About Rifat
In 2020, the shift to working from home brought drastic changes to our habits, nutrition and fitness. For Rifat, this combination of remote work and his usual 12-hour workdays led to weight gain, disrupted energy levels, and increasing difficulty with physical activity.
With a family history of diabetes and hypertension, Rifat knew his lifestyle habits could play a role in his long-term health. He became more determined than ever to take control of his fitness.
After joining Body + Soul Fitness and working with a personal trainer, Rifat not only crushed his goals, but also saw improvements in his mobility and flexibility – leaving him feeling healthier and happier overall.
The Challenge
Rifat joined Body + Soul Fitness with the intention of taking better care of his health and fitness. He wanted to lose weight and feel more comfortable with his appearance, and knew a personal trainer could provide accountability and expertise.
Given Rifat’s goals, he was matched with personal trainer Adam, who specializes in weight loss, strength training and muscle building.
“Adam went above and beyond. He was observant, detail-oriented, and invested in ensuring that I can improve my quality of movement and comfort in everyday life.”
The first step in Rifat’s journey was a comprehensive health and fitness assessment. Adam went beyond the basics, identifying structural imbalances that contributed to Rifat’s knee and lower back pain. He assessed each joint individually, uncovering limited flexibility and mobility – key factors to address for safe and effective training.
As a result, while Rifat’s weight loss goal remained, he first needed to focus on improving posture, mobility, and flexibility in the ankles, hips, spine, and shoulders to train safely and effectively.
The Program
Foundations of Fitness
To set Rifat up for long-term success, Adam designed the program around fundamentals. His first program focused on improving functional movement, movement quality, posture, flexibility and mobility. Working on these areas would ensure Rifat could safely progress to strength and cardiovascular training.
The first priority was addressing ankle mobility, as it was a major limitation affecting his ability to move through proper knee flexion without losing balance. As well, Adam worked to alleviate Rifat’s low back pain by finding and correcting the underlying causes. Soft tissue restrictions were also a challenge early on in his program, which Adam targeted through loaded stretching, isometrics (creating tension without movement), and slow eccentric movements (slow squatting down movements for example) to enhance flexibility and strength.
Training four times per week, Rifat’s program incorporated PAILS (progressive angular isometric loading) and RAILS (regressive angular isometric loading) – techniques used to improve flexibility, strength and control by challenging muscles in both stretched and shortened positions. These methods, which Adam learned through the Body + Soul Fitness trainer education program, helped Rifat with his mobility and overall movement quality.
As Rifat got deeper in his training with Adam, they progressed to compound lifts, introducing free weight movements that safely loaded his spine and built full body strength.
Sustainable Habits
“Adam always went the extra mile to support my progress”, explain Rifat when talking about his experience. Adam routinely gives him “homework” and provided a training journal to track his daily habits, including nutrition and workout routines, to ensure accountability. Adam wants to empower his clients with the knowledge to continue training independently. As Adam puts it, “If I disappeared tomorrow, I want all of my clients to continue on without me.”
Throughout Rifat’s training, Adam consistently tailored the program to address any imbalances, limitations or needs so Rifat could get the most out of his workouts. Adam also ensured that Rifat understood what he was doing and why, so he can continue to build lifelong, sustainable habits. To Rifat, Adam “went above and beyond.”
As Rifat continues training with Adam, every session brings progress—whether it’s an increase in weight, moving better, or simply feeling stronger. As Rifat puts it, “Everything is easier now.”
The Results
In four months, Rifat lost over 50 pounds through a combination of nutritional changes and consistent training. As his goals shifted from weight loss to strength training and conditioning, Adam helped Rifat adjust his nutrition to fuel his progress – eating more to support his increased training demands.
Rifat says his biggest achievement is knowing that he’s accomplished much more than he set out to. Everyday activities feel easier, his posture improved, he feels more confident in his appearance, and tasks that once felt challenging – like touching his toes or reaching overhead – are now effortless.
Beyond feeling better, Rifat is stronger than ever. He’s lifting significantly heavier weights, has more energy and loves working out – something he never expected.
Conclusion
Rifat’s journey began when his work-from-home, sedentary lifestyle started affecting his daily life – struggling to keep up with friends on the soccer field. What began as a goal to lose weight became a lifelong transformation in strength, mobility and overall freedom of movement.
Now, he’s not just back in the game, he’s thriving. Playing soccer twice a week with players half his age, moving with ease and passionate about pushing his limits at the gym. As Rifat continues training with Adam, every session brings progress—whether it’s an increase in weight, moving better, or simply feeling stronger. As Rifat puts it, “Everything is easier now.”