Athletic Performance Enhancing Shape

Reviews 3

BR

Brett Grettenchord

Being a Type 1 Diabetic for the past eighteen years, I have spent the past five neglecting the American Diabetes Association (ADA) "Standard of Care" and working to promote my health and well-being, believing that I had the right to achieve blood glucose control and quality of life as good as the non-diabetic population. After a recommendation from my endocrinologist to work to reduce my weight to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the likelihood of long-term complications to my body from diabetes, I transitioned to a lower carbohydrate diet away from the ADA concept of "carb up, shoot up," greatly stabilizing my blood glucose and extremely reducing my occurrences of both hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic episodes. Eventually, realizing that health required a level of physical fitness I neither had nor knew how to obtain, I needed the help of an expert. Fortunately, I found Jose with whom I have been training for the past six months. Jose does not fit the stereotype of a "meathead" or "gym bro" from whom personal training and from which physical conditioning can obtain poor impressions. With degrees in kinesiology and human services as well as his own story of health improvement, Jose provides a total health, nutrition, and lifestyle package specific to the individual client, well beyond just delivering a basic, gym workout. During the first session, he asked for my goals to which my answer was to "promote insulin sensitivity," most likely a first for him. However, taking that response as well as information about my diet and history working to improve my condition with diabetes and my current, physical state, he presented me with dietary guidelines that fit me and what I had been doing for over four years but would promote good, physical conditioning and improved health. His sessions are planned out prior to my arrival and are dynamic, varying focus between mobility, strength, and cardiovascular improvements. He always assesses my condition when I arrive, ready to change his plans for me for the day if necessary. He is also responsive outside of sessions, sharing research of interest he has found, answering questions regarding health and nutrition, as well as providing motivation for continued success, all specific to me. In the six months I have worked with Jose, I have gained about 5 pounds, but have lost body fat, and improved both strength and cardiovascular condition. I am consuming significantly more total calories, but have actually reduced my total insulin intake by 20% (and expect further reductions) and have further mitigated my occurrences of hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic episodes, common occurrences when adhering to the ADA "Standard of Care." The cost of training has easily been offset by a reduction in medical costs due to the reduction in insulin use alone. I am more confident in my ability to destroy the artificial and inappropriate limits placed on me as a diabetic and know that I have more control over my health and well-being than any other time in the past eighteen years. Instead of falling under a "Standard of Care" intended to keep a population alive and exposing them to a future of undesired complications, my training with Jose is personalized to me, promoting me to succeed. Jose guides and empowers his clients. I can share with him any impact of a training session or advice he provided and he will adjust and optimize future sessions for my benefit. I am confident that continuing to train with Jose and implement his training will mitigate or even completely avoid debilitating complications associated with diabetes, providing me a long, healthy and happy life.

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Brent Dahnke

Starting to feel discomfort after three years with a sedentary, desk job, I decided that if I was going to feel discomfort, it made more sense for it to be a product of physical conditioning - improving myself - rather than the product of staring at a computer screen. Finding APE Shape Fitness, I appreciated that images of the gym did not show a workspace lined from wall-to-wall with cardio equipment and strength machines, but designed for personal improvement and achievement of goals led by the knowledge, skill, and competency of a well-qualified trainer/coach - an understatement of who Jose is. Quality personal training is not typically considered low cost, but my time with Jose has been an incredible value. As other reviews mentioned, Jose takes the time to do a fairly thorough health and nutrition assessment. Presenting Jose with an atypical health and nutrition profile, he assembled initial nutrition and training plans specific to my history, my strengths, my deficiencies, and my needs. Since that initial assessment, he has continued to alter, adapt, and evolve these plans as necessary to ensure continual, forward progress. For example, soon after I started training, working on basic conditioning, I started experiencing some additional discomfort issues due to my long-term, sedentary lifestyle for which I needed medical care to correct. Jose took that information and adopted the training to mitigate the discomfort and help me correct and push past the issue. Jose and his assistant, Sean, are both very observant during training sessions, providing quick, beneficial feedback during movements, scaling weights during a movement based on capability and fatigue, and using what they observe to plan out future sessions. As he mentions, Jose is going to plan each training session to push the client toward his or her goal, and he succeeds in a way that allows the client to realize progress even if he or she does not feel like they had their best performing day. The real value, however, training with Jose is his willingness and interest in interaction outside of scheduled session times. He is interested to know about successes and struggles with physical conditioning and nutrition choices, encouraging clients to always improve. He shares new health and nutrition research and topics in which I might find interest. He is willing to answer questions about an exercise movement or circuits, home gym equipment, food and nutrition, metabolic processes - you name it. There is nothing else for which I pay money that I can say is a better value than training at APE Shape Fitness under Jose. The quality of training, the quality of results, and the personal attention and relationship with his clients is absolutely unbeatable. Thank you, Jose!

JA

Janice Dahnke

I came to Jose obese, never having worked out, minimally active, and embarrassed to even be there. Jose did not give me patronizing consolations, nor did he shame me for my current state. Instead, he said he could relate, and he gave a plan to make my goals a reality. He said it would be hard, and, honestly, it has sucked at times... But rather than my previous attempts at exercising where I quickly felt like a failure and quit, I now look forward to my workouts and feel empowered, even in the moments where I feel like collapsing in a sweaty mess on the mat. I enjoy my sessions with Jose, which are never the same. Jose does not give fluffy praises, but he is very attentive during the session. When I do receive a positive comment, I feel like a rock star because I have done something to earn it. Jose works with you to develop an eating and workout plan individualized to you and your goals. While he expects you to commit and follow the plan, he does not leave you on your own to flounder. In between sessions, I often receive texts to see how I am doing, offer any needed support, and even an occasional article for further education. My relationship with Jose feels more like a partnership where he is educating and empowering me, rather than keeping me dependent on him. He is always open to questions and encourages me to take advantage of his knowledge. I am still far from my goals, but I can see steady progress and for the first time in my life, I feel like my dream goals are attainable. With Jose, you will work hard, you will sweat, you will have periods of soreness, and it wont be easy; however, he has a knack for pushing you hard, but not past your breaking point. I am so glad that I took advantage of a Groupon on a whim, and am now on my way to meeting my health goals. I cannot recommend Jose highly enough.

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