Testimonials
Callie Dolan
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"I have dislocated my knee five times since April 2007. Volleyball is my passion but I was always so discouraged because I thought I would never be able to complete a successful season with all of my recurring injuries. I always felt helpless because no matter how much I worked out on my own, I still continued to reinjure my knee. Training with Mike was one of the best decisions I could have ever made. I have been training with him since August 2007, strengthening my knee and the surrounding muscles, and because of this I have not been injured at all during workouts with him."
Katherine Hemmenway and Greg Sheppard
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"This is our story of success. We met in June of 2011. Fell in love and had a wonderful summer. Problem was we had such a good time drinking and eating whatever we wanted and ended up paying for it. We decided we didn’t like the way we looked and were going on a cruise the following year to be married and wanted to look amazing. So that brought us here for guidance in the best way to drop the weight. So we got personal trainers. We are so pleased in the way we both feel and look. Now we are ready for our wedding and cruise! Thanks Best Fitness!"
Laurie Bradbury
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"I wanted to express my happiness, gratitude, and life-changing experience here at Best Fitness, and with the training Department (especially Ryan). I have been obese my entire life, and as you would imagine, I have tried every possible gym, gimmick, CD, …etc. I have found my home at Best Fitness, Drum Hill., and with Ryan my trainer. Every week is a new challenge, and Ryan presents my goals in achievable stages, which we constantly strive past. If anyone is considering a personal trainer at Best Fitness, please let me reassure and encourage you to do so. I have learned that you cannot do it on your own, you need the knowledge, experience, and especially motivation of a supporting staff. Ryan is constantly preaching “Results Based Training” to me, and all the exercises are serving a purpose and ultimately getting me to my goals. He keeps my attitude positive, and with his humor makes me feel welcome and that I really belong at a gym that originally took me 5 separate visits to just get enough guts to walk through the doors. I was scared and embarrassed to even enter! Now I am down 170 lbs and I feel better than ever. I recommend all new members take advantage of Best Fitness, and the free consultation with the training staff. If I can be of any help in any way, Please call me at 978-337-9601"
Allison Bartolini
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"My name is Allison, and I am 27 years old. Weight has been a struggle my entire life. I was an active child, and a competitive swimmer who was always considered a bit chunky but never over weight. I suffered a huge blow when I had to take a year off of sports at the age of 16 due to a knee injury. That is when I made the cross over from chunky to over weight. I hid it well, dressing to fit my size, and having an outgoing personality, but inside I felt terrible. Every time I looked in the mirror I was disgusted with myself. I felt alone and didn't have a way out. No one I knew was really over weight, and I didn't have anyone or anything to motivate me to get healthy and lose the 50 plus pounds I needed to be a healthy. I felt like I was at a dead end."
Barbara Ferreira
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"I would like to express how pleased I am with my Personal Trainer - Nancy Marchand. To date, I have lost over 80 lbs…and NO surgery! It has been a lot of hard work, motivation, and dedication to get me where I am today. Nancy's awesome workouts and continual motivation allows me to stay focused, keeping my eye on the prize! Everyone always asks me how I lost the weight and how do I continue to keep it off. My answer is always the same….go the gym, get yourself a personal trainer that works for you, keeps you motivated and of course, management of proper nutrition. I am so happy that I have found someone that does that for me."
Elana
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"I began training with Mike Sullivan, a trainer at Best Fitness in Chelmsford, MA three months after my daughter was born. During my pregnancy, I gained a significant amount of weight and after was faced with the obstacle of getting back in shape and eating healthy. This was a challenge for me as I was a new mom and also working full time. I tried to fit the gym into my busy schedule but realistically, it was just too hard and I kept on finding excuses to skip the gym. I decided to sign up for the group training and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. It was hard work at first and very challenging. I stuck with the group training and each week saw results. I was able to lift heavier weights, complete more reps of each exercise, was full of energy and saw results. Mike customized the training sessions to target all of my problems areas, taught me that my diet was important to my success and pushed me to succeed. After my training sessions, I felt amazing and suddenly was excited to go to the gym. I learned new exercises that I can easily do myself at the gym and that were more beneficial than just using the elliptical. I was in good shape prior to my pregnancy but now I can say that I am in the best shape of my life. Mike Sullivan taught me how to work out and actually see results, quickly. Just a few hours each week is all it took to get back in shape, even with a busy schedule. Mike is an excellent trainer and I highly recommend group training at Best Fitness!!!!"
Diane Goguen
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The gym has changed my life forever. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to complete a 325 mile bicycle trip, but I did it! This past summer (2011), I rode my bike from Washington D.C. to Pittsburg, PA. I credit my success to my fitness trainer, Stephen St. Peter, who has helped me build strength, lose weight, and regain an active, happier life.
My name is Diane and I am 55 years old. I am 4’11”, and currently weigh 138 pounds. I began my fitness journey in 2007 at an alarming 188 pounds. My son had (unbeknownst to me) taken a picture of me and when he showed it to me I was appalled. I thought to myself, how did I get so FAT!?! Apparently going to college made me more sedentary than I realized and snacking while writing numerous papers led to the excessive weight gain. No wonder I couldn’t climb stairs without my knees making cracking sounds and finding myself out of breath.
Jason Dietz
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"Working with Martin has been and continues to be one of the best experience of my life. Every Tuesday morning I work out with Martin and he kicks my butt. He pushes me to be beter, stronger and faster but above all he also pushes me to believe in myself."
Jerry Krantweiss
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"Over the years, I have experienced a mix of medical issues. I have been a regular visitor to the doctor’s office, whether it was for my wife or for me. In 2007, my doctor highly recommended me start exercising and possibly work with a trainer. I had a mix of issues that included my weight, my blood pressure, my cholesterol, signs of arthritis, lack of upper body strength, and lack of balance. The most frustrating part of it all was how tough it was to play with my grandkids and keep up with them. I realized I had to do something and that’s when I started working with a trainer. After working with different trainers for short periods of time, I finally started training with Mike Sullivan, who was by far the best fit for me. I have now been with him for 3 ½ years and under his direction, I have lost the weight that the doctor wanted me to as well as lowered my blood pressure and cholesterol. I have also increased my strength and bone density through our strength training routines. At my latest physical, my doctor had told me he was so pleased with my progress and that I am in perfect health for my age. Mike keeps the workout sessions interesting and challenging by always varying the routines he asks me to do. He continually asks me how I feel to make sure he’s not pushing me too hard. He uses equipment such as the bosu balls, the stability ball, the ladder, and disks to challenge my balance during exercise, which has helped out so much with my balance and has made things easier for me. He plays music that I like during the sessions, such as the Beach Boys, to help me through some of the exercises. We always talk and joke around because we have mutual interests, such as sports, and it helps me to relax and relieve stress. I can honestly say, at 70 years old now I am at the best shape I have been at in a long time, possibly since my military days in my youth. All the work I have put in at the gym, and with Mike has all been worth it, and now I can keep up with my grandkids on a regular basis. I also take my two greyhounds for walks everyday and do not struggle to keep up with them. I am still currently training with Mike twice a week and will continue to do so for as long as I can."
Lisa Jablonski
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"Throughout my whole life I have battled with weight issues, but more importantly with self-confidence issues. In 2006, I hit the highest weight of my life and to be honest didn’t really know how bad it was until I stepped on the scale at my doctor’s office. I was in complete shock and couldn’t believe I had let myself get so bad. I had always been a heavy girl with a pretty face, but I wanted more. I began to change my eating habits and within a year had lost 60lbs. I was hesitant to go into a gym because I didn’t want to be that girl that everyone looked at. I set my fear to the side and joined a gym. It was exactly what I feared it would be; I felt like I didn’t fit in. So, again, I did what I did best and gave up. My weight was still going down but my body wasn’t toning up."
Mareena Sullivan
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"I always thought some people were just meant to be fat and I honestly believed I was one of those people. I didn’t think I could shed the weight I packed on in college and as I gained more and more weight I began feeling it was hopeless to lose it. I would tell myself “I’ll wake up early and go for a run tomorrow”, but when tomorrow came, I never went. I became frustrated with the way I looked but felt as though I had come to a dead end with no looking back."
Melissa Richards
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"Starting personal training at Best Fitness was the best thing I have done for myself in years. Getting Nancy assigned as my trainer was a stroke of luck that I am exceedingly grateful for anytime I do something physical now.
When I came to join the gym in March of 2011 I knew I wanted to lose weight to look better, and that I had reached a point where I had to stop the pattern of slowly gaining that I was following. I was also planning a wedding for June 2012, and I wanted to look my best – not stick skinny, but healthy and strong, and, yes, slender. I had stepped on my home scale in January of 2011 and seen a number that scared me – 182 lbs. At 5’6”, that is a lot for a woman, though I wasn’t obese yet. I spent 2 months trying on my own, and not getting very far. My first day at the gym at the beginning of March I was still 177, and felt like it would be impossible to get the scale to move."
Roslyn Pullman
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"My exercise regime was very limited as a child, as I grew up having quite severe asthma. In my youth rescue inhalers for asthma were not available until I was 15 years old. By that time I had learned that any intense exercise made me wheeze terribly and usually meant resting for the rest of the day. By the time I was 15 I had replaced exercise with reading and television watching. As the years passed, even though my asthma improved markedly I did not ever attempt real exercise. In fact I was very afraid of becoming breathless. Fast forward to Christmas 2007, when I was in my early 50’s, putting on weight and not feeling so good about myself. My husband, who is very physically active, and had started personal training at a gym near his work, asked if I would like to do the same and it would be his Christmas gift to me. This has turned out to be a truly everlasting gift, that has involved a 4 1/2 year relationship with Best Fitness. I have trained with Mike for 3 1/2 years and in that time I have become both fitter, stronger and leaner. My training sessions are the highlight of my week and I am always excited to find that I can still improve on some form of exercise or aerobic activity. I have even run a 5k with one of my children and come second in my age group! With ongoing training and encouragement from Mike I have increased my confidence and stamina, and all round have found that life’s little issues are much more easily dealt with when you are fit. I look forward to continuing this journey with the help of Best Fitness. As a final addition to this story my children have also trained with Mike. It has been great fun to do this as a family and to see their fitness improve as well. Our sessions are always intense, but filled with fun and laughter. This has helped each child in a different way. One to finish college and undergo the intense preparation for a New York Fashion Week Runway Show and the other to complete a Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology with a very heavy workload."
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Steve Demaris
"I spent this summer training with Patrick Donovan with the goal of walking onto the Clemson University Football team. At the beginning of the summer when I first discussed this goal with Pat, he was encouraging and enthusiastic about helping me achieve this ambitious goal. He started training me in early June, and after the first several weeks, all of my aerobic and anaerobic tests had dramatically improved. I shaved three tenths of a second off of my 40 time, and increased my max in both squat and bench press. Everything that he explained to me in the beginning was happening. I was getting bigger faster and stronger. The way he trained me was perfect in preparing for a Division I Football tryout, and there is no doubt in my mind that I could not have done it had it not been for Pat and his expertise in exercise science."
Tom Walsh
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"After over 30 years of an active and stressful business career, I realized at 57 years old I had to change. My years of extensive travel, poor eating and a jammed packed schedule had left me sluggish, overweight and in poor health. For years I had been treated for high blood pressure and my health wasn’t getting better. I was at a personal crossroad, do I continue on the path to deteriorating health or should I pursue a new route to a longer life? It was time to change."
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"Janice Stewart, of Schenectady, is the winner of the Best Fitness Resolution Solution weight loss contest. She has lost 55 lbs. and 19 percent of her original body weight, by eating health & working with Karli Taylor, the Personal Training Director for Best Fitness. "
(Jennifer Gish/Times Union)
