The Summit Personal Training Studios — Local services in Philadelphia

I've been working with Rachel Kessler for about four months now. Just for context, I had been living a fairly sedentary life, I had never taken on a regimented strength training program before in my life and had decided enough is enough. Here's what Rachel has helped me with that make her methodology and the trainers as Philly Personal Training different and distinctive:

+Personalized workout plan: After my first few weeks of working out with Rachel she put together a personalized workout plan for my entire weekly regiment. In addition to making sure I was clear about what I should be doing in her sessions each week, she also made it clear how often i need to do cardio and lifting sessions on my own. Also when I found other outside workout classes that I loved, she updated my regiment to include those so now I've found a routine that truly works for me (and that I'm excited about)

+Nutritional Advice: In addition to putting together a workout plan, Rachel also crafted a personalized nutritional plan that took into account the workouts I was planning to complete. Given my workout plan, my current weight, height and age Rachel crafted a plan that included macros i need to hit each day and calorie count to keep under. I would track my calories in my fav app (MyFitnessPal) and it syncs with Philly Personal Training's own app so Rachel could give me feedback on what I'm eating in real time and adjust my macros if necessary

+Ad hoc advice and inspiration: Rachel encourages her clients to reach out to her via text or email whenever the need ad hoc advice or inspiration. This is great because the toughest times during a physical transformation tend to be in times when there's typically no one there: when you're preparing to eat out and aren't sure what to order from the menu that's in line with your diet, when you can't get up to go to the gym for that cardio session, etc. Rachel offers to be there for her clients in those times to offer advice and inspiration to keep pushing

+Teaches independence: I've been told that some trainers hope for their clients to become dependent/long term clients of theirs. Ever since I started with Rachel she has made it clear that at some point I'll stop needed to go to training and she's prepping me for that time in my life when I'll be lifting all on my own. This means as we're working out she makes sure I learn how to push myself appropriately, assess my limits vs when I can truly push myself to lift more so that when I'm working out on my own I'll continue to effectively push myself. She does the same when she explains how to effectively meal prep or make good eating decisions throughout the week and how to make sure I stay inspired mentally (weight loss is a journey!)

Overall I've lost over 6 inches across my entire body (arms, thighs, calves, waist, hip), have found an exercise groove and know what I need to maintain nutritionally for results. I'm learning a ton from Rachel and recommend her to anyone looking to really build a sustainable holistic...

I can't say enough fantastic things about Philly Personal Training! I began working with Brian almost 3 years ago after hitting a breaking point with my weight. I was the heaviest I'd ever been and getting back to my old self without help felt impossible. When I came across Philly Personal Training, I was first impressed by Brian's academic and professional background. I felt much more confident working with someone who had an advanced degree in exercise and sport science than someone who has a basic background in personal training in a larger gym. Food has always been my Achilles' heel, so Brian being able to also help with nutrition was a huge bonus. The initial consultation made me even more comfortable and confident that Brian would be able to help me get to where I wanted to be. I knew Brian wasn't going to be the kind of personal trainer who pushed you until you were physically sick or made you feel terrible for struggling with an exercise. That approach definitely works for some people but I'm not one of them.

Over the years, Brian has worked with me to fix some physical weaknesses. My most recent challenge has been back pain and fatigue from work. I work in the dental field and much of my day is spent on my feet or in an awkwardly contorted position to work on patients. We have begun to do focused exercises to strengthen my back and I am shocked and thrilled at how quickly I've seen results. It is now infinitely easier to get through my workday and I don't have the same amount of discomfort when I get home at night.

I cannot believe where I am now versus where I was when I first began training. I am in the best shape of my life and more confident than I've ever been and my entire life has gotten better as a result. I am more confident at work and in various social situations. There were so many times when I left clothing stores in tears because of how much I hated the way I looked but now shopping is actually fun. It feels fantastic when people tell me how good I look but what really matters is that I finally feel fantastic. As a result, my training focus has shifted from losing weight to gaining even more strength. Knowing I can lift weight that even some men can't is far more exhilarating and rewarding than fitting into a size 2 or 4. I love the reaction I get when I tell someone how much weight I can do with dumbbell rows or bench presses.

Brian's holistic approach to health and well-being is tough to find nowadays. Everyone, including myself three years ago, wants quick, instant results but those are the ones that don't last. The results I have achieved are lasting and there's no way I will ever go back to what I used to be. I know I wouldn't be where I am now without Philly Personal Training and for that I am...

I can't say enough good things about Philly Personal Training, and Elizabeth in particular! Like others who have posted here, I went to PPT when I needed some help getting back on the health & fitness wagon. I'd just turned 30, had struggled through a recent illness, and was facing some chaos in my personal life. I decided to spend the money on personal training once a week to get myself back into a fitness routine, and thought that having a trainer would help push me further than I'd do myself.

It did so much more. The habits I developed during my training sessions (From September-November) stuck with me, even after I discontinued my training due to moving out of the area, and now when I work out on my own, I can better understand when I can push myself and when my body needs to rest. My intimidation about weight or TRX machines at the gym is gone because I know how to use them. Even after a lapse in working out, I feel more optimistic about getting back into a routine, because I know that my body will build strength in time.

A bit about the process: I did an intake interview with Brian, who asked me about my goals, and matched me up with Elizabeth. She is FABULOUS. Tough enough that my muscles felt like jelly after leaving most sessions, but 100% positive and encouraging. One thing in particular that impressed me is her education -- Elizabeth has a degree in exercise science, which meant that she was able to devise work-arounds for some old injuries / weak spots I have, and we RARELY repeated exercises -- she's great at coming up with creative and challenging activities. Further, she was great about being flexible with meeting times. I have a frequently-changing work schedule, and she was great about accommodating this with a few days' heads up.

PPT's Center City location was easy to get to, and their gym clean and well-lit. There's even a shower onsite if you need to dash off to work after an appointment. The one thing I didn't really utilize was the nutrition side of PPT's program. I felt pretty good about my eating habits, so didn't engage much with their meal plans. However, others might find this feature useful.

Overall, a great experience, and I'd...