Many excuses keep people from exercising. Some days, there’s not enough time. Other days, there’s no motivation. Perhaps they’re intimidated to go to the gym, or maybe they don’t know where to begin once they arrive. Luckily, a new approach to fitness has made its way to Parker. The Exercise Coach redefines personal training with workouts customized to each individual’s schedule and fitness level. Best of all? They promise results with just two efficient 20-minute workouts a week.
“The purpose of The Exercise Coach is to create an opportunity for people who felt like there wasn’t an exercise option out there for them,” Mark, co-owner with his wife, Shelli, says.
Mark and Shelli resonate with The Exercise Coach’s mission to empower and equip people for a healthy lifestyle. Both with athletic histories, (Shelli, a collegiate division 1 tennis player, and Mark, a former officer in the U.S. Army) they are committed to staying active for the long haul. They joined the Colorado Springs branch of the Exercise Coach during the spring of 2019 to investigate the company for themselves, and by July of the same year, they had purchased a franchise. They opened in July of 2020 as one of the pandemic’s brave entrepreneurs.
According to the couple, most people need a paradigm shift when it comes to health. Traditional fitness is concerned with numbers like the number of calories burned or the number of miles logged. While these can be helpful parameters, they are convinced that fitness is about looking, feeling, and living Bette holistically. It’s about muscle quality over movement quantity.
Before joining The Exercise Coach, Mark was skeptical that two 20-minute workouts per week could be effective. He spent several years in sports and the Army, taking multiple hours out of his day to exercise. He was looking for a workout regimen that would be challenging while still kind to his three joint-replacement surgeries. After the first workout, his muscles were fatigued and he was sold on the company’s strategy.
The Exercise Coach operates on a scientific, personalized approach to wellness. A large part of this has to do with specialized Exerbotics equipment and testing process. Every client has a unique PIN when they get on a piece of Exerbotics resistance-based equipment. The equipment analyzes every client's baseline muscle condition and provides ideal personal strength recommendations for the coach and client to follow. Then, the equipment adjusts the necessary resistance required to build muscle. Their system eliminates the ambiguity that comes with working out and provides confidence in progress through reports, data, and shaking muscles!
The Exercise Coach is accessible in multiple ways. The quick time frame makes it easy to squeeze in appointments, even if it’s on a lunch break. Mark and Shelli’s clientele comprises every age group and every type of fitness level, from triathletes to 78-year-old grandmothers.
As people age, they lose muscle mass. One goal of The Exercise Coach is to flatten the curve of muscle-loss by helping people gain and retain muscle mass.
“The way stereotypical older people move, stooped over shuffling, is because they don’t have the muscle quality left to keep their skeleton erect,” Mark says. “We help restore and maintain their muscle mass. Age is just a number at that point because their body is optimized.”
The Exercise Coach team takes personal fitness to heart by taking the time to know each client. Every coach, though they may not work with certain clients, knows every clients' story. When someone becomes a member, they sit down for a personal consultation to discuss their goals, obstacles, and experiences with fitness. The team discusses approaching diet as a noun, not a verb, and encourages a lifestyle of health rather than a New Year's Resolution style approach. They provide tips and hundreds of recipes to bolster clients’ nutrition.
Mark and Shelli have learned from so many of their clients that fitness is deeper than lifting or losing more weight— it’s about building the stamina to play with their grandkids or get up in the morning without pain.
“That’s the most meaningful part,” Shelli says. “People will pour their heart and soul out to us because they’re desperately looking for a difference in their lives.”
With just 3 clients in the gym at a time and heightened cleaning protocols, The Exercise Coach is a COVID-friendly workout experience. To sign up for two free classes, go to https://exercisecoach.com/parker/