I first knew I had to change things 9 years ago. I’ll never forget being at Walmart and looking at size 46 pants to “grow into”. I went straight from there to a gym and signed up. I went through the training, spent thousands of dollars, learned nothing, and lost very little. So I broke out on my own, started reading about exercising, and slowly started losing weight. What I found after 8 years of trial and error was that there was a lot of diets, exercise routines, and weight programs that either were obviously wrong or Didn’t work anywhere near what they said they would.
A year ago I hit large plateau. I was spending 7-10 hours a week at the gym and I wasn’t losing weight or body fat. What’s worse I was starting to hurt myself. So I started looking for professional help. The years of reading and trial and error had taught me what to look for in a trainer, and I was able to see through the smoke and mirrors. Then I heard about Mike and Pursuit Training. I’ll never forget the first time I talked to Mike. He said 2 things that told me I had found what I was looking for. First was that a lot of things he teaches will go against standard gym practices, and may even sound heretical to standard books. Then he said “I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m not in this to make money, but to help people achieve their impossibilities. But you need to commit to the training, otherwise to be perfectly honest, your just waisting your money.
I started working with Mike in June 2012. I was 213 lbs, 26% body fat, extra large shirts and size 40 pants. I could barely do 25 pound bicep curls, 4 pushups, and a chin up. By December I was 200 pounds, 20 % body fat medium shirts, and size 34 pants. I work out half the time I did before, easily curl 45lbs, do 20 pushups a morning, and can run at 5 miles an hour for 30 min without a break, every day. Pursuit training has put me in full sight of my goals and I couldn’t be happier.
Thanks Mike
Rachel Horner
Pursuit Training has empowered me to be my best possible self—physically and mentally. When I began my fitness journey, I had imposed a lot of limitations on what I would and wouldn’t do to get myself healthy and fit. Working with the professional trainers at Pursuit helped to motivate and educate me—I had all the tools to succeed, I just had to use them.
The training programs are designed with your experience and lifestyle in-mind. My first program did not even require that I go to a gym. It was a lot of motivation and baby-steps to get to my goals. As I became more dedicated to a healthy lifestyle and more willing to push myself to reach my full potential through heavy lifting, demanding training splits, and advanced cardio, the programs evolved to accommodate my changing body; I was challenged, but not overwhelmed. Every workout is an accomplishment.
Nutritional counselling was a big part of my success; I began with making small changes, adhering to my Pursuit Training programs and personal goals. I began to see amazing results when I got serious about eating clean and following the programs. When I began to supplement my diet, Pursuit Training helped me find the best supplement regimen to meet my needs. I have never counted calories, felt hungry, or had to adhere to an unrealistic way of eating—Pursuit Training gives you nutritional tools that are sustainable for long-term health and wellness.
I have now been working with Pursuit Training for three years; in that time, I have gone from a size 14 to a size 4; I have maintained my dress size for nearly two years. My body composition has changed, as has my attitude about health and fitness. In October 2012, I competed in my first bikini competition—Pursuit Training was with me every step of the way (in fact, Michael Finigan was there when I stepped off stage).
If you’re thinking about making positive and lasting changes to your body and your life, I strongly recommend working with Pursuit Training. Pursuit Training has provided me with exceptional service and results that is second to none. In short, training with Pursuit is the best investment I have ever made.
Jennifer Frey
In June 2011 I knew I needed to make a change in my life. I am 5’9″ and was weighing 233lbs which was by far my heaviest, although I had always struggled with my weight this was a very low point for me and I wasn’t sure how to fix it. With help of a very supportive friend of mine we started working out doing cardio based classes and learning to eat healthy. Working through the plateaus I lost 90 pounds in 10 months. I was where I wanted when it came to my weight and size, now I wanted to work on toning and shaping my body.
I was fortunate enough to have someone recommend Mike to me, and as I started looking into working with Mike I continued to hear great things about him, so I gave him a call. Immediately he understood what I was looking to accomplish and helped me understand how my body works and how he can help me with my fitness goals. I was very nervous about being in a gym, working out by myself with weights and machines so Mike tailored my workouts so that I was more comfortable in the gym and so I understood what I was doing. He would check in with me periodically and help me overcome my challenges. Being impressed with mike and pursuit training when a group of fellow Rotarians decided to sign up for Tough Mudder I knew exactly who to call to get us in shape! Mike was able to accommodate our group of 13 participants for tough Mudder and set out a plan for our training and preparation. He has pushed us all to new levels of fitness making sure we are all getting ‘one on one’ attention while working together as a group. Along with training for Tough Mudder, Mike is also helping me prepare to run my first half marathon in May.
I highly recommend Pursuit Training to anyone and everyone no matter what your fitness level or goals are.
Kevin Lazoun
I had basically been sedentary as I built my career and started a family. Little by little I gained weight, and lost muscle. On my 35th birthday I bought a gym membership in cash and told no one, privately committing to get back in shape. On my 36th birthday I had not once gone in. Weird? Not really, I had no previous experience, no plan, and mostly was scared of embarrassing or hurting myself.
I met Mike through a friend and started with him because I realized I needed someone to teach me how to weight train. His assessment was thorough and helped to solidify goals.
At first I was pitifully weak, 28.5% fat and couldn’t even touch my shins, but with Mike I never felt self-conscious about it. He kept me motivated and gradually increased the intensity of my workouts.
My results aren’t measured in inches lost or pounds shed. My strength is twenty-fold what it was, I’m at 14%-15%fat, and I can touch my toes! My long term goals are within reach in just after a year thanks to Prickmike.
Jonathan Daines
I had been exercising for five years before I started training at Pursuit Training. During those 5 years I had stuck to a regular schedule of exercise, but I was not seeing the results that I expected and became frustrated with my workout routine. I ended up having to take some time off from exercising to recover from an injury, and lost my motivation to exercise on a regular schedule.
A friend of mine introduced me to Pursuit Training and said to give it a try. I was a bit apprehensive at first. My experience with personal trainers from the gym I attend was not altogether great. But my friend assured me that the trainer he was seeing was very nice and he was getting amazing results. I decided to give Pursuit Training a try and it was the best decision I could have made.
In the first season alone I saw better results then the entire 5 years of working out at my gym. With Pursuit Training’s easy to understand and personalized exercise schedule, it helped me to achieve many of my fitness goals within the first 10 weeks. I have received excellent advice regarding what supplements would best suit m A year later, and I am still enjoying and committed to training with Mike at Pursuit Training. I have been able to achieve so many of my fitness goals over the last year, and I am excited to find out how far I can push myself and my limits. Pursuit Training gets my highest recommendation.
Pauline
As a 37-year-old working mom of two, the chaos of life kept building and I was beginning to lose focus of myself and my general health. Always busy taking care of the children and their activities, I was overlooking the one that needed it most – ME!!! I gained over 70lbs during my pregnancies and it took nearly 6 years to shed most of those pounds. Despite what the scale read, I was left feeling underwhelmed with myself – my shape, lack of strength and energy. I’d been doing pilates for a number of years but I felt as though I was ready for something more intense. I knew a traditional gym wasn’t for me – it was too intimidating so enter Michael Finigan…
He had been training my husband for over a year and I’d seen him transform my husband’s physique and strength. He had more energy and was now making healthier choices – including dietary changes – a huge feat for this “foodie”. I thought that if he could motivate my husband he could motivate me. Mike started training me in the Fall of 2012 and I wasn’t expecting any miracles, just to be stronger and healthier for myself and my family. Now if my body were more toned that was a bonus! At our first meeting, Mike asked what my “Impossible Goal” was… For me, it was to comfortably wear a swimsuit in public. After 3 months of training with Mike, my family took a trip to the Caribbean and I wore my swimsuit with the most confidence I’d had since having my children. Now I’m not saying I reached my “Impossible Goal” by any means but I’m well on my way. I definitely feel better about my general health and I am much stronger. Carrying my sleeping 7 year old up a flight of stairs to bed isn’t a struggle anymore!
Mike’s approach is realistic albeit very motivating. He exudes positivity and it truly rubs off on his clients. Through his regular measurements (what I would compare to report card day), I’ve been able to see my body composition change quite quickly – a true achievement in my books. Now my husband and I are in a friendly battle of numbers with each “report card”. Our kids even want to train now!!! My husband marvels at my strength and changes and I at his – it keeps us motivated and our battle of numbers keeps Mike amused:-)
Katherine
When I signed up for training with Pusuit Training, I figured it would be similar to all the bootcamps I have done. I expected some firming and toning. I could never have prepared myself for the incredible gains I have had in only 10 weeks. I am strong, I just didn’t know it. Mike has guided me to limits I didn’t think possible. He breaks all preconceived notions of one’s ability and supports you throughout with both scientific knowledge and encouraging words.
Jill
When I was working out on my own, I found myself stuck in a vicious circle: loose a few pounds, make a little progress… and then old injuries would flare up, putting me back at square one. Mike is the only trainer I’ve met who – from day 1 – has taken the time to figure our my unique body alignment. Since I’ve worked with Mike, I’ve done more than lose weight: I’ve rebalanced my body, remain injury free. I’ve never had results with my thighs or butt, and Mike is the first to figure out why, and put me on a plan to correct that. Mike is a true professional, and I recommend him all the time… he’s already helping my husband with his golf game!
