I tore a tendon in my rotator cuff because I lacked muscle. My physical therapist assigned…read moreexercises, but it seemed like I was prone to tearing other tendons if I didn't start building muscle. I chose Palo Alto Fit because of its location and one-on-one training rather than a group class at, let's say, 24H Fitness.
Before coming here, I didn't know how to use any of the machines, how to target certain muscle groups, or how to set reasonable goals while keeping track of my progress. However, through each session, I've learned how to use these machines and set goals for the week (especially regarding diet and lifestyle choices) so when I go about my day to day or do workouts on my own, I know how to determine an appropriate goal, workout weight, or set up a machine properly for myself.
I knew I needed someone to help me one-on-one to understand my areas of improvement, and when receiving help and support, I strongly value consistency in my mentor/coach/tutor, which it seems PAF also values. I've been able to reschedule sessions (even last minute) while keeping my same coach, which is another point of appreciation!
PAF starts you off with a free fitness assessment where they take your in-body scan and you talk about your goals. Every 4 weeks, you do another scan, and it's been great seeing and physically feeling the results!!
It's been about 6 months now, and I only go once a week due to finances and scheduling, but it's worth every penny and I genuinely look forward to my workouts with my coach. My coach, Coach Joshua Villagomez, is well-versed in physiology and genuinely listens to me during the workouts and when I say I want to focus on a specific thing for my body. He pushes me to grow stronger and beyond the limits of what I could have ever imagined myself doing, and seeing the progress in the results has been seriously worth it. I've completed physical therapy much quicker than anticipated, and I'm now able to do more than before in terms of shoulder mobility and usage. I'm extremely grateful to him! I know everyone says their coach is the best, but he's seriously THE BEST.
One thing that really helped me personally for financing this fitness journey was the flexibility for packages. They asked for the payment for the 12-week package (chose this package based on my goals and schedule) upfront. I genuinely can't afford that, but Nina (the owner) was kind enough to make a custom package that was realistically payable for me. She didn't want to turn me away because at the end of the day, health is wealth, and she helped me make that a priority.
I'm not quite a gym rat yet, maybe just gym gerbil, but I'm excited to continue my health journey with my coach and PAF!
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Other things to note:
- lockers, showers, small microfiber towels provided
- I've even borrowed workout gloves when I felt like my hands were hurting from lifting the bar (an unfamiliar thing for me)
- everything is kept extremely clean; it even smells clean all the time
- water fountain inside
- very well temperature-controlled (it could be 10° or 100° outside, but the inside is a good room temp) and good air flow
- high ceilings
- natural light
- parking is easy (lot behind the building, street parking, and city garage across the street)