Get To Know Gary!

Thinking outside the box is how Gary Pucher likes to approach training. Having been here for almost 6 months, his training philosophy is heavily focused on free weights and movement vs machines because you engage all of your muscles. For some, it is hard to get out of that mentality of needing machines to strengthen your body, but for Gary, it is important to build your muscles for life, not just the beach.

Gary grew up going to the gym with his older brother and started working with him when he went to college. He received his training at the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas as well as learning from some of the best trainers in the industry. While working with his brother, he was asked to take on a client who had a stroke and was looking for training in his home. Nervous at first, he took some classes to learn how to best work with him. During his training, he went from wheelchair, to walker, to cane, to unassisted. The experience was incredibly rewarding to Gary and he knew it was an area he wanted to focus on. He works with those that have had strokes, cancer, hip and knee replacements and even pregnancies.

At Family Wellness, Gary also works with the Parkinson’s Program. The Parkinson’s Program, part of the Inspire Wellness Initiative, allows certified Family Wellness Trainers to work with the Parkinson community to combine physical activity and interactive group sessions to help participants manage their symptoms in a fun, social, and supportive environment. Parkinson’s is not your typical training program out on the fitness floor. The group meets various times throughout the week to work on vocals, weights, hand eye coordination and more.

Thomas, a participant in the program says, “It’s not just the exercises. It’s helped me understand that Parkinson’s is a disease that affects people differently but with a positive attitude and work, you can keep it under control.”

Next time you are at Family Wellness, make sure to say hi to Gary (and ask him how his fellow east coasters say Erin vs Aaron).

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