I never thought I'd train with a PT; I've been training for a long, long time and consider myself to be knowledgeable and capable. However, in late 2016 I was 53, post menopause and I'd got into a motivational slump; I'd lost quite a lot of strength and was starting to put on weight.
I wanted to get very strong, very fit (not just strong and fit for someone in their mid-fifties!) and to get my body working perfectly; to fix all the little muscle imbalances and problems that I've developed over the years. He is absolutely brilliant at it. I've got some pretty challenging imbalances that scores of physios, chiros, trainers etc have failed to make headway with over the years. Eric has an amazing talent for just watching you move and knowing exactly where the problem is - and how to fix it. I think the most dramatic improvement was in my shoulder function - here's some video of me doing plyometric pullups, archer pullups etc. I could do pullups before training with Eric, but not like this!
Eric has got some very special talents. I'm sure everyone says that about their PT, but with Eric it's really true! He is SO good at tuning into what you're trying to achieve, what your strengths and weaknesses are and how you're feeling. I've never met anyone so good at always doing and saying exactly the thing you need them to do or say! Whatever problem you're having - real or imagined - he solves it. Every time. He makes you feel good and helps you to do way more than you ever thought you could do.
A little example - my lower body was relatively weak due to some fairly major imbalances. When I started training with Eric I had a 1RM of machine hack squats of 70kg. Now I should stress - I have always been good at pushing myself beyond what other people think I'm capable of; it's one of my biggest strengths. Well, within 2 weeks Eric had pushed that 70kg 1RM up to a 5RM of 260kg - that's four and a half times my bodyweight! It scared the life out of me, but he instinctively knew when I was getting close to my real limit and I trusted him. It took another month before I could do it myself without him standing beside me!
During the six months I trained with him he not only got me back on track with my training, but taken me beyond what I'd ever been capable of before. I was not only stronger, leaner and more muscular than I've ever been, but my goals, motivation and confidence had been elevated to a whole new level. He got me into bodybuilding (not competitively, but just for myself) - something I thought I'd never do, and encouraged me to train for regular photoshoots which I love. Girls in their twenties say they love my muscle definition and ask me how I achieved it!
I was gutted that I had to stop training with Eric and the only reason I did is because I was training so regularly and progressing so fast that I was spending our weekly sessions updating him on my progress - I realised I simply didn't need help any more. He'd done his job too well. We've kept in touch and I'm sure one day I'll train with him again, but for now I'm still powering forwards fueled by what he taught me.
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