Clients are realizing profound results and getting into the best shape of their lives
By Patricia Nugent
May is the month to welcome summer, plant your annuals, dust off your golf clubs, buy your pool pass and venture into the darkest depths of your closet to pull out last year’s shorts and bathing suits. If the fit seems to be a little snug, don’t waste your precious time worrying about it (or investing in a really, really big cover-up). Turn to the professional trainers and elite one-on-one protocol in the plush private exercise suites at Higher Heights Fitness in Brecksville.
“Knowledge is power when it comes to customizing a program that will produce the best results for each individual,” says owner and trainer Kyle Hotz. “We begin with a comprehensive assessment, getting a person’s health numbers (weight, BMI, water weight, muscle mass and more), doing a strength test, and talking about their capabilities and goals. Then every six to eight weeks after that we reassess to make sure they are making progress.”
What is Functional Training?
You will not find the same equipment at Higher Heights that you would at a regular gym, and for good reason.
“With standard gym equipment, the mechanism moves on its own, with the person exerting energy to move it,” he explains. “Our equipment, such as battle ropes, medicine balls or weights, does not move. People have to execute full functional movements to make the change happen. We also do a lot of combination movements and TRX-suspension training, using a person’s body weight to make the movements more challenging and torch more calories.”
In this and many other ways, they are the opposite of a big gym, where you can feel like a number.
“Our staff acts like family to each other and to our clients,” he says. “When you walk in, everyone knows your name. The atmosphere is personable and supportive.”
The level of intensity is also a game-changer here.
“With private, walled-off training suites, there are no distractions or wasted time,” he says.
As the perfect complement to training, Kyle reports they plan to kick off a nutritional counseling program geared toward helping clients track their eating habits and make better choices.
Double Deal
Kyle believes in the power of connecting, especially when it comes to training. That’s why he came up with the two-for-one pricing policy. Whether you are husband/wife, boyfriend/girlfriend, mother/daughter, father/son, siblings, BFFs or any combination of the above, if you sign up together, you train at the same time for the cost of one person.
“We see it time and again, people get better results when they buddy up,” says Kyle. “They tend to push each other to succeed and get more bang for their buck. And even when it gets competitive, that’s a good thing. Everyone wins.”
In addition to private sessions, the studio also runs small group classes, with a maximum of four clients, in a fun, fast-paced HIIT style.
“There are set days and times we have them to fit with peoples’ schedules,” he says. “And some clients enjoy mixing their week up with both group and private sessions for a change of pace.”
Higher Heights Fitness is located at 8251 Chippewa Road in the back of the Heinen’s Plaza in Brecksville. Hours are Monday through Friday, 5:00 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 6:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.; closed on Sunday. The studio is partnering with Juice Lab, a local smoothie shop, to offer specials to its members. For more information, call 440-630-9497, or visit the website at HigherHeightsFitness.com.