Ernest N. Spurlock

Working with Ernest is both fun and challenging without any intimidation. You won’t meet a nicer guy with so much knowledge and experience about physical well-being and improving one’s self-image through exercise and a healthy diet and lifestyle. If you see this guy, you know he practices what he preaches. The guy is in amazing shape, and that only makes you wanna try harder. Like any first-rate teacher, Ernest knows how to work with each individual person’s strengths and weaknesses to achieve the best possible outcome. He’ll make adjustments to his workout plans to help you achieve your goals without you feeling stupid or ashamed or just plain unmotivated.

 

I've been working with Ernest as my personal trainer for 8 months. I am also a frequent attendee of his combat class. I’ve not only gotten stronger, faster, thinner, but I also feel great about myself again. The actual workouts themselves are amazing. Ernest always has new exercises and ways to improve your strength and cardio. He mixes up all the different workouts so you don’t get bored doing the same things over and over. There is a huge variety to what he does. I also like the fact that almost every exercise he teaches you can be done in your own home. I never knew I could work so hard using so little equipment. I’ve learned it’s not all about just machines and pumping out reps. There are many natural ways to work your core and strengthen your muscles without have to sit on a machine. This approach definitely helps lower the intimidation factor in exercising at a gym.

 

Come on, who wants to sit on a bench-press lifting an “embarrassing” weight when the Incredible Hulk is next to you benching 500 pounds? For me, I’ve been decent my entire life about exercise but absolutely terrible about a healthy diet. As a result, I got up to 250 pounds at 6’2”. My gut was outta control. You know your gut is too big when you can feel it jiggle when driving your car. I got to the point I knew something had to be done. I joined Gold’s Gym and for a month I kinda did my own thing. One day, I went upstairs to work out and hide from all the beefcakes downstairs. I looked in one of the rooms and saw a bunch of people laughing and having fun while working out. I was intrigued. Turns out, it was Ernest’s combat class. He saw me looking in and invited me to participate. One session and I was hooked. I never knew exercising could be so much fun. It really motivated me. Each class is a little different while focusing on core strength, cardio, and even overall strength. The hour-long class goes by in a heartbeat. I find myself sad that it’s over.

 

One last point about diet, from day one Ernest urged the importance of BOTH diet and exercise. For months I just worked out but still ate the garbage I’ve lived on for years. Don’t get me wrong, I saw the muscle definition, and I noticed the increased strength, but I was still a bit fat. Finally, one training session, Ernest challenged me to eat healthy for just one month. I quit drinking soda. I stopped the candy, sweets, and deep fried foods. Talk about hard! However, in just one month, I lost 16 pounds and at least four inches from my waist. I even saw abs in the mirror for the first time in years. I went down two pants sizes, and, most importantly, I felt great. I was able to buy new clothes and fit in stuff that hadn’t fit in years. I even didn’t feel ashamed to take my shirt off. All of these results were from simple suggestions Ernest provided about eating and living healthy.

 

Couple the diet with Ernest’s brand of exercise and I feel like I’m 30 again instead of 42. Plus, I sleep like a baby now. Again, Ernest is an outstanding personal trainer and fitness instructor. He leads by example and never makes you feel stupid or intimidated. Everything he does is to make you a better you, a person who looks in the mirror and says “You look marvelous”. (A little shout out to Billy Crystal). In all seriousness, Ernest is a top-notch person who just happens to be one of the best trainers out there. He’s a motivational expert. When was the last time you had a blast while exercising with a smile on your face? If you can’t remember, try working with Ernest for even one session. You’ll be in the best of moods afterward. You won’t regret it.