Testimonials

Here is what some of our clients are saying about Human Potential Labs personal training services.

I have not always been a runner. In fact my exercise journey began with enrolling in Jazzercise in the 1990’s. Jazzercise was quite fun, it incorporated dance and exercise into and hour long workout. That went on for many years and I met some great friends along the way. As my fitness evolved (along with three children), it seemed that stepping out the door and jogging was a great time saver with the busy schedule of family life, so I practiced running through the neighborhood. Four months after beginning my jogging regime I was coerced to run on a relay team, running the 10K in The Akron Marathon. I believe that day was the day that my love for running blossomed. I don’t know if it was the thrill of being in the presence of such great runners or, if the anticipation of getting the wristband to the next person was such an important task to make certain that my team arrived in decent time, but my heart raced like crazy and I never thought my feet could travel so quickly! I ended up running less than a 9 minute mile that day and I was so proud! Also, our team finished in what we considered good time and we celebrated heartily. I ran several more 10K races and moved on to a half marathon. Then it happened, I decided to attempt a full marathon. My brother, who lives in Bothel, Washington thought it would be a great idea to run our first marathon together, since we had just lost our father, our motivation was running in honor of his memory. We decided to run our first marathon in Portland , Oregon .  As I was training for The Portland Marathon I had met several runners who were raving about Sean Wade and his fitness knowledge. I could see that these people were very strong runners and I felt they were on to something. The strength training, core work and use of weights helped my overall physical abilities. Most runners who know Sean have met Big Bend . I have faced repeaters of Big Bend consisting of five, ten, fifteen and twenty, which are weekly expectations when training for a marathon or an ultra marathon. Ice, snow, rain, all weather, there are no exceptions for “ Big Bend ” day. Oh, and the repeaters are to be completed after the strength training at the gym. Chaser drills are another interesting endeavor. I get to challenge my strength by dragging Sean through the parking lot as a tow truck would pull a vehicle. Sean’s gym is complete with weights, body balls, weight benches resistance bands and chains. I am very careful to comply with instructions out of fear that I may one day see whips appear for those who are failing to meet the expectations of the trainer. I’m certain Bishop fears the same.
    Sean has been instrumental in helping me achieve many of my athletic goals this year. This past year I have completed 2 ultra marathons and 3 full marathons. I also was able to qualify for The Boston Marathon in May which was a great goal of mine. I suppose those Big Bend repeaters must be working!
    Sean is impeccable with answering nutrition questions. I have learned a great deal of information from Sean regarding nutrition during various times of training and exactly why specific nutrients are important and when to take nutrition to best suit my needs. Every athlete needs information and reminders of proper nutrition to nurture their best performance and maintain good health.
    To sum things up I would say that Sean is a great mentor to any athlete that is serious about their performance. I plan to have Sean prepare me for the all of my future athletic quests.

Dawn Nabors

I am an elite amateur triathlete and local ultrarunner who has been racing competitively since 2002. I was previously a competitive gymnast for 16 years including a MAC Champion at Kent State in 2001. Training to be the best athlete I can be is part of my lifestyle. I learned proper strength training when I was at Kent State, but have never been able to fully incorporate it into my schedule since then. It is a struggle to do it at home and I never knew exactly what to do when I went to the gym. Sean was able to personalize my training to fit my intense triathlon schedule. I have been working with him since December of 2006 and have greatly improved my overall strength. The training that I do at HPL fits precisely with my swimming, biking, and running to make a complete package. It is also instrumental in injury prevention. I no longer have the aches and pains that used to go along with tough training because all of my muscles are now strong enough to handle it. I had my best racing season ever in 2007 winning overall honors at 4 out of 7 triathlons and setting new 50K and marathon Personal Records. My 50K time improved from 2006 by 1 hour 26 minutes and my marathon time was 13 minutes faster on the hottest day I have ever raced. Sean's facility makes it easy to get in, get the work done, and get out with little distractions. He has new exercises for me every workout to keep it interesting and fun. We work with my training to build strength and recover when necessary. Thanks for making me as strong as I can be!

Mel Liebling

Manager of Vertical Runner

2008 Boston Marathon Qualifier - 2009 Lake Placid Ironman Qualifier - Finisher

I first came to Sean while fighting an injury caused by “over-training” for the Boston Marathon in 2008. I have a very physically demanding job as a letter carrier, walking 12-14 miles a day. I knew I needed to change my lifestyle somehow so that I could continue to run and walk pain free.

Training at HPL with Sean has made a big difference in my life. He has taught me the importance of proper stretching and cross-training in order to keep my body healthy. Every workout is a challenge, which I love, and it amaze me how Sean knows exactly what to work on as well as keeping a wide variety of exercises on my plate so I do not get bored. He is able to help me with any question I may have regarding supplements and exercise. His responses contain such detail that completely understands how my body will benefit as well proper application during my already demanding workweek.

I missed a whole racing season because of my injury, trained hard with Sean during that same time. My overall strength has improved and Sean has helped me reach a lot of my goals my constantly pushing me to my limits. I am happily back into competing again and actually pulling faster times than I ever have in the past as well as hitting new PR’s at almost every race.

I will continue to train with Sean indefinitely because I have seen the many positive effects it has had on my life. I would recommend HPL to anyone intending to work hard for his or her goals and is up for a challenge. You should be prepared for the occasional “sissy” comment if we you are working below your capacity. My week would not be complete without walking into the gym and hearing “get changed, I’m gonna kick your ass”. And I actually can’t wait to get started.

Bonnie Calcei

I kind of did get a little carried away this morning…but I think you should know that I grew up the proverbial “last kid picked for any team.” I grew up dreading gym class and standing on any sports field praying the ball would not come to me was a daily occurrence until my early thirties. Now as an adult and then only after years of work I am good at something athletic, golf. …It also means a lot to me to be able to work out, and especially to be able to do sixty hanging abs! (As I approach the age when my father died it will also help tremendously to know that I am doing all that I can to not have a heart attack at the age of 59!!!)

Thank you for your continued commitment to my good health,

Sharon Merklin

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” For me it was a step into Human Potential Labs.

A little over two years ago I realized that I was in big trouble in regards to my health and I needed help getting back on track. I had heard from a co-worker about a trainer named “The Rubber Band Man”. Little did I know, “The Rubber Band Man” was Sean Wade a friend of mine from college. I swallowed my pride and asked Sean to help me get back on track. I did not have great expectations. I just knew that I needed to lose some weight and improve my health. At the time, I was taking several prescriptions and facing the possibility of developing obesity related health problems like diabetes. Sean agreed to work with me and I immediately changed my diet and began training at Human Potential Labs three times a week.

After several months I was hooked and decided that I wanted to train six days a week. Sean motivated me to work hard and push myself. Most importantly, he taught me that any goal was in reach. He taught me that at the age of 31 I could be an athlete. Sean is a great teacher, motivator and coach. He is hard on me when I need him to be. He is realistic and his training methods are excellent.

During my first year of training with Sean I decided to participate in my first half marathon. With Sean’s guidance and support I finished my first half marathon in the fall of 2008. After completing this race I decided that I wanted to do another half marathon and work to improve my time. In 2009 I not only completed the Cleveland Half Marathon, I completed the Buckeye Half marathon and I finished the Akron Roadrunner Marathon- my first full marathon. Thanks to Sean I am healthy and full of energy. I have lost over 120 pounds and I do not take any prescription medications. My whole outlook has changed and the sky is the limit!

Cleveland Marathon May, 2010. Nearly a half hour off Akron time.

Margaret L.

In March of 2006, 42 years of age, significantly over weight and on a growing prescription list, I decided it was time to turn things around and start a serious exercise program - running. While the positive effects of weight loss and getting off the meds were almost immediate (and helped motivated me to progress in my running), I also began to deal with the negative effects that most runners experience as they progress – injuries. I began interrogating fellow runners with regard to their injuries and a number of running partners kept mentioning a place they referred to as “The Lab” and how Sean was having an unquestionable and significant impact, not only in their strength training to help avoid and alleviate such injuries, but also in improving their performance. By January of 2008 I had to experience “The Lab” for myself and found the missing piece in my training regime. Sean took the time to get to know me and my goals and to analyze where my weaknesses were in relation to the types of injuries I was experiencing – Sean asks for constant feedback on weaknesses, pains, injuries, training plans, race goals and post run results, constantly adjusting my individual chart (workout) to address my individual needs and goals. The workouts are varied and challenging, but Sean has a way of knowing, even better than me, what my true limits are. Even if I have to break a number of sets and repeats down in order to accomplish them, I find that as long as I do the total number Sean has prescribed, I’m knocking those sets out as intended within a week or two. As with any training, you get out what you put in and the results speak for themselves in my running accomplishments over these past two years: Originally struggling through an occasional 5 or 10K (and the post race recovery), I have now completed two half marathons, two marathons and two ultra-marathons with quick recoveries and progressive P.R.s – most recently shaving 55 minutes off my time at the Summer 2009 Buckeye Trail 50K. I attribute a large part of these successes to the effectiveness of Sean’s program and techniques.

Bob Cassill

Races

Before starting at HPL

Since starting at HPL

Arnold Classic Pump & Run

2006

23:31-he also benched his body weight 12 times

2007

21:24- he also benched his body weight 17 times

Columbus Half Marathon

November 2002