AlstrupFITNESS

"I had the privledge of working with Erik about 14 ago before he became an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder. At the time, I was in my late twenties and frustrated with my training results. I had always dreamed of competing in bodybuilding and being on stage, but after many failed attempts at contest dieting I had given up on my dream. I lost confidence in myself and didn't believe I had what it took to get into competition shape..... and then I met Erik. It was a chance meeting at a small local health club and within minutes of our first encounter, Erik saw potential in my physique and committed me on the spot to train with him for an upcoming event. It was intense and unexpected, but very exciting. Someone actually believed in me! I had no idea if I could do it, but Erik's passion, enthusiasm and conviction was inspiring. Suddenly my dream was alive again!

Working with Erik in preparation for that show was an incredible experience. An accomplished athlete himself, Erik knows his stuff. I put my trust in him and I was amazed at my progress and transformation as the weeks went on. But more than the guidance and support through training and dieting, it was Erik's belief in me that helped me believe in myself which was truely transformational and a real turning point in my life. But it wasn't easy, Erik pushed me to take my fitness to the next level, to dig deep and find the inner strength to stay on course when the going got tough. Erik gives 110% and expects the same effort in return. He taught me the importance of having a vision for what it is you want to achieve, and developing the mindset of a winner. Four months after our fateful meeting, I proudly stepped on stage in my first physique contest and it was honestly one of the happiest moments of my life! Not only was I in my best ever physical condition, my confidence was restored and I felt like anything was possible. Today, 14 years later at the age of 41, i continue to enjoy a fitness lifestyle competing in "Figure" at the National and International level.

I think about those early days often and remember the passion, fire and determination that I witnessed in Erik that led him to become a Canadian National Bodybuilding Champion and IFBB professional. I was inspired by him then and continued to be inspired by what he has achieved since. Erik has had a lasting impact of my life. He was the best coach I ever had and I'm forever grateful to him for helping me find myself in fitness. Because of Erik, I'm living my dream! Thanks my friend!"

Michelle Matthews,
CBBF Figure Competitor
"SeriousAboutFitness" Elite Figure Model
www.seriousaboutfitness.com

Erik Alstrup has been the ultimate coach/trainer/Mentor! Under his guidance I have won 2 of the 3 competitions that I have entered. His knowledge and experience will propel any individual past their fitness goals. If you are serious about training or just beginning, Erik can & will help you attain your goals. Erik's education and practical knowledge speaks for it self, learn from the best...because information is only as good as the source it comes from!

Romano DaSilva
2007 OPA Windsor Cup 2nd place middle weight division
2008 UFE Halloween Mayhem Overall Champion
2009 UFE Spring Bash Middle Weight Winner

"I first met Erik as he was first toying with the idea of doing a triathlon. I learned that he had already done several duathlons (bike racing and running), and the limiting factor was the swimming. As we got to know each other better,it became apparent that we shared a common goal: Ironman.

Erik and I both had areas that we wanted to change and improve. Erik needed to improve his swimming (which was my background), and I needed to gain enough weight (and strength) to race in the "Clydesdale" category, and still account for all the calories that would be burned during the training involved. We agreed that the next 11 months would be dedicated to attaining these goals together.

Without Erik's help, I could not have a) stuck to my overall goal of completing the Ironman and b) have had the incredible extent of training knowledge behind me that it takes to transform one's body, exactly to what you want it to be.

I can honestly say that I have never enjoyed working in the gym, and on my fitness levels altogether, as the time spent with Erik. It's one thing to "talk the talk", but Erik proved to me that he is willing and capable of committing to the philosophies he speaks, as through his dedication, he was able to go from being a novice swimmer, to completing a 4 km open water swim in an ironman. You will never meet a more capable personal trainer than Erik."

When I first met Erik I was 22 years old, size 12, and 140 pounds and 28 percent body fat. I had no intention of bringing on a trainer but within weeks of being at my new gym I was intrigued by Erik's unique method of training that kept everyone excited and motivated.

He blew through the gym like no other trainer with energy and skill that left clients laughing and inspired and other trainers stealing his ideas to use as their own. I watched as he moved from exercise to exercise with what looked like little premeditation, while he kept his client in a whirlwind of activity after activity.

Erik mixed all different training styles and I rarely noticed him doing the same exercises twice. He kept his clients laughing and talking and it looked like so much fun I had to try it.

Within 6 months I was 125lbs, 15% body fat, inspired about life athletic modeling and training for my favorite new sport, adventure racing. After I set out to compete in theses 8-hour adventure races Erik changed the training regime to accommodate the terrain I would be traveling and the type of endurance I would have to exert during the races. I have not seen a trainer like Erik since. He is truly gifted and inspiring when it comes to athletics and life.

I now live in Vancouver and do a workout called Crossfit, it reminds me of the training I used to do with Erik. I always remember Erik fondly and how his energy and attention became the major catalyst to me becoming the happy healthy athletic person I am now.

Being fit makes me happy and Erik helped to inspired that in me, to be the best me I could be! I think I call him every couple of years to tell him this in person.

Thanks Erik, you're in my heart and I will never forget your inspiration!

In January of 2000, after 15 years of doing my daily jog for 25 minutes, at the age of 54 I felt fitter than most but certainly not a candidate for "Best Body of the Year"

A long time friend of mine suggested I see a trainer three days a week to work on my fitness. I initially dismissed the idea, but then thought maybe I would look better in my summer t-shirts, if I gave it a try.

In February of 2000 I began to work with Erik Alstrup as my personal trainer on a three day a week schedule (6 AM). Erik didn't have a lot to work with. Sure I was a regular jogger, but my upper body strength was pathetic to say the least. I recall that first day on the floor with Erik and we started with bench-presses. I was unable to press the weight of the bar (40 lb). I had a long way to go.

I was 5'10, 176 lb; not particularly overweight, but I did have a 36" waist. But I am a determined man and if I was scheduled to meet and pay for training sessions three days a week, then I was going to show up. Erik was, and is the perfect trainer. He teaches proper form, avoiding injuries, has a well-developed plan and a routine that is tailored for my body, my age and me. What else did Erik do for me in the Gym? He motivated me to do stay with it and encouraged me as small signs of improvement appeared. When people ask what was the greatest benefit of training with Erik and not just going to the Gym on my own as many people do.

Very simply;

He is a professional who knows his stuff and continually updates his knowledge. He is being paid by me and if I don't show up it costs me money. He uses a huge variety of exercises when working on different parts of the body. This is a huge advantage as mere mortals we only know and remember a few different routines and we often tire of them, get bored and quit. In the nearly 10 years I have been going to see Erik on a weekly basis, almost every day we do a set or two that we have never done before. He has encouraged me to push myself to areas and limits I never thought possible

Here I am 9 and a half years later, I'm now 64 years old, my weight is 185, but I have a 33-inch waist. I can press 165 lb and with Erik's training and guidance, I have run 8, 10K races, 5 Half Marathons and four full 26.2-mile marathons. I am still running 100 miles a month and showing up at the gym on a regular basis. I can touch my toes. I couldn't do that at 24 years of age.

The best way to describe what my years with Erik have been is to say it has been a life changing experience. It's very satisfying to have the physical accomplishments but the mental conditioning is a big part of it as well. I was running a slow 25 minutes every day and it was Erik who convinced me, and who then trained and then ran with me through organized races.

Once I started to run seriously (the difference between jogging and running is an entry form), I set my sights on running the "Holy Grail" of running; The Boston Marathon. And I wanted to qualify for it and run it at age 60. Many of my friends and medical people said I couldn't do it and that I would be worse off mentally when I failed to finish as thousands have; and it was debatable as to whether I could even qualify for it.

End of story - I did qualify with a time fast enough to gain entry and I finished the race at age 60. What does that all really mean to me? It means no one, ever again can say to me, "the task you have chosen for yourself is impossible" That alone is more than enough gratification and justification for working with Erik Alstrup these past nine years of my life and for many more years to come I hope.

Chuck McCoy
Radio Executive
Inductee, Canadian Music Hall of Fame

When I first started working with Erik I was underweight and making little progress in the gym because of repeated injuries. I had worked with another trainer and although I had learned some new exercises, I had actually lost weight, remained out of touch with my body and knew little about proper exercise technique. I often was not even sure I had injured myself and would continue using incorrect technique, making what injuries I had longer lasting and more severe.

Working out with Erik was and is an entirely different experience. He is very knowledgeable about every aspect of exercise and general physical health. When we began, and on an ongoing basis, he assessed and analyzed my technique in every exercise, my general physical state, my diet and my psychological investment in what I was doing.

Erik concluded that, unless my technique was bang-on and consistently attended to, I was liable to injure myself. He also modified certain exercises so that I received some benefits from them, while allowing a given injury to eventually heal. In the process, I got more in touch with my body, something I has not grown up with. I also learned to take what I was doing in the gym very seriously and maintain a strong focus throughout every exercise. As a result, I got more out of each exercise and kept my technique "clean".

With Erik's guidance, I increased my nutritional intake with a focus on proper protein and caloric levels and gained close to 20 lbs in less than 1 year. I got more rest and learned how to integrate my social routine with my workout routine and now provide the necessary attention to the task at hand as my primary focus.

At one point I sustained a serious back injury and was off work and out of the gym for over two months. I lost a lot of weight and most of the physical gains I had made with Erik. I could not see how working out would be of any benefit to me at this point and in fact, thought I could no longer exercise again. However, I met with Erik who, in turn, spoke to the physiotherapist working on my recovery. Erik modified my routine so as to minimize its impact on my back. What we both discovered as we went along was that not only could I do more in the gym than I though, but also that working out facilitated my recovery both physically and emotionally.

What I appreciate most about Erik is that he is fully invested in my workouts. He is right there with you, providing encouragement, feedback about technique and physical support, if need be. You end up doing your best with this kind of involvement, making a workout an exhilarating experience.

I've become increasing independent with regard to doing my routine, but I have maintained the positive results made while under Erik's guidance. As a result of his expertise, I am quite confident in the gym and can consistently do intense, safe and satisfying workouts. I am happy with how I look and feel I am in control of my body's appearance.

I remain injury free and enjoy a productive and healthy life!

Brian Katz

I have been a client of Erik's for more than seven years. Over the years that we have worked together, he has been instrumental in encouraging and motivating me to maintain a personal fitness program that meets the needs of my personal lifestyle and commitments and high pressure work demands as a legal counsel with the Ontario government. This included designing specific programs to meet my special needs following full hip replacement and major abdominal surgery, as well as my general changing physical needs as I approach retirement age. I have always been able to rely on Erik's professionalism and his constant support, tempered with a gentle discipline in ensuring that my programs are challenging and that I stay focused on those challenges when - left to my own devices - I would be tempted to take a less strenuous course.

Over the years, I have had many opportunities to observe other personal trainers and I have always had enormous confidence in Erik's knowledge about fitness and providing personal training services and his absolute commitment to helping his clients reach their optimal fitness levels while ensuring their health and safety. His professional and collegial interaction with other trainers also has always been part of Erik's personal style.

In summary, Erik is an expert trainer and I have no reservations in expressing my support of him and ALSTRUPFITNESS as your fitness authority.

I have known Erik since 2003, at which time he became my personal fitness trainer. At the time, I was 35 years old. Prior to Erik, I had been working out sporadically over a 14 year period. An intense career workload combined with a "Type A" personality made me shuffle fitness to a tertiary position relative to career matters and achievement. After much career success, 2002 provided me with an opportunity to shift to a new life path, one that also enabled me to dedicate much more time and motivation to fitness. And that's where Erik came in.

In 2003, I approached Erik about becoming a client. In speaking with a close associate of Erik's, prior to meeting with Erik, I came to learn about Erik's high level of professionalism and knowledge. At the inception of our fitness relationship, my physical statistics were: 6ft, 195 lbs, 16% body fat.

Erik's professionalism and knowledge were borne out very quickly. We had several consultation sessions in which Erik made a real effort to better understand my objectives in order to design a fitness strategy to get there. What was new to me was that exercise alone was not enough to reach my objectives. It would take other factors like diet, sleep, etc. Erik devised a dietary program for me and regularly reviewed my diet with me. My diet did not improve over night, but it did gradually improve, to the point today, where diet is the key foundation underlying my fitness program.

I made great progress. I gained weight (muscle mass) and improved my physical statistics to 6ft 203lbs,14% body fat. Erik was pivotal in coaching me through this improvement. He had always counseled me to be patient: that muscle mass gain would be one of the steps along a multi-step path that would later include fat reduction, as the strategy shifted to a new level.

With his encouragement, training, and fitness and dietary strategy, I continued to follow his program. Today, I am pleased that my physical statistics are 6ft, 187lbs, 9% body fat. I am very, very proud of this. I have the body I always wanted! I worked hard to get here. But I never could have got here without Erik.

I've always perceived Erik as a co-producer with me in this turnaround. He equipped me with the essential tools to get here.

And his approach - as a teacher, not trainer - is what was critical to our professional relationship. So many trners merely lead their clients to an exercise and demonstrate what to do. With Erik, I learn how to do an exercise, but so much more. I get an explanation beforehand and after hand of what we're trying to accomplish with an exercise, of how to do it on my own, on how to "feel" the exercise through my impacted muscle groups, how to maximize an exercise's benefit through specific strategies (e.g., full ranges of motion, flexing/feeling muscles throughout the movement, stretching at the appropriate time, etc.). I know I wouldn't get this with other trainers that I've observed. And I observe a lot.

For me, there is no equal to Erik. He is an expert in his field, and I don't say that word lightly because in my profession -- in management consulting -- becoming an "expert" in your field implies one is at the top 1-2% of people in their class on the dimensions of knowledge and capability.

In the end, while one can apply the term "trainer" to Erik, Erik is so much more: he is a teacher, a motivator, a fitness strategist, a fitness expert that continuously improves his knowledge. He never rests on his laurels; he continues to build his knowledge base and expertise. He is a student of the industry.

Ironically, as much as Erik has done for me over the last 5 years, I now believe he is as helpful to me now as he was 5 years ago. He was the crucial building block in getting me to where I am now. And now that I am at a significantly more advanced stage of fitness capability and performance, I need Erik now as much as I did before. In my opinion, other trainers I've observed at various gyms that I have belonged to couldn't help me now. Only Erik has the advanced knowledge that can connect with where I am now and plan to go. Inspirationally, I almost have the inclination to be a trainer myself! ... as Erik has inculcated me with a fitness tool kit and knowledge set that allows me to know what it takes to be a world class trainer.

I recommend Erik with enthusiasm and 110% support. He is a world-class fitness professional that proudly represents himself and his industry. He is a role model for other aspiring trainers to follow.

I met Erik in the Spring of 2009 at a bodybuilding competition where one of his athletes was competing. Within a few minutes of conversation, I realized that Erik's knowledge and experience in this sport was far superior than any one I had met in the industry. Later that year I attended a bodybuilding competition in Toronto where Erik took home the Overall Male bodybuilding title. We went backstage to meet him and it honestly felt as if I was part of the show. I instantly felt motivated and inspired to do the same. I wanted to compete but was afraid to commit to it. Questions such as "Will I be able to survive such a diet?...Do I have the potential to get really lean?...Do I need to add more size to my frame before considering doing a show?" passed through my mind and only one person had the answers to them.

A few days later, I contacted Erik regarding a visual on my current physique. We met at his studio and he did a complete body analysis including measurements on myself. He then gave me some options based on his observations, one being competing at the end of the year. I thought about it and then committed a few days later to doing a show. We met again and reviewed my current training and diet regime and what the new changes would be. We met often where Erik would take a look at my physique and make necessary changes based on my progress. Anytime I had questions regarding the new changes, Erik always answered them in a professional, confident and comforting manner. He always had answers and reasons for his modifications. He knew what was going to happen and when it was going to happen. He knew exactly how I was feeling at certain stages throughout the diet and whether I was ahead, on track or behind schedule. As I got closer to the show date, Erik would meet with me more regularly because at that point he needed to keep a close eye on myself as the body could change on a daily basis! I ended up placing 3rd and even though it was not first, I was more than thrilled with my progress and how far I had come. It was the most interesting journey and challenge I had ever taken on and Erik made it that much better with his support and passion for the sport.

Erik's professionalism and interpersonal skills result in his ability to take a persons current physique and transform it into a beautiful piece of art! His individualized approach makes it possible for all body types and genders to produce great results. I would recommend anyone who is looking for a coach either to help them prepare for a competition, lose a few pounds, get back in shape or just get over that plateau to contact Erik Alstrup!

Thank you Erik!!