Amber Q

I’ve just started implementing the GPS Mastery system this week, and already I feel the
stress melting away knowing I have a plan in place.

The course helped me to maximize my potential by prioritizing goals and breaking them down into very small steps. Even large, seemingly overwhelming, projects and goals were then able to fit into very small amounts of time.
With the proper mindset techniques and new habit-forming skills learned, those tasks are much easier to accomplish.

A couple of years ago I injured my back while training for a marathon. Initially I thought rest and ice would take care of it – it didn’t. I tried going to a chiropractor with no relief. Eventually, my doctor sent me to physical therapy where I received ultrasound treatments and was taught various stretching and strengthening exercises. The PT provided some relief, but I was still frustrated at my lack of progress as I had a nearly constant nagging pain, especially when I sat for long periods. I spent a lot of time self-diagnosing. An article in a running magazine suggested that one common cause of lower back pain in runners was an injury to the piriformis muscle in the lower back and buttocks. It quite literally is described as a “pain in the butt.” I decided this must be it. At the end of 2009, I started working with Katrina Yniguez at sac. I explained to her my desire to get back to running, and my belief that my piriformis was causing my back pain.

Katrina conducted an assessment of my biomechanics and immediately prescribed some corrective exercises for my leg and back muscles. She also started me foam rolling (deep tissue massage) my piriformis muscle and other muscle groups. At first I thought she was crazy as the exercises she had me doing were very easy and seemingly unrelated to my back. Katrina explained, however, that strengthening these muscle groups would improve my biomechanics and ultimately reduce the risk for future injury. I persisted.

Eventually, Katrina stopped being crazy and started being just plain mean. Although always pleasant and upbeat, she had obviously decided at some point that the corrective exercises were not needed anymore, and it was time to start the hard stuff. Now, twice a week, she puts me through my paces with core-focused exercises that primarily work my back, legs and chest. I never look forward to the tough workouts, but I always am glad that I did them after they are through. The good news? My back pain is almost completely gone and, when it occasionally returns, I know exactly what to do to get rid of it. I’m now back to regular running, pain-free.

I appreciate Katrina’s ability to listen to what I thought was happening to my body and to design a program that would target the needed areas. It has been great working with her. She is great to work with and always has a positive attitude, and I’ve discovered she’s not really that mean (well, she kind of is).”

A couple of years ago I enrolled in Dave Boivin’s winter golf program. Dave emphasized stretching, posture and balance. He also paid close attention to developing a consistent swing plane. I was surprised that these sessions could make such a difference. You see, our class never once hit a golf ball – instead sticking to the fundamentals of the swing. When I began playing again in early April, I found my iron play was the most accurate I had ever experienced. By mid-summer my handicap had dropped by 5 full strokes – to the lowest point since I had begun playing. I decided to take the course for the next two consecutive winters.

This past fall I had developed some disabling low-back pain – probably caused by years of long distance running combined with never stretching properly. As a result, I had stopped running altogether and had limited my golf play. I could not execute a full golf swing without considerable pain. I often could not complete the full 18 holes. My handicap ballooned to the highest level in twenty years. I signed up with Katrina Yniguez as my personal trainer. Katrina carefully experimented with exercises that strengthened my core muscles and significantly increased my range of motion. I have now begun to run again though not as far as before. I have also rejoined my regular foursome in golf and play as frequently as I did before the back pain had intensified. While I must now do a series of exercises every day (or suffer the consequences) the level of pain has diminished markedly and I am no longer restricted in my daily activities. My golf swing has been modified somewhat to minimize the stress on my back, but distance and accuracy have returned. Handicap is dropping rapidly.

A TRX workout with Katrina is one of my favorite ways to strength train. The suspended equipment allows for a ton of versatility and option with regard to both upper and lower body exercises. With the guidance of Katrina who oversees correct form, I am able to strength train using my own body weight which feels like a more balanced and effective way to build muscle. Using TRX equipment, I feel less likely to get injured than I do with certain free weights and Cybex equipment. It provides great results and is enjoyable in the process.

I met Katrina through a golf program at Seattle athletic club. I am an avid golfer and squash player. Ever since I started playing squash 6 years ago at age 40, I have struggled with back pain, which negatively affected my squash, golf, and life in general. You would think I would just quit playing squash, but I enjoy the workout and the game to much. Instead, I have seen chiropractors, massage therapists, acupuncturists as well as stretched, but the most effective thing I have done was to work with Katrina. In the beginning she gave me an assessment which identified my weaknesses and then she prescribed corrective exercises. She then gave me workouts that were increasingly challenging including TRX suspension training. After several months of working with Katrina I now enjoy golf pain free, I hit the ball farther, and my handicap has dropped three strokes from a 10 to a 7 (the lowest it has ever been). Squash still aggravates my body, but I now know how to manage it with targeted exercises, stretching and foam rolling such that I rarely have back pain anymore.