When I first joined Extreme Fitness I was a university student trying to improve my overall physical appearance. I spent hours working out trying to loose fat and increase muscle while home for the summer months. While I could see some changes the results that I was getting on my own were not to my satisfaction. Ken Sylvan, a personal trainer at the time, now the Health Centre Manager and someone who has become one of my closest friends, took the time to properly train me to help me attain my goals. He has been a huge inspiration as well as the motivational source behind my accomplishments. The changes that I have made have not only made me a better trainer but also a better person with a more positive outlook on life.

I recently competed in an international fitness model competition and finished in the top ten. The overall experience and hard work would not have been possible without the expert help of Ken and all the other personal trainers at Extreme Fitness who pushed me and helped me along the way.

Yours truly, a firm believer...

Christopher Woolcox
Member since July 2002
Extreme Personal Trainer: Ken Sylvan
Lost 98 pounds in 24 months
Bodyfat reduced from 35% to 6%

I have tried other exercise programs and other gyms before, but I would get bored and wouldn't get results. When I joined Extreme Fitness, the trainer I was given to work with was Erika Franz. She is fabulous to work with. She is so friendly and always in a good mood. Erika is very knowledgeable and will push me very hard in the workouts she designs for me. Despite how hard the workouts are and how tired I am, somehow she seems to make it fun and she keeps encouraging me. It's nice to come in to Extreme and see Erika and the other trainers working out and using the gym. With the combination of Erika and Jumanah, a nutritionist at Extreme Fitness, who created a well balanced vegetarian meal plan for me, I have had some good results. If it weren't for Erika being such a great trainer and a great person, I would have quit coming to the gym a long time ago. I will always be grateful to here for all the work she has done at keeping me working.

Sincerely

Alexandra Lyles
Member since October 2003
Extreme Personal Trainer: Erika Franz
Lost 70 pounds in 12 months
Bodyfat reduced from 40% to 19%

I am the Queen of Procrastination who demands Instant Gratification!

I was the expert on dieting… the Yo-Yo Diet that is. I would Binge…then Deny… Binge…then Deny, until I had royally screwed up my metabolism. The before pictures that you see depict me at my heaviest. I do not even know how heavy that was. I stopped stepping on the scale after it read 310… I am guessing I was at least 325lbs. I thought long and hard before submitting my photo. I did not have any fat pictures of myself… I was too embarrassed to pose, or once they were taken, I would destroy them. Ironic isn't it? I was too embarrassed to have my picture taken with my 3 kids and husband but here I am exposing myself… in all my enormity… to the world.

I have been a card-carrying member of many gyms most of my life. I started out with good intentions, every Monday, reducing my food consumption drastically and exercising. Then I would weigh myself. If I do not loose a drastic amount I would get discouraged, the diet would be over, the exercising would stop, and whatever weight I might have lost was added, plus 1-2lbs. for good measure. Sound familiar?!

Finally, last year I had had enough. I asked my husband to take the infamous pictures. I was completely mortified. I decided to go to Extreme…that day… not wait until Monday. I did not allow myself the opportunity to have that one last Binge Fest. I hid in the back and… fumbling, struggling and cursing up a storm I made it through my first class. I want home discouraged but I wait I would give it a week. At the end of that week, I decided to step on the scale. I lost 2lbs. I cursed up a blue streak… I worked so hard and only had 2 lbs to show for it! I was ready to give up. I wanted more gratification… and I wanted it now! Then my husband said something that has been engraved in my head. (Do not tell him though, because he still thinks I do not listen to him.) Anyway... he said ”You did not get to this stage overnight and unfortunately it will not come off overnight. Time is goint to pass whether you are working out or indulging so why not give if another try… take it one day at a time… one struggle at a time… and throw away the DAMN SCALE.”

I started the Atkins Diet (Los Carbohydrates / High Protein) I started to go to Group Classes. It was there that I met my Inspiration… Brenda. Do not get me wrong… It was her class that I was cursing through the beginning. I added Len's Cardio Funk class then added the Spin Classes. When I had finally lost enough weight, I felt comfortable asking for help. I hired Nikk as my personal trainer. He added weight training to my regime and taught me proper technique. That made a world of difference to my muscle tone. Finally, I had to learn to beat the Love Hate relationship I had with food. I went to Chris for Nutritional Training. This, I must say, was the hardest part of the whole process. I was, and guess I still am, a little afraid of food. However, I am off the Atkins Diet… it was a good short-term solution but you cannot deprive your body so severely indefinitely… and I am working at listening to both Chris and my body.

If I had to give advice to someone who is just starting out it would be…

Do not procrastinate. Start living your life today. Avail yourself of all the gym has to offer. Take the classes, ask for help. Find people who are supportive or you and your goals. Do not measure your progress in pounds; body fat percentage is a much better indicator. Gauge your progress on how you look and feel. If someone is looking good… compliment them… It will inspire both you and them. My husband was right.

Here I am 12 months later.
I went from 325 to 160lbs.
43% body fat down to 16.5% and dropping.
My goal is 10-12% and finally I have both it… and my toes in sight.

Nancy Campbell
Member since May 2005
Extreme Personal Trainer: Nikk
Lost 164 pounds in 12 months
Bodyfat reduced from 43% to 16.5%

”No way I could ever loose this much weight”. Sounds familiar? That is the way I used to feel. Then I joined Extreme Fitness. I started with Jason Fremlin on March 15th, 2005 weighing in at 352lbs. With three times per week of intense weight training plus 60 to 75 minutes of cardio training per day, I immediately noticed daily changes in my physique.

Nine months later on December 15th, 2005, I weighed in at 170lbs (a 182lbs weight loss in 9 months or more than 20lbs per month). My body fat content went from 46.8% to 6.5%. My waist size at my heaviest was 58”. It is now 32”. My shirt size went from a 4XL to a regular small/medium. My blood pressure had gone from 165/100 to 110/68.

It was not easy but the rewards are simply incredible. My life has changed from one of exhaustion, aches and pains, worries and strange looks to one of endless energy and enthusiasm, the freedom to focus on a positive future and a re-energized social life.

Jeff Setton
Member since January 2005
Extreme Personal Trainer: Jason Fremlin
Lost 182 pounds in 9 months
Bodyfat reduced from 46.8% to 6.5%

When I became a member of Extreme Fitness last year my goal was to lose the weight which had been creeping up on me for the past 25 years. I am a real estate broker and was experiencing difficulty walking up the stairs because of problem knees and shortness of breath. My blood pressure was very high and necessitated monthly monitoring visits to my family physician.

For the first few months, the only activity I participated in was group aqua fitness. I persevered at this until eventually Charmaine, the instructor, encouraged me to attempt other aspects of working out. I knew I had to engage the help of a personal trainer.

I have been working out ever since with personal trainer Brendan Fox. He is a most remarkable young man who has been training, encouraging and cajoling me in this wonderful world of weight lifting. He has provided me with an integrated education system to help me make changes in my life to achieve optimal health on all levels. His extensive nutritional knowledge has completely influenced the way I approach the tasks of grocery shopping, preparing meals and of course eating. And in addition to doing Russian Kettlebell training and kickboxing workouts twice a week with Brendan, I also participate in spinning, power abs, sculpting, and core classes. Oh, and by the way, I'm 65 years old!

After just one year, my body fat has gone from 38% to 19.6% and my weight was reduced from 165 lbs to 134 lbs. My clothing size has shrunk from size 16 to size 8!

With Brendan's constant encouragement, I have completely turned my life around. I no longer have high blood pressure and my endurance level seems endless. I hope to be an Extreme Fitness Member for many years to come… Thank you Brendan Fox!

Regards,

Shirley Keillor
Member since February 2004
Extreme Personal Trainer: Brendan Fox
Lost 31 pounds in 12 months
Bodyfat reduced from 38% to 19.6%

Before I joined Extreme Fitness, I had gone through personal trainers at other health clubs, without any success. When I started at Extreme, I took their advice and give it another chance, and I'm glad I did! Being with Brendan makes it easier to get through hard workouts because he is so much fun to be around, and his enthusiasm keeps you going!

Whenever I had any questions about training or nutrition, he would always give me the really smart answers that I was looking for. I didn't realize that before training with him, I was doing so many little things wrong without knowing it, and that's what prevented me from making progress. His knowledge and guidance helped me get further than I could have without him: I lost 52lbs in 8 months, and my bodyfat decreased from 37.5% to 22.2%. I had to get a new wardrobe because I dropped from a size 14 to a size 6!

The kettlebells were my favorite way to exercise. Brendan always came up with really funny Russian names for the exercises and circuits we did. In fact, he ALWAYS found a way to make me laugh! I would recommend Brendan as the best trainer out there to get you to where you want to be. With Brendan's help… I MADE IT!

Samniang Minc
Member since January 2004
Extreme Personal Trainer: Brendan Fox
Lost 52 pounds in 8 months
Bodyfat reduced from 37.5% to 22.2%

Ahh! What better way to get in shape than to join a gym and set a realistic goal. Last February I joined Extreme Fitness and decided to compete in my first fitness competition.

Extreme offered me a lot of the resources I needed in order to attain my goal. I found a trainer, a nutritionist, a seamstress, a choreographer, a massage therapist and a great deal of support from the staff and other members at Extreme.

Training for a fitness competition taught me so much. Through constant ”I can't, I can't” sessions with my trainer Paul Brown, and insisting that my nutritionist Jumanah Mahomed keep chocolate in my diet I learned self discipline, determination and motivation. Thank-you both for all your hard work and dedication.

I would also like to thank Mary for forwarding me to Allison (both wonderful instructors), who choreographed my routine and everyone else for supporting me along the way.

I went from 148lbs at 26% body fat to 131lbs and 14% body fat in five months.

I not only attained my goal but I won first place in the South Western Neutron Fitness championships for Figure. I also won third in Fitness Model and third in Sport Bikini.

Debra Baydak
Member since February 2005
Extreme Nutritionist: Jumanah Stephenson
Lost 17 pounds in 5 months
Bodyfat reduced from 26% to 14%

It is hard to believe that I have achieved my goal of losing 100 pounds. I definitely know that I could not have done this without the help and dedication of my personal trainer, Lisa Balsdon.

If pitiful was a shape, that would probably best describe me when I started at the gym in January 2004. At my initial fitness assessment, my body composition showed that I was almost half fat. The tape measure barely fit around my bulging gut. Given my sorry state of fitness, Lisa designed exercise and nutrition programs that boosted my metabolism and got me on track to losing weight. After several weeks, the pounds started to fly off of me. I was impressed at the results and this kept me motivated to keep working towards my goal.

Lisa is a fountain of knowledge when it comes to all things fitness and nutrition. I have learned a tremendous amount from her. The first thing I learned is that Lisa is very particular about exercise technique. Learning how to do things right the first time makes the exercises safe and effective. The second thing that I have come to learn from Lisa is that she has a never-ending ability to make my muscles work hard. I always seemed to burn more calories on days I trained with her than when training alone.

In comparing where I started to where I am now with my exercise programs, I noticed that my upper body (chest, back, arms) is 3 times stronger than when I started. My lower body is about 3-4 times stronger now than when I started. My cardio capacity has improved tremendously. I used to bemoan slowly walking on the treadmill for 15 minutes. Now I can do 1 hour on the step mill. My gut is 13 inches smaller and my body fat is down to half of what I started at.

I certainly have come a long way from where I started and now will have no trouble keeping myself in shape from this point forward. Needless to say, I am eternally grateful to Lisa for all that she has done for me and I would highly recommend her as a personal trainer.

Sincerely,

Brian Willan
Member since January 2004
Extreme Personal Trainer: Lisa Balsdon
Lost 100 pounds in 12 months
Total bodyfat lost 22%

These last four months have been incredible. I feel like the ugly duckling who became a swan. I had tried to get in shape on my own for a few years and it wasn't working. When I started at Extreme Fitness I was 186 pounds/86 kilograms, now I'm 145 pounds/67 kilograms and my goal is to lose or tone up about 20 more pounds/8 more kilograms.

Scott's helped me get good nutrition habits and Bobby is kicking my butt (and the rest of my body) into shape. I've put in 110% by closely following the food plan and exercise schedule at least six days a week. I've gone down nine (9) sizes in the last 16 weeks. It feels so good.

I've gone from being an unhappy, insecure person to being a focused, self-confident woman. I'm experiencing a total change physically, mentally, emotional and spirituality. This is an investment of time and money into myself that is definitely paying off.

I have the best support. I couldn't have gotten this far without Scott and Bobby. Thanks guys.

Sincerely,

Denise Byard
Member since March 2004
Extreme Personal Trainer: Jason Pineau
Lost 40 pounds in 4 months
Bodyfat reduced from 38% to 22%

The last seven months have been a total lifestyle change for me, with weight loss only being one small fraction of the BIG picture. Thanks to Extreme Fitness I have been able to accomplish goals that have previously eluded me for the past 20 years. With and increased endurance level I feel much healthier, stronger, more flexible and have a leaner body and with all this a higher level of self-esteem.

My personal fitness trainer, Bram Peters, has been totally dedicated to helping me safely reach my goals. He has been a great source of encouragement, motivating me to be a healthier, fitter person. Whit his workout programs encompassing strength and resistance training, cardio, and core exercises, I now am doing many things that before were impossible. This improvement has affected all aspects of my life from general fitness to nutrition to appearance. Also I feel I can deal with the little and larger stresses of life much better. Thanks Bram for your guidance and always interesting workouts.

A big thank you goes to Extreme Fitness and all your courteous and friendly staff, from the Health Center to the receptionists to the cleaning staff.

This is a lifestyle change I am planning to continue.

Sincerely,

Linda Bertrand
Member since June 2004
Extreme Personal Trainer: Bram Peters
Lost 60 pounds in 7 months
Bodyfat reduced from 39% to 19%

I would first like to start off saying that I am very happy with the results that I have received on your SmartStart program. In only 16 weeks I have totally transformed my body with the help of your very knowledgeable staff. I have only good things to say about my trainer Lindsay Austin who has taught me to always push harder and harder each workout. My nutritionist Anthony Ricciuto has helped me more than I thought possible. He has helped transform my body like never before. He showed me how important a proper nutritional plan is for reaching my goals. I couldn't have done it without their help and expertise guidance that has taken my body and outlook on life to new heights. I went from a fat rolly polly 236 pounds at 36% body fat to a lean mean 198 pounds at 6% fat. The pictures speak for themselves. If you want to change your physique then give Lindsay and Anthony a try, you won't be disappointed.

Sincerely,

Domenico Paoletta
Member since September 2003
Extreme Personal Trainer: Lindsay Austin
Extreme Nutritionist: Anthony Ricciuto
Lost 38 pounds in 8 months
Bodyfat reduced from 36% to 6%