I'm Silke and I'm a NESTA certified personal trainer.  A bit about my backgrond: I've been into sports since I was a teen. At age 15, I joined a gym, started with weight exercises and cardio. Later on, I got into Yoga, martial arts (Wushu) and Pilates. I also do spinning and hiking and I used to play a little basketball. To me, exercising is so much more than just being fit or looking good in a bathing suit. I just love the way I feel when I work out, physically and mentally. Martial arts taught me a lot about the mental aspect of training. I'm also passionate about nutrition, and while I don't have a degree in that (yet) I do have a lot of nutritional knowledge.

I initially helped friends with workouts privately and that motivated me to get a licence as a trainer. When I work with others, nothing gives me greater joy than seeing their transformation on every level. I love the fact that I can help people to get healthier [or overcome or improve specific health issues] and feel better or become a master in skill related training. It's just amazing to see people reach their goals and to be part of that journey.

In the first session I'll do some evaluations and we discuss your goals. After that, I will start you on some customized exercises, specifically tailored to your goals, needs and abilities. Furthermore, I will create a plan for future workouts. Last, not least, I will make sure that you'll have fun! Workouts should always be fun, never feel like a chore.

Since I had a couple of sports injuries, I also learned a lot about recovery and what one can do to speed up the healing process. So if you have any health issues or you're dealing with a sports injury, I will come up with a plan that will help you heal faster.

I also discovered [almost by accident] how to get rid of cellulite. I'm using a unique combination of exercises to melt away the dimpled skin. I've done that with several clients and the results were amazing!

My favorite client story

"I had a goal to meet. I had to get into a dress for my wedding day. I tried dieting and exercising but nothing worked. The task seemed unsurmountable. Silke came to my rescue and created a rigid regimen to lose the inches that I needed to fit into my dream dress. Through a strict diet and exercise and her not letting me give up on my goal, I succeeded. Without her guidance, knowledge, and tenacity I would have never achieved my happy day. Walking down the isle, I have never felt more fit and healthy in my life." - Victoria S., Los Angeles

My favorite exercise

That's a tough one, there are so many. I'll pick two:

A partner exercise from Wushu: You sit across from each other counter opposite feet cross at the ankle and you go in a circular motion from left to right and vice versa. One of the best exercises to correct hips issues, weak leg muscles, ect.

And I love the plank because it works out the whole body.

My favorite quote

"Knowing is not enough, you must apply. Willing is not enough you must do." - Bruce Lee

My training philosophy

First and foremost, training is supposed to be functional. That means we as humans often need to be retrained because of our lifestyles. Our bodies are not designed to sit all day but since a lot of jobs entail that, it is important to counterbalance that to keep the body functioning properly. Functional exercises means moves that we also ideally apply in every day life, often multi-planar and often done with body weight.

Exercising is at least 30 percent a mental thing. You will progress much faster in any exercise when you're in the right mind frame. This is only partially a focus issue; it has a lot to do with "not thinking." Bodies have a learning curve in which they pick up what's needed for a particular exercise but if the mind distracts the body, it will take you that much longer to adapt to a new routine. To me, this is one of the most important elements as a trainer - you need to be very aware of what's going on in the client's mind - is he/she distracted or in the moment?

My training experience

I've trained people privately for some years and the types of clients had varied a lot. Most people have some kind of physical imbalance, often in the spine or in the hips. I worked a lot with people who needed corrections in these areas. Weight loss is another big theme and improving cardiovascular fitness. I often combine different exercises from different backgrounds and I keep adjusting those to whatever the client responds to in a certain way.