Trainer Spotlight: Mitch and Chris

Meet Chris, from Planet Gosford!

I am 20 years old and joined Planet Fitness in January 2016. I suffer from Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism and suffer side effects of fatigue, muscle weakness, weight gain, difficulty in losing weight and depression. In my teens I struggled to keep the weight off, even after dieting, working with various trainers and gyms, and playing Rugby. I have played Rugby Union since I was eight years old and with the Hashimoto’s I find it difficult to crouch down low and lift my arms above my head – something that most players would find difficult to understand.

At 186cms and 164kg, I read a few reviews about Planet Fitness and in particular, personal trainer Mitch Peters. I approached Mitch in January and started training 2 to 3 sessions a week. In the beginning, I could barely train for 45 minutes, but 6 months later and I try to train at least 4 times a week including rugby, with some sessions lasting up to 2 hours. Some days I even join Mitch in his own training (which apparently not many people like to do!). Since January, I’ve lost over 20kg’s and 59cm’s, but more importantly, I’ve gained back my fitness, confidence and life becomes easier with every kilo I lose. In addition to my training sessions, Mitch has always been supportive with diet and exercise even when I was side-lined for 8 weeks from a knee injury. During my recovery, and even days when I’m sore from a particularly tough Rugby session, Mitch will adapt the PT session to suit my needs at the time. With the support of Mitch and Planet Fitness (and my friends and family), as well as a bit more hard work, I have no doubt that I’ll be maintaining my goal weight of 110kg by September 2017 for my sister’s wedding.

Chris’ Stats:
Total loss across all girth sites: 59cm
Total weight loss: 22kg (pictured holding a plate which represents his weight loss so far!)

From the trainer: Chris started training with me on 15th of January this year. We sat down and talked about his goals and what he had hoped to achieve. We talked about the time frames he was wanting to achieve his goals by. The priority goal for Chris was his rugby and his weight. We talked about how being lighter and more agile would improve his game immensely. We got stuck in and focused on strength training as well as High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) which would help with his explosive cardio fitness on the field. Chris had a major set back with his training, when he injured his MCL at rugby. He stayed focused through his rehab phase and achieved Personal Bests on 1RM exercises across multiple exercises. Its been an absolute pleasure to train Chris. I’m excited to see what the future holds for him! – Mitch