Shift to Strength

In the days following a new or unaccustomed workout, you may notice you're sore or stiff. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS for short, and in my latest blog post, I took some time to find out if there is a way to reduce it.

Have a read here: https://shifttostrength.com/post/can-you-reduce-delayed-onset-muscle-soreness

I'm excited to share part three of my Romanian deadlift series! In this final part of the series, I take you through a quick form check and share some tips on how to have proper technique.

Missed the other parts? Visit shifttostrength.com/blog to view the full series!

Romanian deadlift: an in-depth guide (part III) In the final part of the Romanian deadlift series, Luke takes us through a quick form check.

3:40 am, the alarm clock goes off…

I just have enough time to make a coffee before I meet Aldo, one of my longest-standing online clients, for our 4 am check.

Why so early, you ask?

Aldo lives in Eastern Canada and works as a high-level surgeon (one of the youngest ever, by the way), and it was the only time we could train.

We would meet three times a week like this for over four months…

Here is his story:

In our initial meeting, Aldo expressed that he didn’t feel very confident with weight training and wanted to avoid it if possible.

Like other clients I’ve had since he was glued to the cardio machine.

He was in for a surprise.

Cardio isn’t bad, and I use it often to get clients their results.

BUT…

In addition to strength training, it adds an additive effect to any weight loss goal.

After convincing him of all the benefits strength training offered, including that it is a safe and effective way to reach his goal, we agreed to take our time and slowly introduce exercises.

Since then, Aldo has grown so much in his training, and I couldn’t be happier for him. He invites new challenges and is always ready to set new goals.

Here are some notables so far in our time together:
- Lost 33lbs in just over 9 months and also have put on a significant amount of muscle
- Has done two sprint triathlons
- He loves weight training and confident training by himself

Message from Aldo: “Luke has been an amazing coach from day one, always on top of everything and has helped me finally enjoy working out.”

More than anything, I love to hear my clients say they are enjoying the process of working out. I could’ve written a whole essay of all our fun moments and memories, but that would take forever. I’m happy to be your coach and look forward to seeing how you continue to develop.

Kyle tried to lose weight before…

“It’s clear that you’re determined to reach your goal, but you still haven’t found success. Why do you think that is?” I asked in our first session.

“I wasn’t truly listened to.” He replied. “At the end of the day, I know what I need to do to achieve my goal, but I’ve felt in the past that there was a disconnect between my goal and the plan I was following. The exercises were great, and I had a nutrition plan to follow, but something felt mi….”

“The feeling that the person truly cares about you and your goal,” I exclaimed.

He looked up, “Exactly.”

7 months and 52 training sessions later, and as of September 10th, 2022, Kyle weighed in at 149.2lbs, down 47lbs since he first started back in January.

All it took was for him to find someone to believe in him more than he could believe in himself. As far as the training plan went, it was nothing fancy: progressive overload and a calorie deficit that aligned with his habits and lifestyle.

As I’ve grown in my career as a personal trainer, I’m realizing more and more that, above all, people need someone that believes in them and their goals. The truth is that many fitness plans will work. People get too caught up in the specifics and don’t focus on the essential part of the process, believing in themselves.

With Shift to Strength, we do things differently. We reverse engineer the process, starting with the essential part of the process, you.

We start by getting a proper understanding of your current situation. This includes more than just your fitness level. Work-life balance, stress levels and nutrition preferences are some things our trainers look at when designing your program.

We then discuss and match the best training and nutrition plan to you, your goals and your life situation. The process serves to simplify, not complicate, the process of incorporating methods to see sustainable, lasting results that work best for you.