By: Chris Gates
I want to introduce you to my online fitness coaching client, Cheryl.
Because she has a pretty inspiring story.
First, here are a few things you should know about her…
- She’s incredibly consistent.
- Her attention to detail is top notch.
- She has an amazing attitude and is always focused on the positives.
- Her story and progress has been an inspiration to witness!
Cheryl has overcome some significant obstacles to see amazing progress with strength training. And it has improved her overall quality of life.
Cheryl reached out to me after several years of dealing with injuries.
At 59, and dealing with shoulder a neck pain due to a C5-6-7 vertebrae fusion, she was looking for a program that could improve her strength and stamina while also being mindful of some limitations related to her neck pain.
Cheryl participated in on-demand workouts for years, and over time she saw more and more of a need to get on a program that was customized specifically to her body and goals.
“Around 2020 I started getting injured,” Cheryl said. “I was following the on-demand program’s modifiers when necessary, but the modifications weren’t doing me any good because I needed something different than, ‘Hey, do this the low-impact way.’
“Degenerative disc disease and chronic pain syndrome were making it harder and harder for me to find a program that I could actually complete.”
So we got to work on creating a program customized to her!
Cheryl had a decent amount of strength training equipment at home…
- Adjustable dumbbells up to 20 pounds
- Some resistance bands
- A treadmill
So we used all of those to design something that would increase both her endurance and strength.
Cheryl always communicated when an exercise was uncomfortable, which made it really easy to navigate our way to a set of exercises and strength training routines that worked best for her.
We started slow, and gradually added weight, sets, and reps to the program over time.
That approach is a concept called progressive overload, and it’s a major key to making progress with strength training.
“The first month was so hard, but cardio stamina improved quickly, providing a great boost in enthusiasm,” she said. “This personalized exercise program was just challenging enough to keep me motivated.
“Chris checks in with his clients every week but is also available by email for any questions we may have, so I was never ‘alone’ on this journey.”
Cheryl has been unbelievably consistent, which helped her get unbelievably strong!
Her exercises have all increased in weight, sets, and reps since day one. And we’ve identified a set of exercises for each muscle group that she can complete without pain or discomfort.
As an avid gardener, Cheryl has noticed improvements in her strength and stamina that allowed her to get back to doing a lot of the things she loves.
That’s the kind of stuff that makes my heart happy as a coach, and it’s all thanks to Cheryl’s work ethic, determination, and consistency!
“One of the smartest things Chris did was keep my eagerness in check,” Cheryl said. “Still hearing the echoes of past trainers urging me to do more and more, I was ready to add on more weight, more reps, longer duration. Chris has been great at incrementally adding challenges to my program to increase strength and stamina without leaving me sore the next day. That is nothing short of incredible and something I could have never managed on my own.”
“I’m still a bit shocked that I can lift upper body and lower body only once a week and see marked gains in strength. I wouldn’t have believed it if I weren’t actually living it.”
I’m so excited to see where Cheryl goes in the future with her program 🙂 The sky is the limit! Amazing work!