SUCCESS STORIES

PERSONAL TRAINING

Young at heart, Gerald Ratner - Age 98

“For a decade, Jeff Schmelz has been my personal trainer. Prior to my excellent relationship with Jeff, I tried numerous personal trainers without success. Every time we meet, he makes sure that I receive my proper workout and that it’s a pleasant experience—which is a real accomplishment because I hate to exercise! Jeff’s impressive academic credentials and years of hands-on personal training make me extremely comfortable accepting his advice and direction.”

-Chris

“I met Jeff Schmelz, my friend Jazzy Jeff, in the winter of 1999. He was working at the YMCA and I was taking a break from teaching fulltime. I was out of shape and he was a taskmaster. He started me out on machines. A little weight training, a little cardio. We had a blast together and I looked forward to working out. Imagine that! Eventually we built the cardio up and, despite what I had ever believed possible, I started running. Soon Jazzy Jeff and I were running side by side at neighborhood 5Ks. Eventually 5Ks became 8Ks and then 10Ks. Jeff always ran along keep me at a steady pace and keeping me entertained with stories and observations. It was never boring.

It wasn't just that Jeff ran alongside me. And it wasn't just that with Jeff's training my body became capable of so much more than I ever thought it could do. It was that I began to truly believe in my ability not only to start a race, not only to finish a race, but to finish faster and happier than the race before. Jeff taught me to believe that it wasn't about finishing first. It was about starting. And about finishing, as we often said, "upright and smiling."

With Jeff screaming at the finish line, I completed my first triathlon, a women's only sprint distance event. And two years later, with Jeff on one side and my daughters on the other, I completed my first International distance triathlon. They hopped in to get me over the last 100 meters. There wasn't a dry eye at the finish line.

There is no doubt that as a trainer Jeff was responsible for slowly and carefully building my core strength and the stamina necessary to complete running events of any distance. And that as a trainer Jeff motivated me to longer distances and triathlons. But the most valuable thing that Jeff did, as a trainer and a friend, is help me believe in myself and my abilities. For that I will be eternally grateful.”

-Abby

“Jeff Schmelz is very good at his job. I blew out my ACL 15 years ago, and no longer have a working ACL graft. I was having incredible pain, and over the course of time, Jeff has made me completely functional. When I met Jeff, I couldn’t walk more than 4 blocks without pain and disability. This summer, I rode a bike across the state of Iowa. Jeff is caring, a good listener, and constantly making it “work” for his clients. He continuously working with adjustments and coming back with solutions. I used to be in physical therapy, and realized that the most benefit actually comes from Jeff. So much so that even my orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician have approved me working only with Jeff because of the gains I have made.”

-Jackie

RUN COACHING

“ Track workouts have help me a lot this year especially with learning how to pace during work outs and putting it to into practice during races. Jeff has drilled the fact that pacing is key to my success in running a triathlon. With his help my training runs have been more enjoyable and I have PR'd all of my races this year."

-Albert

“ Weekly coached track workouts with Smart Fitness give me regular access to a high level of coaching. This interval training combined with immediate feedback on running form has significantly contributed to a thirty second per mile improvement in my triathlon run times over the past year. Furthermore, Coach Schmelz is keenly attuned to possible injuries or changes in my running form which have helped me succeed despite the wear & tear of accumulated previous injuries. "

-Eric

“ Jeff is very good at setting realistic goals and helping athletes of varying levels move toward them. During the time he helped me qualify for the Boston Marathon I saw some of his beginning athletes gain the confidence necessary to become very competent runners. He knows how to talk to people to keep them motivated. He creates an individual plan to slowly ramp up from where you are now to where you want to be. I gladly refer him to anyone looking to make an improvement and stay focused on sports that bring us joy."

-Bob

“ Jeff works a lot with a runner's form, and for me this has paid off. Within a single year, I ran my first 50-mile ultramarathon and improved my mile time by 20 seconds- without any injuries- because of improved form, speed, and strength"

-Sarah