ACE certified personal trainer

Dan Ortel lightening bolt

Verified 8 Reviews
location-icon Virtual Training Only

About Dan

When you train with me we focus on building up your metabolism with what I call "Smart Resistance Training" as well as teaching you how to do "Smart Cardiovascular Training"; and helping you tweak your nutrition to target body fat. .The combination of these three components has resulted in dramatic weight loss for a whole lot of folks; check out my web-site. I train at several gyms in Carroll County and travel to meet clients in homes and businesses in all surrounding counties.


My favorite client story

A client named Tina dropped 50 pounds, 10 1/2 inches from her waist and 8 from her hips during her journey. The great part was the unsolicited compliments she kept getting. They helped keep her on track. She was often coming up to me between clients and asking for a quick weigh in and measure she was so motivated.

My favorite exercise

The stability ball plank. Your elbows are on the stability ball but your arms and hands are up off of the ball so your balancing on just your toes and your elbows on the ball. It's not as hard as it sounds but it really rocks all of your core muscles!

My favorite quote

You have to do some things that you don't feel like doing to be what you want to be. Patrick Morely, "The Man in the Mirror".

My training philosophy

When you train smart (smart resistance training, smart cardio, smart nutrition) you don't have to spend your life in the gym.

My training experience

Going on 20 years helping people lose weight, sculpt and tone, improve at their sport and relieve chronic pain.

Areas of Expertise

  • Strength Training
  • Weight Loss
  • Nutrition
  • Muscular Definition
  • Muscle Gain
  • Injury Prevention
  • Corrective Exercise

NCCA Accredited Certifications

ace certification ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Additional Certifications

The Biomechanics Method Certified Specialist

Education

BA in Psychology, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Who I Especially Like Working With

Bariatric, Brides-to-be, Disabled, LGBTQIA, Peri/Post-menopausal, Post-rehab, Pre/post-natal, Rehab, Seniors, Women, Youth

Medical Conditions Experience

ADHD, Arthritis, Asthma, Back Pain/Issues, Bone/Joint Injury, Cancer, Depression, Diabetes, Hypertension, Knee Pain/Issues, Obesity, Osteoporosis

My experience with Dan was both enjoyable and extremely successful. Never having seriously exercised before, he knowingly (and patiently) explained the program that would be best for me. He then proceeded to suggest a diet geared to my needs and aspirations, in conjunction with a good exercise program. I learned how to work out in numerous ways on numerous equipment. With Dan's knowledge and tutelage, I successfully lost the few pounds I needed to, eliminated painful areas of my body, increased my strength, all of which led to my general body fitness. Not only do I look better and feel better, I am more healthy, both physically and emotionally.

Anonymous

I used to avoid exercise like the plague. I strongly recommend Dan's free consultation. Recently, upon developing some pictures from a family visit I was shocked and embarrassed by how I’d let myself go. A good friend suggested we visit a Fitness Center in Hampstead, were we joined and took advantage of the free consultation with Dan. Dan was great, he gave us so much encouragement and information in the free consultation that my friend Joni and I decided to train with him for about a month. After a month Dan gave us a program including the exercises we had been doing with him and we continued training on our own but meeting with Dan once a month. In about three months, wow, what a difference! I’m down from a size 16 to a size 8! I feel great and I am so proud of myself! I actually enjoy coming to the gym now! Dan helped make fitness an enjoyable part of my lifestyle – hopefully for the rest of my life! Snap Fitness, and Dan have been wonderful additions to my life! Dan’s a miracle worker! Ok, close to a miracle worker. I had to do some hard work and make some changes but the help Dan provided made all the difference.

Penny W.

This is a long overdue thank you. After the birth of my third child, in four years, I found I didn't recognize myself as my 5'2" frame lumbered around at 185 lbs, nine months after my last baby's birth. As a new year’s resolution, I decided I was fed up not even fitting into my size 16 pants, and joined Snap Fitness, and took advantage of some Personal Training with Dan. With Dan’s help and continued guidance I have completely transformed myself! Thank you for all of your help Dan. Thanks for pushing me when I needed it during our training sessions.

Tina W.

I have been training with Dan for the last sixteen months. During this time, Dan has continually offered me excellent one on one supervision and instruction with my fitness training. Over this period of time I (and others!) have been able to easily recognize the benefits of my time spent working out with Dan. I thought working out would be boring and tough to stick to over time, but Dan has helped me to hang in there and now I really enjoy it. My best workouts are always with Dan. It is important to me to know that I am doing something positive for myself, but not at an unnecessary expense. Dan’s reliability and professionalism have made this one of the better choices I have made in some time. In the beginning, I relied heavily on Dan’s knowledge and skill to make my workouts much more efficient and productive. Now after seeing real results, it is still a solid investment to draw on his experience and coaching to take me to the next level!

Glenn B.

The unsolicited compliments my husband makes now regarding my body is so rewarding! Working with a Dan motivates me and pushes me to do that extra rep or try a harder exercise. My husband tells me this is money well spent! I feel more confident and sexy with my firmer, more muscular body. My doctor has commented on my flexibility and strength improvement, which is helping a lot with back and knee pain that I have experienced for years.

Theresa W.

Training with Dan was the best “bang for the buck” I can think of in a bunch of years! When first talking with Dan about training I told him a) I couldn’t afford it, b) I wouldn’t like lifting weights and c) I wouldn’t like the food he’d make me eat - and really miss my pizza and cheese steak lifestyle. Guess what? Dan met with me on a schedule that fit my budget (I could afford it), I now enjoy lifting weights as well as cardiovascular exercise and – WOW – I actually like the food! I’ve lost 29 pounds while gaining muscle (toned up considerably), my body fat dropped from 28% down to 18.6% and my waist went from 42 3/4 to 36 1/4. These results are tremendous, and in a very short time!

Walt F.

I just wanted to thank you for all your help! I felt great on my wedding day and I looked great also! My Husband says I looked “stunning” – thanks again!

Jen R.

Dan was great. Very knowledgeable and encouraging. So far so good!

Rita G.

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