Ethel King

My goal in joining the gym was to strengthen my legs and arms to enable me to return to downhill skiing. I was limited at the time from recent lumbar back surgery and recurring hip pain, as well as plantar fasciitis, so was very concerned about embarking on a very rigorous workout that would result in additional injuries. Matt set me up on a variety of straightforward stretching exercises to build upon the physical therapy received following surgery. He started me with exercises to get my hip joints moving again, balance and core strengthening. He was able to modify those exercises I was having difficulty with and to expand upon those I was accomplishing successfully. He continued to build upon each to add other exercises, additional weights and repetitions.

He was very cognizant of my limitations and while pushing me to do more and more, he never asked me to continue anything that was causing me pain. Yet he continually added and modified exercises to encourage me to work as hard as I was able. He explained the reasons for each specific exercise and what the goal was. If it was something I just couldn’t do, he threw that out and added something I could handle that would get me to next level.

With Matt’s guidance, I have strengthened my core, legs and arms and my balance has improved such that I now feel confident that I’ll be back on the ski slopes this winter. His expertise in physical training has helped me tremendously and his easygoing personality and approach to training makes it very easy to communicate and work with him.