"High Level Fitness literally changed our lives. My partner and I, both academics, who teach at the University of Pennsylvania, lead by necessity sedentary lives, work long hours (contrary to popular belief) and have to be alert. In my case, I work full time though well into my seventies. We had seen an extraordinary documentary on National Public Radio about geriatric therapies and about the way people over 90 can gain muscle tone by regular exercise. We knew that mental fitness rests on physical fitness and, though both of us had always kept fit, ate lightly and did not smoke, we had never considered that weight training could make such a difference.
A few days later we saw an article about Donna Brooks and “Super Slow” physical training. We booked an appointment and saw at once that it was no ordinary gym: no loud music, no self-obsessed pumping iron and no furious running in place nor pedaling on exercise bikes while listening to rock music; indeed, we saw almost nobody not training with an instructor. The four years have changed us physically. Though one cannot escape symptoms of ageing, I can do things – two sets of push-ups, weight and balance exercises – that I could not do in my twenties. My body looks better than it has ever done and my general fitness, alertness and mood have risen steadily. The trainers, ours is Michael Vasiliades, keep careful records of our weekly exercises, teach us technique and watch our performance. Last Friday, we did all the hardest exercises twice and at weights we had not done before. They change technical aspects. We now hardly use machines but work with free weights and physio balls, which demand balance, body control, concentration and flexibility. An excellent massage therapist, Anita Kraus, investigates our bodies with real diagnostic intensity. She finds the torn muscles and wounds that have produced pain over decades and restores circulation and movement.
We owe Donna Brooks and her team a great deal and, since I write for a living, I volunteered to do this piece by way of saying thank you for four years of really challenging and helpful training. This from two satisfied customers,”
Marion Kant and Jonathan Steinberg