I started working with Jonathan in October 2014 with no idea what to expect. I had never worked with a trainer before, but I felt like I wasn't getting as much as I could out of my gym membership, and wanted to give the whole "serious fitness" thing a try. Jonathan asked all the right questions about my goals, history, and lifestyle, and came up with a very reasonable nutrition and training plan that was easy to follow consistently.
I was already active and in decent shape, so I wasn't sure how much I'd get out of working with a trainer; I thought I might lose a few pounds, learn how to lift weights properly, maybe get a little bit stronger.
Five months later, I basically look like I'm ready for Fight Club. I look like Tyler Durden, if Tyler Durden was a lady. That sounds weird. It's not. It's FANTASTIC. I'm also able to do two pull-ups and I'm working toward more, so take that, humiliating 5th grade Presidential Fitness Test that I couldn't pass and cried about.
Workouts are challenging but never boring, and I really appreciate having a source of straightforward, cheerful motivation, i.e. there is no "R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket"-style screaming involved. The best part is how personal and personalized everything feels; one of the things that makes the program so easy to follow is that it's uniquely tailored to my life.
Jonathan is incredibly knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition, gifted at creating a personalized program that evolves as you and your goals do, incredibly accessible and responsive to questions, and great at explaining the science behind his work if that's something you're curious about (although what's happened to my body still seems like dark, awesome sorcery.) Can't recommend him or Form from Function highly enough.
Jonathan is the first trainer I have worked with and I could not be happier. Jonathan combines a very thorough knowledge of physiology, nutrition and fitness, with a vast repertoire of lifts, movements and stretches. He does an outstanding job of motivating me to do more than I ever would on my own, has a great sense of humor, and is genuinely enthusiastic about my achievements.
When I first started working with Jonathan, my goal as a 47 year-old runner/cyclist was to build muscle without injury. What has so impressed me about Jonathan was how quickly he was able to asses my areas of muscular weakness and focus on both those areas and overall body strength, generate pretty impressive strength improvement (to me, at least), and avoid harming anything in the process. The variety of lifts keeps me engaged and I am thrilled with the results. As an aside, I train on my bike pretty frequently - Jonathan is very happy to work around and support my cycling schedule with complementary training or focus on other areas.
I have been a personal training client of Jonathan's for 2.5 years. As a massage therapist and former personal trainer with a competitive bodybuilding background, I am extremely satisfied with Jonathan's professionalism & inherent ability to work around my long-standing hip injury & impingement. He has helped me gain strength, build muscle, & a pain-free freedom of movement. His knowledge of anatomy & kinesiology and solid training principles keep my workouts challenging, exciting, & fresh! I consider Jonathan a great asset to my physical wellbeing!
Hi Jonathan. Back from vacation and wanted to send a note of thanks. Can't remember if I've EVER looked at a picture of myself from the beach and been happy with it until this trip! I know at the end of the month I wasn't able to get the photo application in the app to work so uploading a vacation pic here. Really happy and looking forward to more improvement throughout the coming months! Thanks again. Looking back at where I started and can't believe how far I've come!
I never thought of myself as an athletic person, in fact I resolved myself to never be able to be one of "those" people. Jonathan was the only trainer, and I tried several, that got me focused on building my strength and using that to reshape my body instead of the same ole and tried. The nutritional plan he set up is super straightforward and doesn't feel like depravation. The workouts are challenging but never unscalable. The change came on so quick I couldn't believe it. I wish someone told me about this 10 years ago, it would have saved me countless hours on treadmills, hunger and disappointment. Now I'm one of "those" people. I get excited hitting the gym, get to shamelessly take swim suit selfies and people ask ME what it is I do, and I always tell them about Jonathan. I really can't say enough about him. Plus he's really funny so he'll have you cracking up the entire time. Who knew fitness could be so much fun!
I started working with Jonathan a year ago after losing 70 pounds but hitting a plateau with dieting and cardio. He introduced me to using weights and tracking my diet as a revolutionary way to reach my goals. He made sure to explain why certain foods were needed before and after working out and took measurements as well as have me take pictures so we could track my progress. I lost 30 more pounds seeing him just twice a week and I'm able to set new goals for myself. He's a great trainer and I highly recommend to anyone looking to make changes. He's also a genuine good guy which makes it easy to trust his advice and spend a few hours working out with him.
Jon knows his materials. He is always sourcing outside the "doctrine" training methodology as well as orthodox knowledge. His acumen of training has had an affect on me specifically with squats and deadlifts and his application and constant experimentation (with himself) about dieting for lifting and alternative sources of macronutrients yields him a WIDE perspective of viable dieting options for every kind of client.
There are times when I'm angry with Jonathan for not being around a decade ago. If only I knew then what I know now I would have saved myself hours at the gym, being the girl always getting a salad with dressing on the side, and still ending up frustrated when my body wouldn't change. I spent my 20s going between skinny fat and seriously chubby ugh...but enough about me.
Jonathan really took time to understand my goals, lifestyle, habits etc. and created a truly personalized plan, nothing like those cookie cutter ones I got before, you know where you get just enough results but never anything substantial. My first goal was to get ab definition, we got there in 6 weeks and shortly thereafter hit my other goal of doing a full pull up on my own (I got teary on that one). Once I achieve something we set a new goal and come up with a plan to get there, and Jonathan is with you the entire time to help, adjust and support. He's really knowledgable but also super friendly and funny so he makes even most challenging workouts a pleasure and something to look forward to. Really I sort of want "a Jonathan" for my life lol. But seriously, I became so much more educated about fitness and nutrition...in my mid 30s I have the best body I ever had and my confidence is sky high!!!! Thank you Form From Function, I'd give them 10 stars if I could.
Jonathan is fantastic. He mixes up the workouts and creates variety to help keep me engaged. He is always mindful about how my body feels and is willing to adjust to help provide rehab. On top of all this, he has a great personality--- funny, fun He pushes without being pushy. I look forward to my workouts with him, although I am drenched at the end of each one. (How often does one say that?) I like working out with him so much that my wife and child care provider also train with him. Over the past year, I have gotten stronger, lost weight and am probably in the best shape I have been in nearly 10 years.
I have been training with Jonathan for about 8 months now and I should say it was one of my best decisions in my life. I have been suffering from lower back hernia for years and I was in constant pain but since I met Jonathan everything has changed. From the start he is pushing me to my limits and demand to work hard with heavy weights and that resulted in NEVER having any kind of pain. He is always focusing on my movements and teaches the perfect technique for every exercise. During my sessions he is 100% dedicated to his job and he always makes the training fun. I can only say great things about Jonathan and I would highly recommend him for everybody.
I have been working with Jonathan since October 2014. As a 47 year old male with a family, I had gotten away from working out for many years, but had re-engaged for the past 2+ years and was not getting the progress that I wanted and became extremely frustrated. I was at the stage of willing to try anything. I did not have any experience in working with a personal trainer so I conducted some research, found Jonathan and could not be happier with my selection.
Jonathan performed a comprehensive review of both my workout regimen and more importantly my dietary habits. His knowledge of both and the establishment of an integrated program has resulted in significant progress to date. I am down approximately 17 pounds, while lifting weights in certain exercises that I never thought possible. I am on the path to where I expect to be. Jonathan is 100% committed to your success. He knows how to get the most out of you, even more than you think you are capable of. I recommend Jonathan without hesitation to anyone looking for a personal trainer to reach their fitness goals.
If you are looking for a trainer to help you stay motivated and achieve results, this is your guy...
When I started working Jonathan in March, I was experiencing frequent tendinitis flare ups, had minimal desire to hit the gym on a regular basis, and couldn't jog a mile without stopping for a breather...
As I write this review I am looking back at all he's help me accomplish thus far:
Lost 20lbs, and 4 inches in my waist (38 to 34)
Work out consistently, and pain free!
ompeted in my first two obstacle course races and finished!!!
None of this would have been possible without Jonathan's guidance... He's very enthusiastic about his craft, and genuinely likes helping people... If you have hit a rut, or need someone to motivate you, I suggest you give him a call... You will not be disappointed.
Jonathan has deep technical knowledge of all aspects of fitness. He created a customized plan for my goals, that is aggressive, yet attainable! Workouts are always challenging(very), varied, and he pays close attention to form. He's super nice and patient--always giving detailed explanations, answering questions and giving truly useful suggestions! Very happy with my progress!!
What's great about Jon: Although he can coach at a very high level, he is also very sensitive to and knowledgeable about training around injuries or other constraints. In my case this was just a bad case of tennis elbow, but it was great to have someone who helped me keep training around the constraint, without putting recovery at risk. In face, he had more useful advice that the physical therapist that I saw. Jon is very generous with his time. He listens. And he clearly loves what he does, and seems to take the same pride in his clients' accomplishments as he does in his own. Highly recommended!
Jonathan ... designed a nutrition and exercise program for me that I undertook while packing up and apartment in Connecticut and a house in Ontario, to move to a new house in Connecticut. I found Jonathan to be giving of his time, good at asking the right questions to keep me on track, and informative when I had queries of my own. Over a 26 day period that I worked with Jonathan I lost 17.4lbs, which was a great jump start for me to get back into routines that I had established over the years. In the three months since Jonathan and I have formally worked together, he has periodically contacted me to check in and see how things were progressing. I would recommend Jonathan to anyone who was looking for an online trainer.