Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself
Key Takeaways
The best way for me to help you improve your health and fitness is for you to know who I am and where I’m coming from.
I help people improve their health and fitness because I’ve put in the time and made the mistakes.
I love helping people feel better about their bodies and live healthier, happier lives.
My coaching philosophy can be boiled down to three points:
Keep it simple
Tougher is not better - better is better.
You put in the work, I’ll take care of the rest
If you’d like to make more progress in the next few months than you have in the past couple of years and take your fitness to the next level, learn more about my VIP coaching service today.
Full Story
I hate talking about myself. If you know me well, you know I’d much rather sit back, smile, and nod, rather than be the center of attention.
The best way for me to help you improve your health and fitness is for you to know who I am and where I’m coming from. It takes significant courage and vulnerability to work with a fitness coach - we’re called “personal” trainers for good reason. If you’re going to work with me and tell me all about your history, habits, and goals, you deserve to know more about me.
About Me
While some of you have known me my entire life, others don’t even know how to pronounce “Solokas,” let alone what it means (it’s “so-low-kas” and it’s my last name!) Let’s start with the basics:
My name is John Solokas
I’m 24 years old (turning 25 in July)
I grew up in New Jersey and now live in North Carolina (in the United States)
I graduated from James Madison University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in biology
I go to Physical Therapy School at Duke University (1 year to go!)
Health and fitness is my passion
My number one priority is to equip you with the tools you need to live a healthy life
Fun Facts
Before we start exploring my health and fitness philosophy, here are ten interesting facts to keep you
My favorite food is proats (protein powder mixed with oatmeal)
My middle name is Albert (after my Grandpa Al, who lost one of his legs in a coal mining accident.)
I have a twin brother (fraternal, we don’t look much alike)
I’m 50% Lithuanian, 25% Italian, 12.5% Irish, and 12.5% French (bonjour)
I played rugby in college (and didn’t break any bones)
I started working out when I was 12 (and haven’t stopped yet)
At 14 I started working out at Defranco’s Gym, one most renowned gyms in the country (very lucky to have learned from the best there)
My favorite T.V. show is “The Office” (“How I Met Your Mother” is a close second)
I’ve never had a pet (except for a goldfish for 1 week - I didn’t do the best job taking care of him)
I once ate 100 pieces of sushi in one sitting (and kept it all down, too)
Now that we’ve gotten the ice breakers out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff - why I started Solokas Focus in the first place.
Why I Became A Personal Trainer
I decided to become a personal trainer because I thought it was awesome that I could go to the gym, help people, and get paid all at the same time. Perhaps not the most sound reasoning for picking a career path, but what can I say? I was only 19.
The reason I continue to be a personal trainer (and soon to be a physical therapist) is more compelling. I help people improve their health and fitness because I:
Understand all the “secrets” - It’s simple. Losing fat, packing on muscle, improving your health - all of it. The problem is, it’s not easy. I know how to make the process less miserable, and I love helping people find their way to better results.
Have been there and done that - the shake weight, keto, intermittent fasting, gaining weight, losing weight, training for sport, dealing with injuries, achieving success. I’ve tried all the fads and lived to tell the tale.
I’ll be honest, I’ve never actually tried the shake weight.
It’s difficult to know what information sources to trust - there are MD’s out there that spew absolute nonsense - and it’s nearly impossible if you don’t have any education or experience in the field. Over the past 10 years of experimenting with my body and doing the research, I’ve learned how to separate the wheat from the chaff. I enjoy saving people from the guesswork, wasted time, and frustration.
Know what it’s like to be unhappy with my health and body - Have you ever met a 4th grader on a diet? I have, and it was me. Fitness and I go way back. I didn’t even know where babies came from back then, but I did know that being unhappy with my body was the most uncomfortable feeling I’d ever experienced. My passion is to prevent you from feeling like 4th grade John by helping you earn the health and self confidence you deserve.
Have seen what happens when you don’t prioritize fitness - Throughout my time as a physical therapy student, I’ve worked in a variety of healthcare settings including nursing homes and hospitals. I’ve seen the harsh repercussions of neglecting your health and fitness for an entire lifetime, and it saddens me to my core.
Building healthy habits early in life and taking preventative measures against the deadliest chronic diseases is the difference between becoming a vibrant, active older adult or one that is unable to function independently. It’s my goal to add years to your life and life to your years.
Want you to be happy - This is what it all comes down to. Life is short, and there’s enough suffering in the world. Improving your quality of life and helping you have the energy, confidence, and health to enjoy each day makes it all worth it.
My Coaching Philosophy
My coaching philosophy can be boiled down to three points:
Keep it simple - Health and fitness is simple, NOT easy. An understanding of the basic principles, discipline, and consistency are the only three requirements for reaching your goals. It’s that simple.
Tougher is not better - better is better. - Just because you’re not drenched in sweat and tears at the end of a workout does not mean it wasn’t effective. Getting closer to your goal - increasing your strength, losing some fat, or reducing your pain, for instance - is the primary indicator of success. If you just want to sweat, do 1000 burpees, hang in the sauna, or hit up Orange Theory.
You put in the work, I’ll take care of the rest - I can’t hand over success to you. You need to work hard if you want to see results. However, I can make sure that your efforts are directed in the right place and that you’re not needlessly suffering by running an hour every day or only choking down chicken and broccoli. If you give me your best effort and follow the plan, you will reach your goals.
Wrap Up
Now that you know me, I’d love to learn more about you. If you need help...
Losing fat
Gaining muscle
Changing your eating habits
Improving your health
Figuring out how to finally reach your goals
Or anything else you can possibly imagine in the realm of health and fitness
...I’d love to help you do it.
If you’d like to make more progress in the next few months than you have in the past couple of years and take your fitness to the next level, learn more about my VIP coaching service today.
Here’s how it works:
You fill out this form.
I review it and make sure you’re a good fit for the program.
We schedule a free consultation. Here, we dive deep into your goals and we both make sure that it’s the best move to work together.
If we’re not - for any reason - I’ll give you other resources/options to help you reach your goals.
If we are - we celebrate!
I send you even more details in the form of a personalized presentation.
I get to work - creating your month of personalized fitness programming, nutrition tips and targets, and other resources I believe will be helpful along the way.
Every week, we have email check-ins to assess progress and tweak the plan.
Every month, we have a 1 hour comprehensive video chat check-in. We’ll go over workouts, form videos, nutrition/food logs (if you decide to track), recovery, and overall progress towards your goal.
We figure out your plan for the upcoming month and keep charging forward!
If you have any questions, you can always reach me at solokasfocus@gmail.com.