By: Chris Gates
This is my friend Michelle, and I want to tell you a little bit about her story.
Because Michelle and I worked together for well over a year, and her journey is inspiring!
Michelle lives in Los Angeles, and she reached out to me in January of 2021 looking to develop a better relationship with fitness and nutrition. She felt like she was always going through the motions, doing different workout routines but not seeing the progress she wanted.
“I wanted to find a coach as I had been working out for years but hadn’t been doing it ‘properly,'” Michelle said. “I was somewhat familiar with nutrition/macros but wanted more guidance when it came to the physical side. I wanted to learn how to optimize my time in the gym. I was familiar with the process of “bulking” and “cutting” but I felt like my workouts in the gym were not effective.”
So we went to work! We talked a lot about Michelle’s goals, what she liked doing in the gym, and what would be most beneficial for her.
We also dove deep into her diet, and put together some nutrition goals to both help her build muscle and strength.
Over our 15 months working together, Michelle went through a muscle building phase, a cut, and a strength building phase. Through her own hard work, consistency, and determination, Michelle learned how to combine strength training and nutrition to start seeing progress.
And she also found out how strong she truly is!
“The process of coaching was personable and individualized,” Michelle said. “I felt heard during the process and Coach Chris made sure to listen to me every step of the way. He would include exercises that I loved but also push me with challenges.
“I enjoyed his weekly video check ins, where we would review my personal workouts. He would also answer any questions I had either via email or he would include his responses in his videos. Coach Chris utilizes a strength based approach where he focuses on client’s strengths and not deficits or slip ups. He was empathetic when I encountered non-gym related personal challenges, and this made me want to continue working with him because he demonstrated that he really cares about the well being of his client.”
Like any journey, there were ups and downs along the way. Challenges presented themselves, and those challenges could have easily derailed the progress Michelle made.
But she didn’t allow it.
Michelle always kept her goals top of mind, and she was unbelievably consistent.
That consistency paid off, and I couldn’t be more proud of what Michelle accomplished. By the time we wrapped up her program, Michelle was easily squatting and deadlifting heavier than ever before.
And now she has the tools to manage her training and nutrition long term, and set even bigger and better goals!
As a coach, that’s exactly what I want for my clients. When all is said and done, I want them to have the tools necessary for lifelong success with fitness and nutrition.
I’m 100 percent confident Michelle has all the tools, and I can’t wait to see where it takes her in the future!
“After working with Chris, I will be able to plan more effective workouts,” Michelle said. “I used to think more time in the gym or more sets/reps meant better results but he was able to show me that that is not the case! Coach Chris taught me that the quality of the workouts are better than the quantity of workouts.“