Why did you decide to open a gym?

I decided to take over Ultrafit because I was once a member, and it was not like any other gym.  In fact, it was not a gym, but a preventative alternative to illness.  The founder of Ultrafit was a medical internist physician who knew first hand the ailments plaguing the nation.  He knew most of these deadly illnesses could have been prevented. By the time he got them it was sometimes too late.  We continue in the same philosophy, it makes my live so fulfilling to help an 82 year old client be able to walk again, or give a 16 year old the confidence that exercise can bring.  We just don’t "lift Weights" and do "aerobics" classes, we are a medically based fitness facility.

What type of obstacles did you have to overcome when you first started and how did you overcome them?

My first major obstacle when I took over Ultrafit was probably my age.  Imaging being 26 years old telling an old World War II vet how we are going to help him through exercise.  Also, imagine if you had medical physicians, Chiropractors, and Physical Assistants who call you boss.  These guys spent years getting their licenses and are very respected individuals. Having them as employees was interesting to say the least.  Another obstacle that I can recall was trying to live up the expectations that Ultrafit was.  I loved this place and all that it stood for. Now it’s mine and I was so nervous to get things right.  When I came to Harlingen, I made a mistake and veered away from the medical and went to a younger crowd. Boy was I wrong.  So I went back to what Ultrafit truly was and now we are once again a medically based fitness facility.

What amenities and services do you currently offer?

We now offer medically based weight loss programs.  Our trainers and physicians work hand in hand to bring our client the best and latest sciences of weight loss. So, our client has the best of both worlds.  For instance, we can do blood work to see what is lacking hormonally, and other aspects such as thyroid health, etc, and use that information to design the best optimal program.  As we all know, if your thyroid is a little slow, it doesn’t matter what you do, you will never loss the weight you need, it will be next to impossible, leaving the client in most gyms and clients of most personal trainers frustrated. Although the trainers mean well, they just don’t have our experience expertise or medical professionals to asset them.  Hormonal imbalances can be corrected by either supplementing with bio-identical hormones and/or proper dieting for that condition and/or proper use of weight training to trigger these responses.

What amenities and/or services are you adding in the near future?

A family orientated, diversified, and medically based fitness facility.  We have so much in store and will be offering so many different things but as of right now, we will keep you posted.

Can you go into the details about the medical center you are opening?

Our medical facility will be working hand in hand with our fitness facility to bring the most comprehensive medically based weight loss and prevention of today’s debilitating diseases such as diabetes - heart disease - etc.  It will be a full service medical facility.  We are really looking forward to bringing Ultrafit back to its roots.  Ultrafit first opened back in 1982. So, Ultrafit has been around for some time.  We have countless testimonials and success stories that what we do works.

What are the costs for members and non-members?

Well as of right now ( 4/3/07) they are as follows;

Basic membership - $49.00 a month

Semi private - $199.00 a month

Private lessons - with me writing the programs and nutritional analysis but one of our training staff doing the training - $299.00

Working with me personally - $499.00 - $699.00 monthly depends on what you want to accomplish. 

People always ask me, “why I charge more than any other gym in the area?” My answer is usually this, “besides you getting what you pay for, it keeps just anybody from being a member of our facility.  I could give my gym away like my competitors and be packed to the gills, but I prefer fewer clients paying more than more clients paying less.  You don’t have to wait for a machine or get a ticket to use a tread.  I like that and my clients like that.”  So actually you could say I sell convenience!

Joe, you told me you teach Karate there twice a week. Please, tell us about your styles and explain why they benefit people.

I actually don’t teach no more, you could say "I have officially retired" and I am dedicating myself to my rehab/personal training/ and our new medical clinic.  I have been teaching martial arts professionally for almost 20 years now, as an assistant, then as a school owner.  I still have the school but my senior student does all the teaching.  I teach him how to teach more affectively and I’m still the one to test the students to their next belt levels. As for teaching I just have to much on my plate. 

As for my styles I have black belt ranks in the following disciplines;

5'th degree tae-kwon-do

5'th degree hap-ki-do

3'rd degree in nei-wei-chia kung-fu

1'st degree under the "international Vale Tudo Alliance"

I am also a member of a very prestigious organization called C.B.I.I.

Chinese Boxing Institute International and Chen Style Tai-Chi Chuan

with extensive knowledge in the following systems of C.B.I.I.

1.  Wing-Chun

2. Walu

3.  Chen Tai-Chi

4.  Fukien White Crane

5.  Bagua

I’ve also studied Japanese and Brazilian jiu-jitsu - muay Thai kick boxing - Western boxing - and American and European kickboxing. 

That’s a lot of stuff isn’t it?  I never really wrote it down before, because I really don’t discuss what my accomplishments are, I am more concerned on how I can help little Johnny be more confident!

Besides the amenities and services you offer, is there any other reasons why someone would want to be a member of Ultrafit.

Interesting question.  Dawn and I, what we offer is very unique indeed.  We find great joy in helping an 86 year old lady who has never worked out before; improve the quality of her life. For example she can open jars more efficiently and walk to her mail box without having to stop and catch her breathe.  I find it a privilege in helping those who need it the most, the elderly, the overweight, the teenage kid who feels embarrassed about his/her weight and appearance.  It thrills me to see a client who had knee replacements walking with a cane, and after a few sessions, be able to walk on a treadmill un-assisted.  The disbelief in their eyes and the sheer joy it brings them is what it’s all about.  So the answer to this question is (the best I can say it with words) we care, and we love what we do.  The cattle run mentality may work for most gyms but not ours.  For instance, my afternoon client never felt as comfortable as he has here.  He was fed up with gyms, and came in only after his aunt joined and told him he we were different.  He is 550 lbs.  and in just 2 short weeks, we’ve dropped 14 lbs.  The look on his face, the sheer thrill it brought to him and the hope he has is really cool.  If you really want a comfortable non-intimidating fitness facility then we are it.

What advice would you give someone who is just starting to get in shape?

Well, that’s a loaded question but I’ll see what I can do to help.  I will act as if I’m talking to a potential therapeutic patient and/or a one-on-one client.  First off, you have to ask the question as to why you want to lose the weight or get into shape in the first place. Is it for aesthetic reasons, health reasons, prevention or to help your current health conditions? Once you have your main motivational factor, you must set realistic goals!  Losing 50 lbs in a month is not realistic and very dangerous.  You have to understand and listen to your body and really appreciate its limitations.  For instance, a 10 year sedentary individual who decides to join a gym has no business lifting for two hours; he/she will just burn out and/or injure themselves.  This is my personal protocol:

First, ligament and connective tissue development - with emphasis in calcium deposits to prevent D.O.M.S. (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness)

Second, hormonal imbalance indicators through proper body comp testing and measurements.

Third, design a dietary program to help balance all (if any) imbalances, i.e. insulin resistance - thyroid - growth hormone deficiencies etc. etc.

Fourth, Program design and proper adaptations to continue with progression of goals.

This takes anywhere from 6-12 weeks.

Fifth, getting to work. Then depending on their goals we can do the following; capillerization -  H.T.M.U. training (High Threshold Motor Units) - muscle augmentation - cluster training, etc. 

For women, I would say lift weights (and don’t worry about getting to big cause you won’t) but most importantly get focused and set goals and pursue them, and do not let anybody get in your way.

What vision do you have for the future of Ultrafit?

To spread the gospel of prevention throughout the valley.  Our five year goal is to have facilities in Brownsville - Weslaco - and McAllen.  Eventually I would like to have franchises all over the country spreading the word of preventative medicine.  Dawn and I feel blessed with this opportunity of helping people and really improving the quality of their lives.  The more lives we touch and help the better.  Our future is in the betterment of all the lives we touch.  Thank you for this opportunity to allow us to express ourselves in this format.