Testimonials and Experiences
What Our Members Have To Say
Tommy’s Story
I think most people get it wrong… they think “you have to be a bad ass or a fitness monster to go to Ferraiolo Fitness. Tommy goes there because he is fit and in incredible shape.”
That is very wrong. The truth is that I am strong, fit and healthy BECAUSE of Ralph and his trainers… if you want to be a bad ass, be healthy, or if you want to get in incredible shape then it starts by coming to Ferraiolo Fitness and they will help you get there. It really is an investment in yourself… become the “you” that you want to be… don’t stay away because you are not that way now.
I wanted to be tough, I wanted to be fit and strong… so I invested in myself through Ferraiolo Fitness and Ralph and his team brought me there. No one starts that way… but with the right trainers at Ferraiolo Fitness and the right work ethic – you can become what you want!
A “Grand-Thank You” to you and your trainers at Ferraiolo Fitness. Erika and I hiked from the North Rim down to bottom of the Grand Canyon and then back up the South Rim as well as a few side-adventures for 37 miles of hiking & backpacking and more than 10,000 feet in altitude changes in 3 days. We were well prepared, fit and in shape for the awesome experience thanks in large part to you and your staff, the training program you customized to our health and fitness needs, and the intensity of the work outs you encouraged us through.
Bob's Story
It was time. After years of neglect, I was faced with the realization that too much time had passed, that I had not maintained a proper balance with my physical self. My focus was always on family and career, which left little time and energy for personal exercise and well being. Having played football and wrestling in high school, I thought that I knew how to exercise. However, I needed something to instill discipline. My doctor recommended Ralph and I approached this idea with some trepidation. However, from the very first time we met, my experience far exceeded expectations and Ferraiolo Fitness helped me progress toward my goals and change my life. They have an excellent studio and Ferraiolo Fitness not only reshaped my physical and mental self, but also my knowledge base of a true overall program. The experience and results far exceed going to the gym based upon what I thought I knew about exercise.
My wife, Beth and I work out together and we have included our kids, so this experience has reinforced a healthy lifestyle for the entire family. Ferraiolo Fitness runs a great personalized program designed to meet your individual needs and goals. They make exercise fun while elevating your performance.
Kevin's Story
I climbed two big peaks yesterday in the heart of the rocky mountains all why paying homage to the person who changed the way I look at fitness by wearing my Ferraiolo Fitness shirt. Made me think about all you did for me. Hope you are well Ralph. Your business constantly changes lives. Thanks for doing what you do.
As a person in my early 30s it was foolish to think I could continue to workout the same way I did as a 21 year old Division I College Wrestler. I have endured injuries over the years, primarily a chronic back injury, so I’ve had to change my approach to fitness. Ralph has helped me heal/protect those injuries, alleviate pain and gain strength through smart, low impact, total body exercises.
At this point in my life, I feel stronger pound for pound than I did when I was wrestling and running at 21. Ferraiolo Fitness has helped my back, my overall strength and my ability to coach my student athletes with a better understanding of the tools they need to succeed.
Victoria’s Story:
Financial Honcho Redesigned
by Ray Steen
With two hundred people, ten managers and six booming mortgage bank branches under her belt, she had finally reached the pinnacle of her professional career. Victoria Stratman was the president of a major institution. Millennium Bank Mortgage Company reaped the rewards of Stratman’s 16-hour work days and 20 years of banking experience before spitting out a tapped-out career business woman who had gained 30 pounds in a little over four years of service. The stresses had worn her physically and emotionally. “That lifestyle took a toll,” Stratman admitted. “It was a tremendous factor in my gaining weight because I wasn’t able to get away and work out, or do the things I needed to do to take care of myself.”
During her tenure at Millennium, Stratman tried balancing her work life and personal life by exercising with a woman she had met at her local country club. Not long after, the woman moved away. Then Stratman joined a local gym, where she began a new regimen with a fitness trainer, Ralph Ferraiolo. Just when she hit her stride, the routine changed. Like most gyms, constant turnover in instructors and inflexible scheduling left Stratman strained. Now, both her job and her health lacked the comfort and continuity she desperately needed.
In 2005, she made the leap from the penthouse at Millennium to branch manager of a local mortgage company in Herndon, freeing up some of her time. She quickly reinvested it by making a 40-minute commute from her home in Oakton to Leesburg, reuniting with her former fitness trainer with whom she had previous success. Ferraiolo had just launched his own fitness studio in Leesburg. This time, there was no chance she would let her health take a back seat to her career.
Each Saturday, Victoria, mother of two, and her husband John, father of one, drive to Ferraiolo Fitness Studio at 7 a.m., where Ralph prepares them for their custom routine. “I love the studio,” Victoria said. “It’s so comfortable and so beautiful to work in. My husband is my Saturday morning date. That really is our time together. No cell phones, no children, none of that.”
Ferraiolo Fitness is a private, state-of-the-art studio located in historic downtown Leesburg. Despite the long drive before a grueling workout, the Stratmans enjoy their time together and appreciate the niceties of working with a personal trainer.
Finally, attention to detail has paid off. Since 2006, Victoria has lost 27 pounds, including five inches around her stomach and four inches around her midriff. “I still have five more pounds to go, but my husband already hit his plateau – by three ounces,” Victoria laughed. “He’s lost eight pounds since January and I’ve lost six. We watch what we eat, play golf together and walk. We do as much as we can with the time that we have.”
In addition to her Saturday morning dates, Victoria also travels to Ferraiolo Fitness once a week in the morning and commits herself to 90 sit-ups every other day. Victoria’s youngest daughter is getting married in March and she remains hell-bent on showing off her hard work. “Five years ago my oldest daughter got married and I wore a full, long dress,” Victoria said. “I recently had to work with my seamstress to take it in a bunch and redesign it to a fitted dress. I feel good about that.” Victoria should. Since assuming her redesigned figure, she has twice been recruited by Ann Taylor to model clothing at the Fair Oaks Mall in Virginia. “Like interior design, it’s a hobby of mine that I enjoy,” Victoria said.
When asked if her new busy schedule would eventually supersede her Saturday morning workout date, Victoria replied with a resounding – “Not a chance.”
Fe’s Story
Just wanted to thank you for your support and guidance in my fitness program. While my first motivation in coming to work with you was to lose weight — which I have done — I realize I have gained much more. I am now the fittest I have ever been in my entire life! This gives me so much confidence in so many other arenas of my life, as well as more stamina to weather the tough times.
I have done other weight loss programs where I have exercised on my own, but I have never been able to achieve the results I have with you. I have shaped my body in ways that I did not realize was possible. I am so happy with the way I look now.
I know we have more to go, but I am ecstatic with the gains I have made. I appreciate your commitment to me. I get the sense that for you this is not just “a job”, but that you are committed to my goals. Sometimes I think your more committed than I am, which is good because when I lose focus you bring me right back.
You are what I need in a coach — well-informed, engaged and engaging. You even have me liking getting up early — now that is an achievement 🙂
Working with you is not just about going through the routine. You established a good rapport with me.
This has been a worthwhile investment in myself. A regular routine with you is now a top priority for me.
~Fe
Jane & John’s Story
About 15 and 25 pounds ago respectively, we began a physical training program under Ralph′s supervision. In our mid-50s and never having worked with a personal trainer before, we were enthusiastic, yet cautious novices.
After just a few sessions, we began to sleep better and sounder. Soon, we both seemed to develop more energy during the day. Within the first two months, pounds began to vanish, clothing began to fit better, and friends began to take notice.
Working with Ralph and several of his trainers, we consistently have been encouraged and assisted in developing and fine tuning healthier lifestyles. We both have noticed how the stress/worries of the day loosen their grip on us during and after our workouts. Since beginning this program of regular workouts, we clearly feel better and both of us have been very pleased with concurrent results in our medical histories.
We have been Loudoun County homeowners for more than 30 years, and we both agree that no business in Loudoun has done more for us, physically and mentally, than Ferraiolo Fitness.
