I found Eagle Alley Gym and Coach Doug just under a year ago now. While I was hopeful that finding a personal trainer could be helpful to my chronic lower back pain for the last 10 years, I felt increasingly resigned to my orthopedist’s recommendation of likely needing my second back surgery before turning 37. Prior to finding Eagle Alley, I tried it all (surgery, physical therapy, injections, chiropractor, and acupuncture). During my first meeting with Doug, he expressed confidence that he could help me and even though every other specialist I had seen presented similarly, I am beyond grateful to share that I have avoided that second surgery and my work with him over the last year has been the most helpful thing for my back in over a decade of attempts and half measures.
During my weekly personal training sessions with Doug, I have made tremendous progress. When I first arrived, I weighed in at 175 pounds and was facing debilitating lower back pain and sciatica pain a few times a month to the point where I was virtually bedridden two weekends a month. I am now weighing in at 190 pounds with noticeable muscle added and while I still have some back pain here and there, it’s significantly more manageable. From my first workout through my workout last week, Doug really cares about my development and consistently finds the right workout and/or modifications to ensure that I am making gains without hurting back. His approach and attitude make each workout and movement challenging yet extremely satisfying to see my results improve quite a bit over time.
Doug is a great teacher and emphasizes the importance of safely performing each movement and will often correct my movements as needed to ensure optimal results. My weekly workouts have become something I look forward to and has led me to start working out at home and generally having the confidence to workout more often overall. My experience at Eagle Alley Gym has been truly live changing. In the coming months, I am looking forward to joining the Eagle Alley Cross Fit classes and increasing my at-home workouts.