Chester County Training owner Adam Lieb shares his journey to fitness

Fit Friday’s Health & Wellness Summer Series gets up close and personal with our community’s fitness leaders who serve as role models with invaluable tips on prioritizing fitness. This week, Adam Lieb, personal trainer and owner of South Coventry’s Chester County Training, takes us on his journey to fitness.

Occupation and location: I have been a personal trainer for over 17 years and I’m the owner of Chester County Training located in South Coventry. I have my bachelor’s degree in exercise science from East Stroudsburg University and my master’s in sport and exercise physiology from West Chester University. I am a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

When and why you began to exercise: I have played sports throughout my life, including soccer, track, baseball, and wrestling. I had a fascination with weightlifting at a very young age and started weight training in fifth grade. My aunt gave me the “Arnold Schwarzenegger Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding,” which was probably the best gift I ever received. I then asked for subscriptions to Fitness magazines for birthday presents and had a personal trainer come to my house to teach me the basics. I quickly realized fitness is what I wanted to do with my life.

Biggest exercise achievement: My biggest exercise achievement is the number of people I have influenced or encouraged to live a healthier lifestyle. I was a high school physical education teacher at Boyertown Senior High for over 15 years. During this time I started a new class called outdoor education where I took kids backpacking on the Appalachian Trail, helped to create the high school strength and conditioning classes, and taught human physiology. In the early mornings and evenings, I would personal train clients. I worked with hundreds of different people over the past 17 years. Some of my clients I have from when I started my business. I have had many clients who completely changed their lives. This is a great feeling.

How exercise helps you: Exercise, specifically strength training is the most important thing a person can do to make sure they have quality years of life. There’s numerous reasons I exercise. The obvious ones are increasing muscle mass, improving resting metabolic expenditure, slowing the aging process, preventing injury, and improving cardiovascular health. The not-so-obvious reasons are also just as important if not more. Exercise improves mental health. I think many people underestimate how important exercise is for mental health. If I was a psychiatrist, it would be the first thing I prescribe. It only has positive side effects and is proven to be the most beneficial tool you can use.

Approach to food: When I work with people, I try to look at what they currently do and make small adjustments that fit into their beliefs and lifestyle. Tracking your food for a short time is one of the most beneficial things you can do. It gives you concrete data on how many calories you are consuming and the breakdown of your fats, carbohydrates and protein. After I do this, I come up with three or four solid options for breakfast and lunch that combine a protein and a quality carbohydrate. Dinner is usually a little bit trickier, due to family or work circumstances. I try to make sure I have a quality protein, such as seafood, chicken, lean beef, or a vegetarian option. Then combine this with a quality carbohydrate, such as sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, and veggies. I don’t think there is one answer to eating healthy. Eat food in its most natural state and prioritize protein. If you get too restrictive, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

Inspiration for pursuing a profession in the fitness industry: From a young age, I had an interest in weightlifting. I always loved Arnold Schwarzenegger and found a local gym in Kutztown that became like family to me. I didn’t know the term when I started, but progressive overload means gradually increasing your weights, and it was fun to see how strong I could get. There was also a direct correlation to improvements in sports. If a kid becomes phenomenally strong, he can overcome a lot of obstacles not just on the sports field or wrestling mat, but in life.

Approach to fitness during the summer months: During the summer, it is fun to workout outside and incorporate some different exercises, such as sled work and swimming. I also know that both of my sons are home from school so we are pretty busy. This gives me some time to do different activities such as biking, hiking, camping, and working outdoors.

Fitness strategy while on vacation: When I go on vacation, I bring my TRX. This is a suspension strap that you can use almost anywhere and replicate any movement you can do in the gym. I also have a pretty relaxed view on vacation, because it is vacation. Sometimes it is good to slow down for a week so that you can be excited about exercise when you get back.

Tips to spice up summer workouts: When it is nice out, I try to get my clients outdoors. I have even done pool workouts with people that include special strength equipment for the water. At our studio we like to bring a lot of our equipment outdoors such as sleds, heavy ropes, medicine balls, and bikes.

Current fitness goal: My current fitness goals are to stay as strong as possible while also improving all of my joint health and mobility. As you age, this becomes more and more apparent. I have recently incorporated different core and joint stability exercises that involve many of the small muscles often missed in your primary movements. It is important to keep learning so that you can offer yourself and your clients the best results.

Tips to motivate others to prioritize fitness: One of the most motivating things about strength training is it’s not specific to any age. I work with kids as young as eight years old all the way up to 90. There’s a reason to get strong at any age. If strength training is done on a regular basis, you will get stronger and improve your quality of life drastically!

Chester County Training works with a variety of different people from athletes to senior citizens. Everybody in our group has a college-related degree, numerous years of experience, and the most rigorous credentials. Next week, we are excited to announce we will be opening our second location at the Shoppes at Pughtown in South Coventry. We will be starting some small group strength training for youths and adults while also continuing to work with individuals on their fitness and nutrition. So the next time you are at Dunkin’ Donuts, Bravo Pizza, or Rita’s in South Coventry drop in and say hello. For more information, www.chestercountytraining.com