THRIVE Training In Irvine — Local services in Irvine

I have been a member at Thrive Training in Irvine for over 2 years. I would like to share my thoughts and observations.

The owner, Oliver Nam, genuinely spends time getting to know everyone that walks through the front door. He wants to learn what makes the members, (aka Thrive Family) tick so that he can better understand how to support them, help them grow, make them stronger, hand them the tools, inspiration and motivation to lead happier healthier lives. He is incredibly patient and supportive. He loves to bring people together to just have fun, build community and create a real bond amongst the members of Thrive. He strives to foster a community amongst the Thrive Family. He has an infectious smile, laugh and sense of humor.

Members, existing and new, are made to feel welcome, like they belong, like they ARE a member of the family. Let’s face it, walking through the door of a gym can be an intimidating experience; it is part of the Thrive culture that members and prospective members alike are greeted and welcomed as they come through the door. They take the time to introduce you to the people working out. The staff are most kind, patient, understanding, compassionate, empathetic, knowledgeable and interesting. They know how to “read the room” when they are working with someone, when to push a little harder or when to back off a little, all the while doing it in a manner to preserve their dignity, pride and self-confidence.

I share this in a positive tone; they know how to push buttons - but in the best way. They inspire and motivate people to dig deep and discover their internal strength – guiding them to become the best they can be. I know that sounds a little cliché, but it is real in this case. The staff have an infectious sense of humor, wit and laugh. They carefully watch movement and offer suggestions for improvement without leaving you feeling deflated or defeated. They sense what you are truly capable of accomplishing and then gently, (or not), subtly, (or not), move you in that direction. They have a way of guiding you in a direction so that YOU are making the decision for yourself. If you are sore or just not feeling it, they can work with you on a smaller scale – take a moment – and have a healing day.

Thrive also has the added feature of a Physical Therapist that is in the gym a few days a week. He is passionate about helping people who have managed to injure themselves and demonstrate a path to regain movement, mobility, self-confidence and patience with themselves. He loves to meet people and hear their story, their hobbies, their passions and their expectations. He then formulates a plan to get them on the road to a quick and fun recovery. He is also happy to work with people to avoid getting injured in the first place; better movement and balance techniques; better breathing and posture techniques and with all that comes a happier life. That is what he strives to instill in everyone he meets.

Oliver regularly works with the Thrive staff. He challenges them to step out of their comfort zones. Why do I mention this? It keeps the staff fresh, motivated and up to date. He encourages the staff to really listen to the members and translate that into a very personalized, member centric approach. They leave you feeling accomplished and proud of what you have done – be it small baby steps or enormous leaps. They may not take no for an answer - they work with you to convince yourself that you can safely accomplish anything exercise at the gym under their watchful eye.

Bottom line, the Thrive staff and Thrive Family encourages you to sweat, laugh, cry, and/or groan all at the same time – resulting in the most amazing...

I started having knee pain earlier this year and as my condition worsened over the next 10 months, I decided to replace my tennis shoes & my Super Feet insoles. I could walk for about 30 minutes, but than I would start limping because my knee would start hurting and sometimes it would even make cracking sounds.

My girlfriend discovered Oliver and she raved about her immediate progress and told me he was the best private trainer she had ever had in her life !! That was all I needed to hear because I wanted to be able to walk again without pain or limitations.

My first appointment was a consult with Oliver and he explained to me that he would first focus on my feet !! Ok, I’m telling him it’s my knee that hurts, but he’s telling me I first need a good foundation. He checked out my new tennis shoes & insoles & asked me if I could walk without the Super Feet insoles for a few hours every day, than gradually increase it to several hours.

Oliver gave me a few exercises to do at home to strengthen my feet & toes and he was checking in with me every day via text to ensure I wasn’t in any pain or if I had any questions. Several days after doing my exercises, I decided to try walking without my Super Feet insoles for a few hours. The moment I put my Super Feet insoles back in my tennis shoes, the bottom of my heels & arches hurt, so I had to remove the insoles. Oliver was very excited to hear this news and I was able to return the insoles and it saved me $90.

Second week with Oliver.....I was taking a walk and my knee started to lock up, so I stopped to do a few quadricep stretches but it didn’t fix the problem. Luckily Oliver texted me as I was walking and I described how my knee was hindering my walk. He texted me right back and told me to do the calf stretch. It was one of the first exercises that he gave me on Day One and now I do calf stretches every other day and my knee hasn’t locked up.

Third week with Oliver......he’s working on my stability, mobility & strengthening, which is very challenging for me as I haven’t had a gym membership in over 10 years. I’m so impressed with the results I’ve already achieved with Thrive Training.......Oliver & his staff go above & beyond as they are so dedicated & committed. Thank you Priscilla and Josh for making my exercises and workouts fun. My knee keeps improving and there’s no pain when I walk.

Thank you Oliver.......I know you’ll have me ready to hike the Dolomites...

After spending a year away at college our son came home out of shape and in a rut. We reached out to Oliver who had worked with his basketball team during high school. He agreed to take our son under his wing and was confident he could build him back up. In addition to being his personal trainer, Oliver assumed the role of mentor/life-coach. He pushed our son both physically and emotionally to accept hard work and discipline as part of his daily routine. As challenging as it has been, our son has developed the utmost respect for Oliver and would do anything for him. It has been over a year of 2x/week workouts with plenty of homework and the results are obvious. His muscle tone is back and his cardio has improved dramatically. Most importantly however are the changes to our son’s lifestyle and attitude. Oliver has recently brought him on as an intern where he completes tasks for Thrive along with working on his resume, applying for better paying jobs, etc. It’s been so valuable for our son to be in this positive, encouraging, goal-oriented environment where he is held accountable for his progress. I realize our experience doesn’t reflect Thrive’s core business of providing professional fitness to adults over 40. However, it does demonstrate the type of character and commitment to the wellbeing of clients that you will find in Oliver and his team. It’s really something special and our son has benefited greatly from it. Oliver has an important “big brother” roll in our son’s life but we all consider him family. Jim...