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Information about a Michael S. Parker and Forge Fitness and Nutrition Coaching, available to members of the media for promotional use.

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Before I list my credentials, I would like to make a general comment: The proliferation of social media “trainers” and the incredibly terrible advice and baseless programs recklessly spewing from all corners of the internet have damaged the integrity of fitness and nutrition sciences. Many people have been duped into fads, gimmicks or tricks looking for a quick fix. Our cultural expectation for instant gratification and immediate results with little or no effort has been preyed upon by the industry as a whole. There is no quick fix or magic diet. Period. You actually do have to put in effort and make better health based decisions.

Many times, online trainers or coaches are not even certified by any nationally recognized institution. Sadly, many trainers online or in gyms have a single minded specialty and lack the agility in their programming to accommodate or address the needs of a broad population.

Personally, I have nearly 20 years of experience in the fitness industry and am a former college instructor of Advanced Fitness and Nutrition Sciences at Bryan University, where I served from 2007-2017 as a consultant and teacher. Here is a list of my primary credentials:

CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER
National Academy of Sports Medicine

CERTIFIED FITNESS NUTRITION SPECIALIST
National Academy of Sports Medicine

CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER
National Exercise and Sports Trainer Association

CERTIFIED FITNESS NUTRITION COACH
National Exercise and Sports Trainer Association

CERTIFIED LIFESTYLE & WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST
National Exercise and Sports Trainer Association

CERTIFIED SPORTS INJURY SPECIALIST
National Exercise and Sports Trainer Association

CERTIFIED PHYSIQUE & FIGURE TRAINING SPECIALIST
National Exercise and Sports Trainer Association

CERTIFIED FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT SPECIALIST
Functional Movement Systems

CERTIFIED ONLINE COACH
Spencer Institute

CERTIFIED SMALL BUSINESS COACH
Spencer Institute

Yes! Your coach will provide nutritional education and personalized meal planning depending on your program type.

To be clear, any personal trainer that claims to be able to prescribe a detailed, clinically structured nutrition program as part of their services is working outside the personal trainer scope of practice. Unless of course, they are registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) and are a Registered Dietitian (RD). Many states do not require a license or higher education to call oneself a “nutritionist” and this allows trainers to market diet and meal planning. This is especially true in the “weight loss” and “figure competition/bodybuilding” markets. Your Forge coach will provide custom nutrition education and write menu suggestions and opinions about food choices, caloric intake, meal timing, shopping lists and preparation. Forge trainers do not claim to possess dietary degrees, registered or otherwise, and will certainly not provide medically based nutritional advice. We will simply educate clients on best practices and assist in the development of meal plan options based on credentials held from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM-FNS) and the National Exercise Sports Trainer Association (NESTA-FNC) related to nutrition. The real power of how Forge works with clients on nutrition is with education, positive accountability and electronic journaling through MyFitnessPal or FitBit, which links directly to the Forge app.

One of the outstanding benefits of working with Forge is our adaptability to your resources and lifestyle. I work with individuals that travel, have tight schedules or simply do not want to or can’t get to a commercial fitness center. While gym memberships are very helpful in adding verity to your program by way of providing a wide range of equipment options, it is not necessary to see a degree of fitness success. Each program is based on what you have available.  For clients with home gyms, I will build the program with all of your equipment in mind. I do encourage clients to make modest investments in resistance bands, stability balls or other apparatus that will add benefits to and accelerate reaching your potential.

Forge Online Personal Training is ideal for people that travel or take vacation. We can develop full bodyweight programs or build based on equipment you have available. The same accountability, workout tracking and coaching is all mobile and travels with you. Basically, your Forge coach will be there to guide and motivate even if you are out of the country or on the move.

Depending on the type of injury and the stage of healing, I can create programs that limit or avoid stress to the affected site. I can also develop corrective exercise strategies to improve mobility, joint stabilization, connective tissue strength and flexibility.

However, no corrective exercise or post rehabilitation program delivered by any Forge coach is intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or mechanical malalignment. Within our scope of practice, we will work with you to fine tune a progressive program that works to inhibit overactive musculature, stimulate under active muscle structures, activate biomechanical efficiency and integrate compound movements to enhance functionality.

I would hate to see you go! But you may cancel your recurring dues 10 days before your billing date with written notice.

Keep in mind, Forge is not a gimmick or quick fix and I expect all clients to see results. You must resolve to patiently and persistently execute each and every workout with the mindset of absolute success. One of the challenging situations to work through with clients is their tendency to deceive themselves about how much effort they truly put into a workout, nutrition or general fitness lifestyle. I seek to avoid that and will work with each client to motivate and guide them to the very best of our ability.

NOTE: if you purchase a stand alone meal plan, your service is NOT reoccurring and you will not be billed monthly and need not cancel as all meal plans are a one time purchase.

Please see our full Terms & Conditions here.

I firmly believe antiquated marketing tricks and old school hooks like “money back guarantees” only serve to attract people flip-flopping from one exercise or diet fad to another without the commitment level to be successful in a fitness lifestyle habit change.

Each Forge coach is committed to revolutionizing the quality of online fitness services and exceed expectations. So before you enroll in a Forge program, ask yourself the questions below and if you can answer “yes” to them all, then Forge Online Personal Training may be ideal for you:

· Am I sick and tired of exercise fad, crash diets or fitness gimmicks?
· Am I committed to completing my workouts each week and tracking my results?
· Do I want to be able to have direct communication with my trainer?
· Do I want clear and easy to understand workout plans based on my needs?
· Do I want to have a professional trainer assisting me with motivation and accountability?

Please see our full Terms & Conditions here.

I choose not to offer money back guarantees due to the custom nature of each program and client need. Frankly, a free trial erodes the value of the Forge program and the expertise and experience of myself and my coaching team. I built Forge from scratch to promote long-term behavior change, strong relationships and results. I have always felt free trials to be a flimsy platform for launching a sustainable fitness lifestyle.

There are plenty of Instagram and YouTube “trainers” that give away all sorts of free templates and content as hooks to buy their canned programs.

My goal is to have all new client programs built, loaded and reviewed within 2-3 days from enrollment. Sometimes, a new client has highly specific needs or conditions and that may take up to 3-4 days to nail down.

I prefer to get my clients motivated and fully engaged in their program as soon as possible!

Yes! I work with many couples, groups and businesses!

We can even create exclusive small groups or corporate challenges. Check out our Work Force Wellness Program.

Yes! You may pre-pay in 3, 6 or 12-month options for any program. To enroll in a pre-paid program, reach out to us at info@forgept.com and we will arrange via PayPal.

Pre-paid memberships are also a great way to give as a gift!

Yes. You may change the level of your Forge program. Simply message your coach through the Forge mobile app and they can assist you.

Ah! One question every trainer receives from new clients is “how long will it take for me to see results.” Trainers or fitness scams that promise results in ridiculous time frames are misleading and have greatly altered reasonable expectation. In addition, this has created a culture of fitness failure and fosters a sense of hopelessness. I suggest most folks stay off the scale and not measure yourself by standards outside of your own unique physiology, genetic makeup and current condition. I like to measure based on composition change, fat loss, muscle development and strength increases…the stuff that maters!

Bottom line: results depend on several factors including genetic disposition, physiological adaptation to prescribed exercises, effort applied to each workout, consistency, proper caloric ratio and intake, nutritional quality and variety. As a general example, if your goal is body fat loss, a male can safely lose approximately 1.5-2.0lbs per week and females 1.0-1.5lbs. This means a healthy female may lose up to 4-6 pounds of pure body fat every 4 weeks. Notice we say “body fat” and not “weight” because muscle is 500% more dense than fat making your total body weight increase while your waist size decreases. For more information, contact us or check out the Forge blog.

Yes, Forge coaches will work with athletes or figure competitors. We have a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) for athletes and a certified Physique and Figure Training Specialist (PFTS) available to work with you on higher level programming. However, I generally limit the nutritional programming for all groups to retain integrity in our true scope of practice.

Absolutely! I would be delighted to speak with you and personally answer any questions about our programs, services or fitness philosophy. Simply submit a call request using the neat little teal envelope icon in the lower right corner. Please include your name and phone number and I will reach out to you within 24 hours or less.

Simple. I believe that everyone is in a different place physically and psychologically and the body you see in a picture used for marketing is not yours. Comparing yourself to others should not be a prime motivation. I feel a person should compare themselves to themselves as that is the real measure! You have a unique genetic makeup, fitness level and sensitivity to exercise and your results are your own. I choose not to exploit my clients and perpetuate the fitness scams plaguing the internet and media.

However, if a client is excited about their results or want to share, I do encourage they share their success on  social media platforms!

Also, there is a client only group forum where you can connect with my clients all over the world right in the mobile app!

I strongly encourage client and trainer communication! Phone/Video calls should be a scheduled appointment based on the Forge service plan you choose. I strive to deliver the highest level of service and this is why I personally accept only a limited number of clients (overflow goes to other Forge coaches) and why phone or video chats must be scheduled in advance. One of the primary advantages to working with Forge is the ability to instant message your trainer right from the mobile app 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All Forge coaches reply super quick as well!

Please see our Contact page to book an appointment.