I'll start by saying I couldn't be more appreciative of Kalina's acumen and commitment to her…read morecraft. I trusted her with something I would normally take care of myself, and she humbled me. For that, she deserves all the praise (and all the stars).
For ANYONE on the fence about whether or not she is the right choice, trust me, she's very good at what she does.
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I'm a 34 year old male, athlete, and Army veteran. I've been physically active my entire life and I was not new to fitness at all. Unfortunately, a recent 2-3 year span left me about 10lbs to 15lbs heavier than I had ever been.
My lifestyle hadn't changed much in those few years, so I was a bit confused about why I had accumulated body fat at a slow, steady rate. Furthermore, I began to realize I wasn't as driven as I once was. So, I decided to hire a personal trainer for the first time in my life. What a great decision. I did not know Kalina until I approached her for training.
Kalina trained me for 4 months, 3 times per week.
To keep it simple, here are a few things that really stood out to me about her approach to training:
1. She put effort into learning my strengths and weaknesses, then took a strategic approach to my workouts that brought results without sacrificing my health and wellness. It really felt like a sustainable fitness lifestyle, as opposed to a grueling, temporary bootcamp. That's a first for me.
2. She is fully committed to maintaining a healthy standard. From our first session to the very last (literally down to my last set), she corrected my posture, controlled my range of motion, and made sure I was doing every movement properly. She never let the standard drop, which is impressive.
3. She runs her business in a very professional manner. Everything from scheduling sessions during the week, to keeping track of make-up sessions if we had to cancel a session for whatever reason. It was very clear that she has a system in place for managing her clients and she did an excellent job of communicating.
4. She and I knew from the beginning that I'd only need training for a few months. However, she treated me like she'd be my trainer for years to come. She was dedicated to making sure I'd be able to maintain the lifestyle after our time was complete. What a selfless approach to providing a service.
5. She's simply a nice person to be around. This doesn't have much to do with training, but who wants to spend 2 to 4 hours per week with an unpleasant person? We had great conversations that never got in the way of my training sessions. No matter how lethargic I'd feel on any given day, I always enjoyed my time learning and conversing with Kalina. I feel like I made a new friend.
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Our last session was about a month ago. Though we've spoken a few times since, she hasn't asked me to write a review. I'm writing this because she deserves all the stars, and because I hope it helps someone else make a great decision.
I have zero regrets for being one of "Kalina's beasties," as she likes to say. :)