Personal Training... I've put together a program for beginners with a workout routine that combines basic bodybuilding and weightlifting exercises along with stretching and warm up techniques as well as nutritional considerations to get you off to a good start to build a little muscle, lose weight, and become healthier overall. We'll take into consideration your physical ability, body type, and any health concerns you may have... to come up with a fitness program that works best for you. Are you attempting to get in better shape or lose weight and aren't sure how to go about it? I've been lifting weights since I was 14 years old and have helped many friends, school mates, and coworkers over the years to safely get in better shape through lifting weights, stretching, and eating healthier. Not only do I teach music lessons, but i am also a personal fitness trainer. As your personal fitness coach, it is my intention to help you safely and efficiently lose weight, increase your stamina, and become healthier through the use of resistance weight training. You dont have to be a super fitness hard body or bodybuilder to get stronger and healthier in the gym or at home. You just need to eat right, and train safely and consistently, with the right amount of rest and proper technique. I've studied powerlifting, bodybuilding, and weightlifting most of my life and had to tailor my workouts around my asthma and many injuries over the years. In that time, I've learned what works and what doesn't, and how best to build a program that's right for you... safely, efficiently, and with your goals in mind. This especially pertains to those who have neck or back injuries, or respiratory illnesses like COPD and asthma. Struggling to breathe while exercising, or trying to exercise and work around an illness or injury without causing more damage can be difficult, but I've done this all my life and I think I can help others who have come across these same obstacles as they try to better themselves and become healthier and happier. For now I am offering in-home private sessions as well as meeting my clients at Alexander's Athletic Club in Harmarville, where I currently have a membership. However, in the near future, I'm planning to rebuild my music studio for my guitar and vocal students... as well as adding a new home fitness center / personal training studio to train my fitness clients. To learn more about me, feel free to check out the links above for a detailed history of my childhood and highschool years growing up in Southwestern Pennsylvania and my life from back then on up through today as well as many photos along the way.

Fitness and Strength Training Program... No exercise experience is necessary. Teens, children, young adults, and older folks... all are welcome. Its never too late to do something you enjoy so let's get started ! We'll meet once a week for a full workout... going over proper form and technique, nutrition and dietary concerns, dealing with any limitations or setbacks you may be having, and experimenting with different exercises to see what you're most comfortable with and what works best for you. Then, you'll work out all week on your own using these same principles and exercises until we meet again. Your custom tailored program starts with me sitting down with you to talk about your goals and expectations. We'll address any possible health issues or concerns or physical limitations, then construct our workouts around that, doing the most we can to get you healthy and feeling better in a safe manner. Your workout will begin with certain compound exercises to hit as many muscle groups as possible such as bench presses, squats, or deadlifts... as well as some more isolated exercises for biceps, abdominals, and other muscle groups. We'll also do stretches to warm up and relax the muscles and make you more flexible to help prevent injury. We will discuss nutrition and put together a diet made just for you whether you are trying to lose weight or build muscle, or just tone up... and we'll talk about calories and macros like protein, carbs, and fats... and adjust these levels based on your goals. These exercises or dietary suggestions are not set in stone and are merely recommendations. You may not be comfortable with certain exercises like squats or anything that might put too much stress on your back or neck in the case of an injury, for example. So, we can work around that using other exercises and techniques to get the most out of your workouts. As you progress, we can add more isolated exercises for areas like the legs, chest, and abdominals. We'll adjust the number of reps and sets as well as the amount of weight as you get stronger and get used to your workout routine. You'll learn proper breathing and the correct way to perform certain lifts and exercises, with a full range of motion while making sure not to overtrain or risk injury. We'll have you keeping track of your progress every week and learn to know when it is safe to increase the weight of a particular exercise. Although this may sound like alot, your workout program will be completely at your own pace, so you dont get exhausted or hurt yourself. We'll only do what you are able to do and what you are comfortable with. If you are training at home, I can help you pick out the best equipment for your home gym or weight set to get started for the least amount of expense to you. If you already have your own weight set and weight bench, universal or home gym, or have a membership at a fitness center, YMCA, or gym... then you're already on the right path to getting in shape. Now all you need is some knowledge and guidance from someone with a fitness background to help you along the way, and that's where I think I can help. With over 40 years of weightlifting and exercising experience, I can help you learn from my mistakes and what worked and didnt work for me through the years.

Athletic Centers vs Home Gyms... If you dont have the budget right now for a new weight bench, that's ok too. Many exercises can be performed lying down on a flat bench or picnic table seat, sitting on a chair, or standing upright... using a straight bar / barbell or dumbells. I've always preferred to work out in the privacy of my own home. Fitness centers and local gyms and athletic clubs have just about anything you can think of to get in shape but at an average of $60 or more per month, you'll be spending $720 or more a year just on the membership. If the gym is 15 minutes away, thats another $5 in gas ever day x atleast 5 days a week for another $100 a month just to get there. This can be way more than most people want or can afford to spend. However, you can buy a standard style weight bench for around $100, along with a cast iron weight set for another $100 or so and that's really all you need to get started. You can just have your workouts in the privacy of your home and not have to pay a monthly membership or wait for a machine or bench on crowded days at the gym. You will also want to add additional weights to your weight set and other accessories as you get stronger and become more experienced, but for now it will be fine. Also, you can buy used weights and save some money there as well. You don't even have to start with weights, as many exercises can be done simply using your own bodyweight like pushups and situps and lunges. Have you ever seen Olympic gymnasts and how ripped and muscular and strong they are? Some of these gymnasts don't lift weights at all and instead develop their muscular frames just from doing these types of exercises and balancing their body weight through all kinds of training for their floor routines, on the balance beam, rings, parallel bars, floor mats, and other events of their sport. We can put together a program using resistance weights and objects from around your home or just by using your own bodyweight through various types of exercises designed to tone up your muscles and lose weight... even without having to buy a weight set. We can work around any limitations you might have financially right now to buying your home exercise equipment... until you are ready. But a home gym or personal weight set is definitely the most cost effective way to go and it's how I've lifted weights during my entire 40+ years of fitness training, aside from a few fitness centers from time to time over the years. In fact, I've constructed several wooden weight benches and squat racks from 2x6 and 2x4 lumber, bolted together, that were stronger, safer, and sturdier than some of the steel commercial weight benches you see in the sporting goods stores.

Which Personal Trainer is Right for You?... Trying to find a Kittanning personal trainer who is affordable and also has decades of fitness experience, dieting and nutrition, bodybuilding and weightlifting knowledge can be difficult. I've found there are other "fitness experts" and personal trainers in most areas who have small fitness studios that really dont have much experience in lifting weights, bodybuilding, or working around injuries and illnesses to strengthen and exercise the body to lose weight or tone up to become healthier and stronger. Many chiropractic, physical therapy, and orthopedic offices also have personal training as part of their businesses, and while my personal experience with chiropractors and orthopedic specialists over the years has been good overall, the ones I've been seen by have had little to no experience lifting weights, have ever taken part in sports or exercising, or possessed much fitness knowledge at all. They were all very well trained doctors in back and neck injuries and helping me to heal from herniated disks, back sprains, and other spinal injuries, but just not who I'd go to for advice on how to get in shape and starting a serious training regimen. I would want someone who knows how to properly execute various weight training and bodybuilding exercises like bench presses, deadlifts, and squats... and when it's time to move up and raise the weight safely. I would want the best personal trainer Kittanning has to offer, not just someone with a medical background. Someone who knows how to properly warm up to prevent injury, and who knows how not to overtrain the muscles, that can work with all ages and people with injuries or physical limitations. That knowledge can only come from someone with a lifetime of bodybuilding, fitness, and / or weight training experience, who has dealt with many injuries themselves, not someone from an expensive college or medical school.

Weight Training vs Martial Arts and High Endurance... Alot of the personal trainers Kittanning and nearby areas that I see advertising online seem to be younger Mixed Martial Arts people who incorporate lots of high impact / high endurance training, calisthenics, martial arts, and fast paced weight loss exercises. Not only are these fitness experts very young in most cases, but their training programs are too much for some people to physically handle, and not tailored to different types and levels of people who just want to lose weight or get healthier. Those classes and one on one sessions sound great for those in better shape, but not for beginners or people with limitations. I have taken a few years of martial arts myself including Taekwondo, Aikido, Karate, and Kickboxing... all as an adult. I've also taken Judo classes as a child in 5th grade, as well as joining the wrestling team in junior and senior highschool during my freshman and sophomore years. These are all great for self defense but none of that has helped me with lifting weights or working around injuries and illnesses I've had. As an asthmatic with high blood pressure and many past injuries, it was always difficult to do martial arts. Even being pretty flexible and also stronger than most guys my age, martial arts were hard for me. In junior high and highschool, running laps and wrestle-offs at practice completely wore me out because of my asthma. I did several different types of martial arts later as an adult in my 20s and 30s. In most cases I was so exhausted from doing line drills up and down the gymnasium during Taekwondo throwing strikes and punches and kicks that I lost weight and muscle I didnt want to lose, put alot of stress on my back and neck and joints being flipped and tossed around doing Aikido, pulled and strained groin and hamstring muscles snapping front kicks and throwing round house kicks during drills and on the heavy bag in karate, and even wearing all the pads and protective gear I risked other injuries while sparring / kickboxing. It was all alot of fun for sure, but definitely took its toll, and not the safest or most effective way to lose weight and build muscle from my experience. So, feel free to talk with me and discuss what you're looking for before making a decision to start a more high impact martial arts based program that other Kittanning personal trainers might offer.

Pricing... Sessions are paid monthly by the first of each month (cash or check), and some months will have 4 sessions while others could have 5 depending on what day of the week you choose to have your workout sessions.We can hold our sessions right in the comfort of your home or you can train with me at Alexander's Athletic Club in Harmarville, just 15 minutes from downtown Pittsburgh. Later on, I'll be training clients right in my home fitness studio. I'm currently offering full 1 hour weekly personal training sessions around Pittsburgh and Southwestern Pennsylvania including Armstrong, Allegheny, Butler, Indiana, and Westmoreland counties. Now accepting students in Kittanning and surrounding areas. One hour sessions are priced at $50. There is an additional $5 - $10 transportation charge if you live more than a half hour away, depending on the driving distance to your home. I am presently visiting the Boston area of New England and will be returning to my home state later this Spring at the end of April to offer personal training workout sessions around Pittsburgh, as I look forward to rebuilding my music studio and adding a new home fitness center/ personal training studio. Kittanning area clients... please call 724-472-5653 or email me at ronschaub87@hotmail.com to save your place for this Spring to enroll in personal training sessions. You can mail your initial payment to me at: Ron Schaub, P.O. Box 243, Burlington MA 01803 to hold your weekly timeslot. Please make your check payable to Ron Schaub. You are not obligated to continue your workout sessions any longer than you want to. You can just try them for one month to see how you like them. If you wish to continue, just let me know and pay your monthly program cost before the beginning of each month and I will keep coming each week to help you lose weight, get in better shape, and feel better and healthier. It's never to late to take care of yourself and improve your health, so give me a call and get started today!