Mike George
What do you do? I’m a Corrective Exercise Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer. To get in great shape, reduce pain & imbalances and be prepared for a physical life.
How did you get here and why did you choose this profession?
I had the unusual benefit of being trained by the former strength and conditioning coach at Cornell University, Mr. Donald Delvy, Sr. His lessons and methods planted a seed that blossomed into a wonderful fitness career. To this day I still use many of the tried & true methods Mr. Delvy taught me to help everyone from athletes to the geriatric client.
In college I played football and wrestled, belonged to weight lifting clubs and taught people how to exercise. I even had the benefit of playing professional football in Italy, for the Parma Panthers. After athletics I settled in as a professional trainer in NY before moving my business endeavors to Chicago, in 1996.
What makes you special?
My career experience is vast, I’m always focussed on learning and I have hundreds of happy clients and an untarnished record. But, having been through my own personal experiences with injury & pain, has brought me the empathy to patiently assist those in need of greater attention.
Success story:
One of my clients sent his wife in to see me because she had chronic pain and couldn’t enjoy life or be active. She had tried traditional methods but they did nit work. After meeting with her and doing a full assessment, researching her issues with my team and consulting with her past physical therapists, we devised a plan and within a few weeks she was out of pain for the first time in years. Not only is she mostly pain free today, she is even doing something her doctor never thought was possible - golfing again!
Challenging professional story:
I had a client that no matter what I tried, I could not seem to help. Even though we have a collaborative team that can help most people I learned that there are times we can’t. In these cases we need to get them with someone that might be better suited to help.
Where you see yourself in five years:
I’m pretty sure I’ll still be doing what I’m doing today, using the most up to date scientific methods, to do it.
What do you bring to the collaborative team concept:
I love a collaborative environment, so what I bring is an excitement towards learning from others on our team, discussing problems and possible solutions so that we can come to a more effective plan, together,
Education, Certifications & CEU’s:
B.A. University at Buffalo; ACE, NASM CPT; CES; MAT jumpstart
Shelby
I teach. I coach. I train.
My clients range in age from 23 to 75 years old that want everything from weight loss to pain reduction and to improve their quality of life.
I was an athlete and played basketball & volleyball in college. I've always been in the gym working out and inherently knew the importance of lifting weights.
I don't yell, I'm not an in-your-face trainer. I listen & genuinely care. I try to leave my clients with the tools to stay healthy when I'm not there with them. Self sufficiency is big to me.
I had a younger client that was very cerebral but disconnected from her body. Her focus in life was reading, writing and research and this took a large toll on her posture. It's taken four years to slowly reverse all of the damage that she did to her body. I learned that it takes time to make true and lasting change and this experience helped me to embrace not only the different types of people but also the different rates of progress that people make.
Another client of mine had lower body pain that affected her feet, ankles, knees, hip and back. I started working on the alignment of her feetand moved right up the chain which allowed her pain to diminished and for us to start working out much harder which helped us get to a goal that she didn't even realize she had - weight loss.
Where do I see myself in five years: Continuing to improve the health and well-being of my clients, learning & always growing! Also, finishing my Nutrition education training.
BA in Fitness Management, NASM CPT, NASM CES, Kettle Bell certified; Certified Nutritionist
Otto Clark
Otto Clark is a lifelong fitness enthusiast. His journey began participating in popular sports where he learned the importance of teamwork and obtaining optimal performance. Afterwards, he immersed himself in his passion for martial arts, whereupon at the age of 14 he began learning Kyokushin Karate. After 5 years of intense training and competition, he excelled in achieving his black belt. Eager to diversify his knowledge, he quickly absorbed himself in the study of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under the tutelage of Grandmaster Carlson Gracie, obtaining a black belt 10 years later. In addition, Otto achieved excellence in boxing, winning the Chicago Golden Gloves heavyweight title.
Otto brings his diversified experience in weight/endurance training, sports performance, and martial arts conditioning to those seeking to transform their body image and optimize their fitness levels. An enthusiastic instructor, he provides expert technical instruction and applications, while motivating his students to achieve their very best.