karen M. being our next Client of the Month in May 2023! She has been a client since October 2021, and with overcoming persistent injuries, she was able strength train, and she is signed up for her first power lifting competition later this year!

Check out her story below:

Q: How long have you been with Fitness Together, and how often are you working out both inside and outside of the studio?
I started with Fitness Together in October 2021 after injuring my shoulder from yoga, which eventually required surgery. Once I could finally ease back into working out, I was very nervous about re-injuring my shoulder. This prompted me to look into personal training, something I hadn’t done before. In addition to lifting three times a week with support from Fitness Together, I also play softball 1-2 times a week and go for a run on the weekends (and occasionally do yoga, though I’d now say yoga and I have a complicated relationship).

Q: What are the results you've seen so far?
Strength-wise, I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. Between the pandemic shutdowns and my injury, I had been out of the gym for a while when I came to Fitness Together. Due to my shoulder injury, at first I don’t think I could have even benched the barbell. At the moment, however, I can deadlift 225 lbs, squat 165 lbs, and bench 115 lbs. As well, my posture is better, I feel more connected to my body, and I have more horsepower behind me when I’m running, playing softball, or just moving around in the world.

Q: What can you attribute mostly to your success so far? What hurdles did you have to get over in order to succeed?
While I used to lift weights on my own for years, all of my lifts have now surpassed what I was able to achieve on my own. I typically work with Aidan, so his expertise in programming has contributed massively to my success so far. As well, working with a trainer keeps me accountable and ensures I don’t skip workouts, though the sessions with Aidan and the other trainers I’ve worked with are always at least as fun as they are difficult, so the temptation to skip them isn’t really there. One hurdle that has come up at times is lingering weakness in my injured shoulder. In those instances, Aidan has made adjustments to my program as necessary, and we’ve also worked with my physical therapist to assess where the specific weaknesses are and incorporate targeted exercises into my program.

Q: What are some of your goals with FT moving forward?
Unfortunately I’ll be moving out of the area at the end of June, but my time with Fitness Together has inspired me to continue lifting. With encouragement from Aidan, I’m excited to have signed up for my first ever power lifting competition, which will take place at the end of August!

Q: Anything else you would like to share with others looking to hit their goals?
I absolutely love having a personal trainer and would recommend it to anyone looking to improve their fitness and reach their goals. Looking back at when I was lifting on my own, I think that I likely was not training my muscles in a balanced way, which I think contributed to my eventual injury. There is a lot of value in having a professional design a fitness program that is tailored to you, and of course it’s much more relaxing to have someone just tell you what to do at the gym rather than have to spend the time working it out on your own!