“In my months working with Zack, I have seen many improvements in myself physically. Starting off with Zack, I couldn’t complete my workouts due to my back being unsupportive I remember always having to deal with pain from beginning to end because my back was so week. Zack took this into consideration and started working out and decompressing my back to make sure it got stronger but also stayed healthy and not overworked and now I don’t hardly feel the pain either never or at the very end of harder workouts. I’ve been weightlifting since I started high school and I’ve seen improvements but I’ve never had such fast Improvement to In my weak areas of lifting such as my squat over 3 years before I’d only gone up 100 lbs in the 3 months with Zack my squat jumped 50 lbs. my bench went up from 335 to 345 and that seems small but once you reach a high weight jumping up is very difficult and Zack helped me with that improvement. Lastly, I’m a Shot put and discus thrower with Zack’s workouts for speed days improving my speed in my spins and glides I have improved 20 feet this year in Disc and 4 feet in Shot. That has put me in a great advantage to win and score points for my team. I like the energy and the environment Zack had made for me at the gym he is enjoyable and a great people person and a great trainer and I would recommend him to anyone with any reason to get better.”

— Tanner, 18-year-old senior track and field athlete

“I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea with low oxygen of only 60% and had 27 episodes per hour, which meant that I did not get a good night's sleep. For 23 years, I felt like a zombie and had issues staying awake, even while driving. I had also gained weight due to low energy from lack of sleep and feeling horrible.

After my diagnosis, I was put on a CPAP machine that took care of the sleep apnea, and my oxygen level went up to 98%. I felt so much better just after one night on the CPAP machine. I started training with Zach the very next day.

In the past, I would work out, but only to hurt myself in the process. I would have to take some time to heal. Therefore, I would get out of the habit of going to the gym. I knew I did not want to injure myself this time around, so I scheduled an appointment with a personal trainer.

I was lucky enough to get Zack Chestnut as my trainer. In the beginning, Zack asked me what the reasoning was for wanting to train. I told him that I wanted to b able to retire in an active and healthy state and enjoy traveling without getting tired so easily and being out of shape; at this time, I remembered what my father had once told me, "If you don't have your health, you don't have anything. Little did I know what he truly meant until I hit this point in my life where I knew what I needed to do.

When I first joined the gym, I decided to work out three days a week, with one of those days training with Zack to meet my goals of getting into shape and losing weight. Zack has made all the difference in the world to my workouts. The positive motivation that he gives and his ability to keep the workouts creative and interesting have impacted my journey.

I believe that having a personal trainer has kept me from injuring myself and holding me accountable for pursuing my goals in fitness and eating healthy. Since working with zack, I have lost 30lbs, 5.3% body fat, and 10 and a half inches overall!”

— Russ

“For the longest time, I thought I needed to dedicate all of my time and energy to school and work or else I wouldn't be successful. When I turned 25, I finally realized how wrong this mentally was and didn't have to live this way. So, I searched for a better life balance.

After decades of living an extremely unhealthy life, I knew right away that adding exercise into my routine was urgent. I tried to pursue this on my own for a while without knowing or goals for my fitness. I remember my weight being as low as 117 lbs and not knowing what a macronutrient was. Working out during odd night hours and following no program or dietary plan produced no results.

About a year and a half ago, I met Zack at Anytime Fitness. It was clear to me from the moment I met its new trainer that \he was dedicated and passionate about health and fitness. He educated me about the importance of nutrition and the conjugate training method and offered me a free session. I immediately fell in love with this highly effective strength training program and signed up to have weekly sessions with Zack. The training sessions I have received during the last year and a half has changed my life.

Since adopting the conjugate training program into my life, I am now at a healthy weight of 160 lbs, and I am proud to say that I can bench press 225 lbs, squat around 325 lbs, and my recent deadlift was 365 lbs. I will not stop searching for my potential because, thanks to Zack, I have found my passion for lifting.”

— Andrew

For as long as I can remember, I have been overweight. I grew up trying to love myself and accept my body the way it was because I knew I was fairly active in extracurriculars and was doing my best to stay in shape. A torn ACL and hypothyroidism ensured I gained 60 lbs. For 3 months and suddenly I spiraled out of control. After years of new diagnosis adding up, and failing lifestyle change after a fad diet, I knew I had to take action or I was going to die young. I was creeping up on 300 lbs. by the age of 22.

After much crying and deliberating, I decided to get weight loss surgery to jumpstart my new life. I had tried everything in my power except human intervention. The process was grueling just to qualify and I was failing to follow the diet they gave me beforehand. I struggled to lose 10 lbs. They required me to lose before they would even consider me for surgery, but eventually (approximately 8 months into the journey) I was approved and had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. 70% of my stomach was cut off and removed. I thought that was the end of my struggles but boy was I WRONG.

I struggled with dragging myself to the gym to work out because the weight was just falling off of me. I couldn’t eat proper proportions and was running on purely sugar and caffeine. In March 2019, I reluctantly bought a membership to Anytime Fitness because I thought spending the money would force me to bring my butt into the gym, but I still only found myself there once or twice a week, and then not at all. Zack joined the gym and held a contest for a free month’s worth of personal training and I entered the contest because I love all things free. I won the contest but was hesitant to even accept the winnings because I didn’t have the drive. Zack took me in and spent a lot of one on one time with me getting to know how I work and think, and convinced me to continue working with him, due to the progress we saw from just one month of training.

Here we are almost a year later and I still work out with Zack! I have saved every workout we’ve ever done together because they are visual reminders of how far I’ve come. Not only is Zack my trainer, but he also works with me on all aspects of my life inside and outside the gym. I’m so grateful for the accountability aspect that he provides for me, otherwise, I would not be where I am today! He’s more than my trainer, he’s my friend and confidant. I highly suggest working with a trainer if you need that extra push.

Currently, I haven’t had caffeine since January 2020, I meal prep most weeks, I work out with Zack weekly, and he holds me accountable to come in when I’m not working with him as well.  I no longer have diabetes or sleep apnea! Every week in the gym I am hitting new PRs or things I never thought I could do, but most importantly I have a newfound confidence in myself. I know there is still plenty of work to be done and I believe in continuous growth but I’m incredibly proud of how much I’ve accomplished. I’m also incredibly thankful to be a part of Bloomington Anytime Fitness with their wonderful team of staff who keep me coming back in.

— Karina

Exercising has never been a significant part of my life. I have had phases where I get in a good routine, generally with training for a 5k or taking fitness classes, with mixed results and generally not lasting more than a few months. However, after turning 30, my metabolism started to slow and I gradually started to notice changes. Over time I went up 2 pants sizes and switched over to looser-fitting clothing. It wasn’t until I realized that my weight had entered the “overweight” category that I realized I needed to make a change.

                After getting burnt out on intense cardio from previous exercise programs, I knew that I needed to take a different approach this time around. I eventually landed on tennis as an enjoyable cardio activity that I could do with friends a couple of times a week. That, paired with calorie counting, started me on my current fitness journey. This combination helped me to lose 9 lbs over 4 months. Over time, it became increasingly difficult to schedule tennis sessions due to time constraints and weather. It was at this time that I saw an ad for a free personal training session at Anytime Fitness. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything to come of it, but my session with Zack convinced me to invest the time and money into continuing my fitness journey. Zack’s enthusiasm, motivation, and expertise have been a huge factor in my continued progress. In just 30 minute sessions twice a week, I have seen so much progress and have hardly ever dreaded going to the gym. Since starting with Zack, I have lost an additional 13 lbs in 5 months and have started seeing definition in my abs for the first time in my life. I am excited to continue my fitness journey with Zack!

— Anne

Zack has really changed my perspective on exercise as a whole. Never before have I enjoyed working out as much as I do now. It's something I actually look forward to doing, which has never been the case. I’ve had other trainers in the past, but none motivated me enough to keep it up. Not only does Zack constantly change up my workout routines and keep it new, but he is knowledgeable about the science behind the why. He really is the real deal! I'm so glad that I get to work out with him and learn from him!

— Charley