Josh grew up in Galesville, Wisconsin and came to Rochester in 2007. Josh has a Master’s degree in Exercise Science and multiple, nationally accredited certifications. When away from the RAC, Josh likes to spend time with his family and pets. Josh also takes great pleasure watching the GREATEST team ever battle it out on the gridiron – the Green Bay Packers.
What led you to the RAC?​
I came to the RAC a month after I graduated from UW-LaCrosse with my Master’s degree in Exercise Science. I had worked with collegiate athletes during my time at school and wanted to continue working with athletes. This passion led me to the Competitive Edge Training program the RAC offered for the youth athletes of the greater Rochester area. I haven’t looked back since that day eleven years ago.
What would you like to say to someone who is considering personal training?
Working with a personal trainer can seem intimidating and expensive. People tend to think that we are drill sergeants or that in order to even ask us a question about an exercise or a workout they need to pay for our services. That is surely not the case. As a trainer, I am there to help take the confusion out of what exercises should be done, how to perform those exercises, and to help motivate – all at a pace that the client is comfortable with. When you are ready to start personal training, be sure to research your trainer. Try to find trainers that have experiences with any special needs you may have. Once you start working with a trainer, don’t be afraid to speak up. If an exercise doesn’t feel right, or if you are experiencing pain, those are things that a trainer needs to know to keep you injury free and to get the most from an exercise or workout.
What is your approach to training?
Before I do any type of training on our fitness floor, I like to sit down with a new client and get to know them. I want to know what they do for a living, preferred time/day for training, about their family, medical history, exercise history, hobbies/interests, what motivates them and what can hold them back. My greatest fear is injuring a client during a training session, and if I have all the necessary info before we start working out, the better our workouts can be. I also like to keep the workouts fun by varying what we do each and every workout by mixing my workouts with free weights, kettle bells, medicine balls, exercise balls, balance training, etc.
What do you enjoy about being a personal trainer?
I feel the greatest pride in what I do when I see a client bust through a plateau, lift more weight than they thought they were capable of, and overcome their fears. I’ve had clients that were deathly afraid of doing pull-ups at the beginning of training with me because they didn’t think they were capable of doing one, and then several months later rip out several clean pull-ups. I’ve had other clients with some very debilitating injuries bounce back to playing the sports they loved doing before they became injured.