Seattle Personal Trainer

If you are a member at ProRobics on Queen Anne, you no doubt know the magnanimous trainer with the Jersey accent: Frankie Rongo. What you might not know about Frankie is that, among other things, he is also an inventor and a professional drummer (not exactly industry standard, I don’t think). Something you would pick up on immediately, however, is his energy.

Whether his energy creates his busy schedule or he conjures up the energy to keep up with his busy schedule, I am not really sure. Either way, he is up at 3:30 am every morning (seriously Frankie, 3:30 am?) and he gives 70 personal training sessions each week. Can’t say there are many people who would be glad to have me awake at that hour, but there have been thousands of clients over the last 30 years who have been happy that Frankie was.

So why do people pay Frankie, or any personal trainer for that matter, to help them workout?

1) The personal connection. A trainer, is like a hair stylist or a barista: there are a million of them out there, yet when you find a good one, you stick with them. In many ways, you are paying for the person as much as their service.

2) The ability to get a program outlined for you that matches up with your goals/needs.

In Frankie’s case, his programs are a bit different from programs you’ll find with other trainers. What makes Professor Frankie’s curriculum different?

• He gives less expensive $45 half hour sessions, rather than the $60 hour long sessions most trainers give. The idea behind this is that people can bring an intensity to a 30 minute session that they can’t sustain over an hour. This is something that Frankie applied to his own workouts when he competed in professional bodybuilding competitions.

• He doesn’t believe in extreme calorie counting diets. Because people don’t stick to them! Instead, he preaches portion control and healthy sustainable habits. In other words, don’t drive yourself crazy tallying every gram of food you ingest, but do the little things (ie wheat instead of sourdough, marinara instead of alfredo, etc).

In fairness, this is a gross oversimplification, but if you want to learn more about improving your fitness or eating better, you can always look Frankie up on his website or check his DVD, The Answer Food Plan, which is now out and available at the above linked, PayPal certified site for $29.99. Call ahead though. Frankie’s a busy guy.

As a Masters Champion bodybuilder, Frankie also practices what he preaches. Here’s a pic from the Capital City Natural Championship in Olympia, Wa.