How Jeff Developed Functional Strength For Life


By: Chris Gates

This is my friend and former client, Jeff.

I want to tell you a little bit about his story, because the “why” behind Jeff’s fitness journey is one of the most inspiring you’ll ever find.

Jeff came to me in August 2021, looking to not only improve his own health through fitness and nutrition, but also improve his functional strength to take care of his son, Caleb.

“My main goal for working with Chris was to build strength in hopes to allow myself to better handle the physical requirements that come with caring for my growing 11-year-old son with special needs (Angelman Syndrome),” Jeff said. “My son Caleb is 115 pounds and 5-foot-4, is non-verbal, has a balance disorder, global developmental delays and requires round-the-clock care.

“I wanted to work on increasing core strength, injury prevention, and to establish nutritional habits that would allow me to maintain improvements for the long run. Caleb’s care will be a primary responsibility of mine and my wife’s and my goal is to be as prepared as I can be for that.”

So Jeff and I got to work and put together a strength training program centered around those goals.

Jeff started doing compound exercises like squats and deadlifts, and we inserted various stretching and mobility routines into his regular schedule in order to help him develop a solid core of functional strength.

He improved by leaps and bounds, not only regarding how much weight he was able to lift, but also through improving his form and technique. Jeff was incredibly consistent, and continued to plug away at learning the major motor patterns.

He learned how to move his body effectively and efficiently, and in doing that his progress in the gym skyrocketed!

“In my time working with Chris, I learned so much, about methods of strength building, what guidelines I should set around nutrition, how I can break down each week into different training sessions, and how to balance cardio and strength training,” Jeff said. “Even more, Chris helped me to realize that it’s OK to screw up, it’s OK to take a break, and it’s also beneficial to de-load on a consistent basis. All of this I will carry with me and I will be better prepared with all that I learned. 

Most of all, working with Chris helped me to come to terms with the fact that there is value in sticking with the improvements that I was able to make. These changes will benefit myself and my family, and I am grateful to Chris for helping me to make these improvements to my life.”

As is the case with any health and fitness journey, there were hurdles to overcome along the way. Jeff is a father of three, and that naturally adds some unpredictability to the daily routine.

And living in a pandemic obviously hasn’t been easy, either.

But no matter the situation, Jeff always kept the right mindset. He always tried to figure out how he could make things a success, rather than get discouraged and justify giving up on his goals.

That attitude and level of consistency he displayed will be invaluable moving forward, and I can’t wait to see what Jeff accomplishes next!

“Working with Chris was very organized and structured for success, while at the same time flexible,” Jeff said. “This allowed me to establish new habits, while at the same time adapting to curveballs that having 3 children inevitably delivers.

“First and foremost, Chris listened to me, learned about my life, its opportunities and challenges, and we set a plan together. This plan was clear to me, the plan encompassed training, nutrition, even sleep, and was tailored to my preferences in food and exercise.

“Working with Chris, the thing that I enjoyed most was his positive attitude and genuine interest in my success. I have never actually met Chris in person, but I feel like I know him quite well, and that he knows me. That was an important aspect in my receptiveness to someone holding me accountable, which Chris excelled at.”