With just two twenty-minute workouts per week, you can change the way you look, feel, and thrive

By Patricia Nugent

Not many families can claim to have five generations living at the same time. It takes a combination of healthy living and a robust gene pool.

If you ask Rick Trivisonno his family’s secret to longevity, the answer is an easy one: staying active and loving life.

“My mother is 90, my Nonni (grandmother) lived to be 96,” says Rick, who is 68 and plans to reach those numbers one day. With three children and six grandchildren, he’s well on his way to being a fifth gen himself. “The people in my family are always moving forward, physically and spiritually.”

Having grown up in Little Italy, he says he’s always been very active, participating in football, basketball and track at Mayfield High School and working out in gyms as an adult. He worked as an electrician in the family business, Trivisonno Electric, eventually taking it over when his father retired.

“The older I got, though, the less I liked going to the gym. It was so noisy and crowded,” he says. “I struggled to stay in shape and knew I needed a professional. Back in 2019, I read about MaxStrength Fitness in the newspaper and the concept was intriguing. I decided it was a good fit for me. At first I was skeptical that two 20-minute sessions per week led by a personal trainer would be enough, but after one workout I realized how different MSF was from anything else I’ve ever done.”

Slow, Controlled Movements
Rick has lost about 20 pounds but says the gain in muscle tone is what he loves about training here.

“The goal of the workouts here is to completely fatigue the muscles so they can rebuild,” he explains. “Each movement is ultra-slow and controlled, and the equipment is specialized. The concept works.”

An avid cyclist, Rick says a nasty fall that led to a separated triceps muscle and reattachment surgery did not slow his workouts down.

“Cassie Pryor, my trainer, was amazing,” he says. “She created workouts to build strength without doing any more harm to the injury. I was back on my bike and felt confident about the rides. I like and need to be pushed, and this is where the people at MaxStrength excel. They have all my exercises charted and use that information to make incremental increases in strength.”

After seeing his results, Rick’s wife of 46 years, Wendy, decided to join MaxStrength, too, and is enjoying the experience.

“We both have increased energy and flexibility, what you need when running around after your grandkids all the time,” he says. “I’m thankful the trainers are so motivating and keep us on our toes. Sometimes people find themselves in a rut, maybe their life has slowed down. I say you’ve got to keep moving.”

Muscle and Bone Strength
Osteoporosis affects one in five women over the age of 50. With this diagnosis comes the prospect of falls and broken bones. Fortunately, you have the power to stop it—and prevent it—through strength training.

According to a study from the Harvard Medical School, “Activities that put stress on bones can nudge bone-forming cells into action. That stress comes from the tugging and pushing on bone that occur during strength training (as well as weight-bearing aerobic exercises like walking or running). The result is stronger, denser bones.”

When he was formulating the research-based protocol at MaxStrength Fitness, founder Jeff Tomaszewski made bone density one of the factors he addressed. His efforts were successful. He says it’s not uncommon for clients with osteoporosis to either significantly slow down the progression of bone loss, stop it or even reverse it, allowing them to drop their medications.

During private, one-on-one sessions, the professional trainers provide clients with the proper form and techniques that are designed to build bone and prevent injury.

“The loss of muscle mass as people age causes a cascade of negative health effects in the body, including bone density decline,” says Jeff. “Our goal is to reverse that, for our clients to actually gain muscle mass as they age gracefully.”

Aging doesn’t have to be a process of continuing decline. Many clients at MaxStrength report they are in the best shape of their lives and look forward to their golden years.

MaxStrength Fitness is located at 4212 State Route 306 in Willoughby. Call 440-226-8080 and at 2211 Crocker Road in Westlake, 440-835-9090 or for more information or to view more testimonials, visit MaxStrengthFitness.com.