‘Not Your Normal Gym’, Mike Finds Success after 25 Years of Pain
Mike Weiler had been living with pain for more than a quarter of a century.
He was involved in a snowmobile accident when he was in his 20s that forced him to battle daily discomfort.
“I did nerve damage to my right arm, I dislocated my elbow, dislocated my shoulder, broke my collarbone, and I lost muscle we think probably in the rotator cuff,” Mike said. “I was having a lot of trouble with neck and shoulder pain. There was a point, prior to going to the chiropractor, when I went to get out of my chair one time, and I couldn’t even stand up. I went right down to my knees. The chiropractor got me to a point where I could start to stand up without having to support myself by putting my arms on my knees, but I was still having extremely severe nerve pain in my shoulder and neck.”
STRUGGLING TO FIND AN ANSWER
Mike tried to find relief but wasn’t having any luck. He tried physical therapy, but it was a dead end.
“They basically looked at me and said you’re maxing out the machines,” he recalled. “Your body’s just cheating itself, figuring out ways to manipulate the machine and getting the job done.”
ENTER POWERSTRENGTH
Going to a gym wasn’t something that appealed to Mike. He was put off by the stereotypes of the typical gym; a focus on appearance, overly competitive atmospheres, and intimidating crowds.
“The whole mentality of a gym just doesn’t play for me,” Mike said.
Fortunately for Mike, he had a reliable source that let him know that PowerStrength is anything but a typical gym.
“My girlfriend has been coming here since November, and she told me it’s not like a normal gym,” Mike said. “She’s told me to just give it a try, so I met with Brian (Paulsen, General Manager at the Plainfield facility), and I liked him. We went through the basics and then started up, and I don’t think I’ve missed a session, other than I got sick once, but I’m here Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and it’s where I like being.”
LIFE-CHANGING RESULTS
Working closely with expert trainers in a small, private setting makes all the difference. You’re training with a max of 1-5 other people in your peer group and are doing exercises catered to you and your goals.
With this winning formula – Mike found killer results.
“By coming to PowerStrength I’ve been able to strengthen the back and the shoulders and the neck, and it’s eliminated all the pain that I had prior to starting up,” Mike said. “I think that’s the biggest benefit that I’ve had, outside of just feeling good, is getting rid of the pain that I had prior, that was my biggest accomplishment so far.”
Not only is his pain gone, but he has cut back significantly on trips to see the chiropractor.
“I was going to the chiropractor anywhere from probably two to four times a week, depending on how bad the week was, now I might go once every six to eight weeks,” Mike said. “When I do go, it’s mainly because I do a lot of driving for work. So if I’m sitting a lot, I’ll sometimes have to go get my hips readjusted. But it’s nothing to do with my neck and back anymore.”
FINANCIAL BENEFIT
Not only is Mike feeling great physically, but he has a lot more money in his pocket.
“I was spending, after my deductible, 40 bucks a visit, so I was spending $120 to $160 a week at the chiropractor. I’m not coming close to paying that working out here, so it’s been a huge benefit. It’s well worth it, and the clarity in the mind has been huge.”
As the owner of a landscaping company, being pain-free has allowed him to be notably more efficient day-to-day.
“Oh, way more productive and more focused,” he said. “I think the gym has really helped me clear my mind a little bit. I come here and just kind of shut the day off and do the workout, I kind of forget about what’s behind me. It’s been a big stress reliever, helped with some of the anxiety-type stuff, and I probably sleep a little bit better.”
FEELING GREAT
After more than 25 years of chronic pain, he wasn’t sure he would ever feel this good again.
“I had my doubts,” he said. “If I reached with my right arm over to my left shoulder, my arm would drop, and there’s nothing there to support it. Now I can reach across. It doesn’t have any effect. Exercises that I started with in the beginning, that I was struggling with now I’m doing with way more weight.”
Not only is Mike pain-free, but he keeps moving forward, building muscle, and keeping it.
“I tend to do pretty physical outdoors work, but in my off time, or slow times like winter, I don’t get to do the physical activity, so then I lose it,” Mike said. “Coming to PowerStrength has been great because I keep it all year long, and I don’t waver in and out. I just keep on my schedule, my routine and it’s been huge for my recovery.”
Mike has shown unwavering dedication and deserves so much credit for his transformation at age 54.
“I just feel a lot more confident in myself,” he said. “You look at yourself in the mirror and see the changes that you’ve made from the time that you started. I already improved quite a bit, I’ve lost body fat, and I’ve gained muscle mass. I’ve come down to 16 or 17% body fat, where I was up in the mid to high 20s when I when I did my first weigh-in. I’m a lot more lean now than I was before.“
It’s an opportunity that Mike almost missed out on, but he credits the trainers at PowerStrength and the other people he trains alongside for creating a winning environment not known to different gyms.
“The mentality of the people that work here and the people that you work out with, it’s not that muscle group, or whatever, I always hear people that are posing for the mirror and stuff like that at other gyms, and I don’t see that here. I don’t feel that here,” Mike said. “The employees make you feel like you’re somebody, not just a number walking through the door.
So being able to walk in, everybody knows your name. I think everybody knew my name from darn near day one, they just knew it, so the the people are huge. Just big motivators with the trainers, so that helps with the accountability.”
READY TO TAKE CONTROL?
Men and Women over 40 who want to get stronger and have more energy can join the personal training programs at PowerStrength at any time. No previous workout experience is required as each program is customized to the fitness and ability level of each individual.
Multiple personal training sessions are offered in the early morning, mid-morning, late afternoon, and evening. Find your nearest PowerStrength location – Alpine, Kentwood, Jenison, Plainfield – and Holland COMING SOON!
Click HERE to learn more program details and schedule your risk-free consultation.