Success Story: Todd Busch
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Unlike many of Jason's clients, my problem was never my weight. I was always fairly active, running 5-10 miles per week. I enjoyed water skiing and went to the gym 2-3 times per week. Much of that changed in 2004. During that year, I noticed that my back was constantly sore -- to the point of seizing up. I still remember one incident when my first son was born, trying to change his diaper and actually having my back seize-up to the point where I dropped to the ground and couldn't get back up. I thought to myself, "What am I going to do if I can't get back up?" Last year, my great friend Laurie (Dirty Girl to those of you who have read previous testimonials on this site) suggested I give Jason a try. I was reluctant as I had seen many trainers in action at my gym and saw that basically they all worked the same program for every client and also tried to up-sell them on vitamins, smoothies, etc. To me this was a waste of time and money. However, Laurie kept telling me that Jason was different. I finally agreed, and scheduled a few sessions. When I first met with him he asked me what my goals were. I told him I had two - I wanted to bench at least 200 pounds (it was a guy thing) and I wanted to get rid of my back pain and headaches. His response to me was, "It is a done deal brother!"
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Eventually I was diagnosed as having two degenerative discs in my lower back. By this point, in addition to my pain, the back spasms were also causing migraine headaches. Once one of these headaches began, it would incapacitate me for 24-48 hours. With two children, being out of commission for up to two days was no longer an option. Due to the pain and the headaches, I was prescribed intensive physical therapy by a very committed group of therapists, as well as very expensive migraine medications. I used to call the headaches my "50 dollar headaches" due to the cost of each pill I had to take when one started to flair. Although the therapy and home program that they sent me away with reduced the frequency of the back pain and the headaches, I still got 2-3 headaches per month and had continued lower back pain. The first sessions were brutal, however, Jason had a way of making fun. It was hard not to be entertained by him. He had some of the craziest (but true) stories I have ever heard. Throughout the year, although we focused on strengthening my back, we also worked on my overall fitness level. I did exercises I had never even seen at my previous gym. I worked on a piece of back equipment that is no longer available in most gyms. I slapped ropes on the ground. I used things that look like juggling pins (I still don't know what they are called) as well as doing sit-ups while hanging off of a bench with a giant wooden dowel behind my head. I am not going to kid you, it has been hard and I've had to really work at it, but the pay-off for me has been well worth the effort.
Throughout it all, Jason has never asked me to do more than I could handle (although many times I thought he was crazy.) Most importantly, I have never been injured as a result of a workout. Have I been sore? Yes. Have I been really sore? Yep. Have I cursed his name while trying to walk up steps? Frequently. Has it been worth it? Absolutely!
So how am I doing so far?
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I have gone from being able to squat 60 pounds to more than 200
I have not had a migraine in more than 3 months.
As you can see from the picture, I can bench well beyond my 200 pound goal. The new goal is 300.
My weight has dropped 10 pounds ( a nice side effect).
I am in better shape than I have ever been in my life.
I have made some great friends and get entertained on a weekly basis.
If you are reading this and you have an injury that is impacting your quality of life, I can' recommend Jason more highly. His knowledge and support, along with my hard work, has allowed me to progress far beyond what I had hoped to achieve.