Paula Testimonial

Paula

Executive Vice President, Chicago investment firm

Until she began training under the guidance of Mike Padua in mid-2006, Paula had four personal trainers over a six-year span. She held them all in high regard.

But Paula, who started working with Padua once a week, has altered her view of what a trainer is capable of achieving. So much so, that she now works with him three times a week, while her husband, David, works out with Padua twice a week.

“Mike is fabulous. He is 50 to 100 percent better than they were—and makes working out more fun. I would have rated them all extremely competent before I met Mike. He truly takes personal training to a completely different level. I’m serious about that.”

Through Padua’s guidance, Paula has reached her goal of developing a more lean, sculpted look. She is also thrilled to have seen her dress size drop from six to four—“for a woman, that’s a big deal,” she said.

Twice a week, Padua also trains Paula and David’s son, 13-year-old Josh, bringing to seven the total number of weekly sessions for family members.

Their schedules call for instruction at different times throughout the week, and each has different goals in working with Padua. As a result, Padua has customized 1-on-1 instruction for each—showing a depth and breadth of knowledge that Paula termed “amazing.”

For David, an athletic 6-foot-3 who played sports growing up and a longtime basketball junkie, the thrust has been boosting his overall fitness and strength—and getting rid of his “gut” along the way.

“What Mike has done with David is phenomenal,” said Paula. “David had more of a cylinder physique for his upper body, and Mike has effectively taken him to a classic V look, with broad shoulders and a thinner waist. There’s a bulkiness that can come with a personal trainer—but Mike can help you get this V look without the bulky look.”

Josh plays football, basketball and baseball. His goal in working with Padua is to enhance his performance in those sports.

One of the first major steps that Padua accomplished was creating a training program that helped Josh overcome Osgood-Schlatter Disease. The painful knee condition afflicts youths, including those, like the nearly-6-foot Josh, who are in the midst of a growth spurt.

Padua helped Josh strengthen his hamstrings, quads, and outer hips to take stress off of the tendon stretching across the knee. The bump on Josh’s knee has been reduced by 50% and Padua also helped his lateral movement for sports—a change evident in the difference in how the bottom of Josh’s shoes now wear.

Paula gave Padua high marks for the effectiveness and creativity of his communication and exercises. The exercises not only help shape one’s physique, but they also give Paula and David more joint stability and endurance for wakeboarding, water skiing, and downhill snow skiing.

“He’s incredibly professional, on a par with people I would deal with in my line of work,” Paula said of Padua. “He’s extremely creative. He can take a rubber band and create exercises out of it that you wouldn’t believe, and which are extremely effective and fun.”

Paula has also been struck by Padua’s work ethic, which just begins with his arriving at her home at 5:25 a.m. sharp three mornings a week.

“On a 1 to 10 scale, I’d give him a 15,” she said. “I would recommend him extremely highly.”