Author: Eric Moss
Matt’s Personal Training Results are incredible!
When Matt first came to my personal training studio, he came by the way of referral not even to get in shape, but for the mental health component that comes with training right and eating healthy. It’s common knowledge that you feel better after a good hard training session.
Now Matt had a significant amount of hurdles to overcome. Having turned his back from the life of a rock star and opting to be the guy behind the music instead he kept a crazy schedule with his music production business. On top of that, he has familial responsibilities and carries them all on his shoulders. So we needed to make sure his shoulders were strong.
Sometime during the holidays, he got sick with covid and while trying to recuperate he got backed up with all the projects he was working on. In order to stay afloat and make sure he didn’t lose any of his clients, he needed to pull double/triple duty trying to catch back up which meant he needed to put training on the back burner.
During that time, his health had gotten back out of control and he was feeling pretty down on himself.
By the time he was in a place where he could start training again, he was only able to dedicate himself to twice a week for training. Knowing how limited the options were, I needed to be very careful with exercise selection. There was no room for filler, and little room for error when it came to progressing him optimally. I decided to train him in a way that would accumulate as much strength as possible without burning out his central nervous system. Being fairly aggressive but never beyond his capabilities. His nutrition guidance came mostly from Donna Galarza.
Even though he was down on himself for how far he had gotten out of shape he was willing to work hard to get out of the hole he was in. He jumped headfirst into the program and even though there were obstacles…lots of obstacles, enough to stop just about anyone else but he never let anything stop him.
At the beginning of the program, he would hold his belly and talk about how bad it was. As the weeks progressed he started noticing changes.
And as more weeks ticked by and he kept burning off the belly fat and building lean strong muscle in its place he had bumped into some people from his past. One was the acupuncturist who referred him to me. She couldn’t believe how much leaner he got, but since she trains with me and knows me understood that I knew what I was doing when it came to personal training program design and that I would never recommend something to harm him, and also know how hard he works at it.
Another person also saw the changes and accused him of steroids, but nope…we do it holistically, drug-free…the right way. Hard for them to believe because his results are extremely uncommon in most other personal training studios.
And indeed his results are uncommon.
In a 6 month period training just twice a week:
His bench press 1 rep max he did for 17 reps with room for more.
His chin-ups went from 4 to 18.
His squat 1 rep max he did for 15 reps with room for more.
And last but not least, he added 100lbs to his hex bar deadlift.
And the side-by-side comparison is pretty awesome too.
Now he’s doing better. He’s stronger, more confident in the way he looks and has a positive self-image. The transformation wasn’t just for his physique, it was for his state of mind which I personally think is the most important thing.
On a sidenote I’ve personally enjoyed every session. We speak about many things, but music in particular is something I can speak on a different level with him. If you have ever walked near my personal training studio on main street and heard a banshee scream, that was me. I have that, and I have music in my soul and he’s providing guidance in helping that come out.
Eric Moss is a personal trainer in Boonton and doubles as a world-record-holding modern-day professional performing strongman, author, and motivational speaker. In the tradition of the strongmen more common during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is located on Main Street in Boonton New Jersey, is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, Montville and Parsippany New Jersey.
re: Cosmopolitan 11 women who prove wellness isn’t ‘one size fits all’
I was sorting through my articles and realized I never published this one. Whoops!
In addition to being a professional performing strongman, I make my living as a personal trainer in Boonton. Being a fitness professional for a living I try to see what’s relevant (i.e what are people talking about) and that’s apparent when I see some of the personal trainers and nutritionists I’m Facebook friends with talking about something.
The first time I saw it, it was as a youtube thumbnail from a fitness/health ranter that I occasionally will listen to as I load the dishwasher.
Here is a link to the actual article.
So here is what a lot of my fellow personal trainers are saying…it’s not healthy yada yada yada. Much of what the article is saying is focus on what you can do, not the way you look.
I think what we really have is a simple miscommunication.
So for one, we need to define a couple of terms. I subscribe to the Dan John school of thought where fitness is the ability to do a task, while health is the optimal interplay of the various internal organs. They can be related, but they are not the same.
Consequently, wellness and health are related but not necessarily one and the same.
Wellness, however, is much more than physical health. Wellness is a full integration of physical, mental and spiritual well-being. It is a complex interaction that leads to quality of life.
Grand Rapids Community College
Here’s where I got that from https://www.grcc.edu/humanresources/professionaldevelopment/wellness/sevendimensionsofwellness
So what are we talking about then? Are the people in question healthy? How do you define that? There are certain biomarkers that tell you that. Things like blood pressure, cholesterol etc.
From what I can gather they aren’t necessarily talking about physical health. They are talking about mental health which is a whole other talking point. That boils down to their self-confidence, sense of self-worth etc.
Are they fit? Some of them definitely. At least one of them is an olympian.
I think the main point of the article is that you don’t have to be a specific size. The body positivity movement can be a good thing but like many good things can get turned into something harmful. Love yourself…but love yourself enough to be healthy…both physically and mentally.
Eric Moss is a personal trainer in Boonton and doubles as a world-record-holding modern-day professional performing strongman, author, and motivational speaker. In the tradition of the strongmen more common during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is located on Main Street in Boonton New Jersey, is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, Montville and Parsippany New Jersey.
Personal Training Success Story Spotlight- Omkar
Here is Omkar’s personal training success story in a nutshell.
When Omkar first reached out to me, he had been training in another gym that promises to train like an athlete. However, no matter how hard he was working, it wasn’t helping him get more athletic nor did it get him closer to his goal of reducing belly fat and gaining muscle.
It’s not like he wasn’t putting in the work. Omkar works hard. In his previous gym, he had worked out so hard in fact that he was advised by his doctor to delay training with me for a full 10 days since his muscles hadn’t recovered from the training they put him through. Quite simply, no matter how hard he worked it just wasn’t the right training program for him.
Frustrated with a lack of progress and nagging injuries, he came to me for guidance in training and nutrition and decided to give the free trial membership in my personal training gym a go.
During the free trial, I had taught him some of the exercises that would be included in his program. He was convinced that the kettlebell swing would hurt his back since that was his previous experience, but once he learned proper technique he was fine.
At the end of the trial, even though he believed in the training program as well as me as a coach, he was unsure he could commit for the minimum 12 weeks it takes to get the results it promises.
I gave him some basic guidelines to work with on his own, wished him luck, and never expected to hear from him again.
Much to my surprise a couple of weeks or months later, I’ll admit I can’t remember (time can be a bit of a blur sometimes) he reached out again. I remembered working with him previously and was happy to have him come back in.
But now we had to retest his strength to see if he did any of his homework. He did and was already noticeably stronger…so now with me guiding him through each session it was time to take his strength and his physique to the next level.
The workouts were designed to be at a level he could handle without issue and he put in the work, bringing his a-game each and every session. The kettlebell swings which previously would hurt his back we used as part of the finisher and he rocked it each time, never giving up or slowing down. He struggled a bit trying to get his nutrition right but got close enough to get the results he wanted.
Around the last week or 2 of the program, he took a short vacation to Utah to visit some family and he had said for the first time, he was able to take off his shirt and feel confident in the way he looks as well as actively engage in the outdoor activity he was doing (hiking, whitewater rafting, other outdoor activities that is more common in Utah, etc.). Though I don’t think we should feel ashamed of ourselves, it is easier when we are in better shape.
And his results speak for themselves. The belly fat reduction is the most obvious change, as well as the muscle development in his arms and chest.
And not only that but in a 12 week time period, we took his strength to levels beyond what we expected. Before the program, he previously had struggled to do 2 chin-ups but by the end of the program, he was laughing as he got 8 reps, defying even my expectations. He did his previous bench press 1 rep max for a set of 9 and did a staggering 25 reps with his previous 1 rep max in the squat. He explained what he thought about the program with one word…”Amazing!”
And the transformation, in his physique and his confidence, wasn’t just rewarding for him, it was rewarding for me as well. It’s people like him that make me enjoy what I do and why I seek to be the best at it.
Now even though he’s equipped with the skills to train on his own, I sincerely hope to train him again. Either way, I believe he’ll continue to get stronger, more muscular, and achieve more of his ambitions.
Eric Moss is a personal trainer in Boonton and doubles as a world-record-holding modern-day professional performing strongman, author, and motivational speaker. In the tradition of the strongmen more common during the turn of the century, he performs feats of strength such as bending steel and breaking chains as part of a show and speaks on goal achievement for corporations, nonprofits, government as well as for schools and universities. His exclusive personal training studio is located on Main Street in Boonton New Jersey, is close to Mountain Lakes, Denville, Montville and Parsippany New Jersey.