Testimonials

Chase Rose, St. Charles Missouri

After playing soccer through high school, I needed something to feed my competitive edge once I graduated.  I was introduced to several personal trainers throughout my first year or so of weight training, but none seemed as serious as I did.  For example, it felt like each trainer was working their routine 9-5 job and once the session was over, we would schedule for next time and move on.  This all changed when I was introduced to Rocky.  As an accomplished competitor himself, I knew that this guy knew how to get on stage.  I knew that I someday wanted to compete, so the process began four years ago.  I stood at about 5”10 and 155 pounds.  It was evident that if I wanted to step on stage, it would be quite a project.  Rocky started me from scratch and walked me through each intricate detail on every workout, ensuring that I would be getting the most out my sessions.  What made him different than the other trainers I had worked with in the past was that our sessions didn't end in the gym.  After developing a thorough nutrition program for me, he was always readily available by phone to answer any questions that I may have had.  A few years later, standing at the same height, now 185 pounds, I decided that it was time to compete.  The challenge here is that I was now in college out in St. Louis, Missouri, while my trainer remained in Ohio.  I knew that the road ahead would be tough, as I would be prepping for my first two physique shows out of a dorm room.  This meant no stove, no oven, no kitchen— just a microwave.  Rocky was able to give me suggestions for meals that would both satisfy my macros while maintaining a college budget.  During the beginning of prep, we would adjust training and diet based on weekly “check-ins” where I would send him pictures of my progress.  Additionally, I was held accountable if I didn't send these updates on time.  Rocky sees his clients as a reflection of his ability and he made it very clear that he cares about my progress.  Through this, we developed a personal relationship that felt like we were both working to achieve the same goal.  During the toughest times of contest prep, the late nights in the gym, the cravings, I knew that I would always have at least one person to fall back on.  As peak week approached, it was incredible to me that Rocky was able to manipulate my macro-nutrients based solely off of the pictures I was sending him.  Not a day went by that he wasn't in contact with me or at least asking how I was feeling and he always managed to make sure that I was mentally stable as well throughout the process.    Through FaceTime, Rocco put the finishing touches on my posing and I was headed for my first show in St Louis.  Two weeks later, I competed in my first NPC show in Cleveland.  The gratification and accomplishment of competing in these two shows is a feeling that I would've never imagined to be possible 4 years ago.  I chose the trainer that wanted me to be successful as much as I did and that is why we were successful together.