Project Strong LLC - Belmont, California

Emily Catron

Marylou and her team of trainers are life-changing.

I say they are life-changing because when I started in October 2023 (33 years old), I was feeling weak, had migraines, was out of shape, and was just tired every day. I was at a point in my life where if nothing changed my health was going to continue going downhill. When I met with Marylou and Niki for my self-assessment (a general fitness and health goal of meeting new clients) I felt welcomed and they were very professional. I told them that my main goal was to get stronger physically and have more energy.

Since that initial assessment, all of my training sessions have been tailored to my goals and where my fitness level is. Each session is so positive and it's like talking to a friend. I recently had a follow-up assessment to see my fitness growth and I have increased all my fitness checks (like heart recovery and basic workouts) in 3 months by over 100% in some categories! I didn't need the test to know I had improved as I saw it in my everyday life but it was so satisfying to see my growth. I am not tired after work every day, have lots more energy, lost weight, gained muscle definition, and have very few migraines!

I continue to look forward to going to each of my sessions. I highly recommend Marylou and her team to meet your fitness goals!

Stefanie Jacinto Deo

I never thought I’d be the type to have a personal trainer; I’ve struggled all my life to get active since I am naturally a couch potato. But I had an injury a year ago from lifting my kid that landed me in physical therapy for 6 months. I was told I had some muscular imbalances and that I needed to start doing strength training regularly, otherwise I was likely to get injured again. When physical therapy was nearing its end last Dec, I did not feel confident that I could exercise alone without re-injuring myself, so I decided to find a personal trainer. I wanted someone who would take the time to understand my body and knew what exercises would be needed to help correct the imbalances, as well as watch me do them to ensure I was doing them correctly.

So far it has worked out great and I’m so happy I found Project Strong. I’ve been working out there once a week for about 5 months now and I am pleased at how far I’ve come. I look forward to my workouts. Marylou is my primary trainer but Crystal fills in when Marylou is out. Both of them are excellent. I feel an obvious improvement in my strength and endurance. Marylou always changes up the workouts; sometimes I'm on the Pilates Reformer machine, sometimes lifting weights, sometimes doing rows, sometimes doing body weight or stabilization exercises on a Bosu. Marylou pushes my limits to keep me getting stronger, but she listens to me and modifies exercises when I tell her it doesn’t feel good or if it seems to be tugging on the area of my old injury. She takes a lot of notes, so I know she is intentionally keeping track of where I’m at with certain exercises (e.g. what weight the machine was set to, etc).

Most importantly, Marylou does all this without judgment. She is all about positive reinforcement (encouraging words) instead of admonishment. On weeks when I struggled to get through our workout, she gently encouraged me to fuel up with a drink, e.g. juice, prior to coming the next week, to see if it would help since she thought my energy levels might just be more sensitive to lower blood sugar. (It did help!)

I intentionally chose Project Strong when I decided to transition to personal training because their website talked specifically about working with postpartum women and recovering from injuries. I wanted a gentle approach to getting fit. I didn’t want a boot camp-style regimen that would leave me in tears afterwards, especially since my only prior experience with personal training at a large gym elsewhere had left me feeling so ashamed and judged for my lack of fitness. At Project Strong, however, I’ve never felt judged for starting out at a very low fitness level. All my incremental progress is celebrated.

Before I started my workouts with Marylou she did an initial body assessment where she took measurements and pictures to see where there were misalignments. She also tested my range of flexibility.

It's hard for me to imagine getting the same level of care anywhere else. I love Project Strong!

Srilekha Puranam

I've been with Project Strong for over a year now, and the experience has been nothing short of incredible! Marylou and her team are phenomenal. I reached out to Marylou to help me get back into a workout routine with a focus on stamina and strength training, and since the initial evaluation, every session has been meticulously tailored to meet my needs.

The 1:1 attention is invaluable in keeping me motivated, focused, and always pushing me to challenge myself. I've seen a tremendous improvement in both my strength and stamina, which is continuously reinforced by the objective data they collect throughout my training.

What sets Marylou apart is her ability to motivate me to reach my maximum potential—she truly knows how to push me without overwhelming me. By far, Marylou has been one of the best trainers I've ever worked with, and I’m excited to continue my journey with her and the rest of the Project Strong team!"

Linda Wilkinson

Marylou is top notch. She is knowledgeable, professional, motivating and all-around incredible. When working with her, you sense her commitment and dedication to helping you meet your fitness goals. She is aware of your needs and is always making sure she is there to help you meet your goals.

My husband and I began working with her in April (twice a week). Although we came in with different fitness goals, Marylou was able to tailor our workouts so that we both worked on the areas we needed to in the hour we spent with her. We have seen wonderful results in our endurance, strength and flexibility.

What I appreciate the most about Marylou is how she is consistently aware of my needs and goals. Whether it is offering ideas on how to incorporate stretching and strengthening at home, to healthier meal plans to follow. I feel as if she always has my needs in mind and is continuously supporting and mentoring me.

Seeing Marylou is my favorite part of the day!

Caroline Wood

Marylou is amazing. I commend her and recommend her without reservations. As a 74 year old woman with multiple issues (both physical & medical), I am very careful about who touches my body. Marylou is extremely intuitive and each session adjusts her instructions to fit my needs. She has an amazing capacity to make minute adjustments in her instructions to fit my needs at the time. In other words, if something we are doing hurts somewhere, she will have me made a small change in what I am doing and the pain will disappear. When I met her, I thought she was too young. Wow, was I wrong. I have worked with other trainers through the years and have never found anyone as skilled, excellent, and intuitive as Marylou. And I am getting stronger! In addition to everything else, she is a genuinely nice person.

Laura Burgess Daly

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time training with Marylou, Yashvee and Sang! I love how I am pushed each session but still feel strong and capable of doing the workouts. I also enjoy how the workouts are things I am able to do in my home gym. Each of the women are very encouraging and seem to truly care about my strength and well-being. Highly recommend Project Strong!

Hilary Briant

Marylou is wonderful! I trained with her throughout my third pregnancy and had great results. My fitness goals during this time were to avoid re-injurying my back (due to my expanding belly), avoid diastasis recti and to stay active and strong during those nine months.

Through personalized and challenging (in a good way!) work-outs I was able to meet all three goals and probably ended my pregnancy stronger than when I started! I could tell that she was very knowledgeable in how to adapt my training sessions as I progressed through my pregnancy. I really wish I had known about her during my first two pregnancies.

In addition, she is just a very friendly and wonderful person, and our conversations were just as helpful and enjoyable as the actual workouts.

Allison Garcia

I have been working with Crystal and Marylou at Project Strong in recovery from a severe ankle sprain and fracture for the past three months. Through our time together, they have helped me regain my balance and strength after having lost much of my muscle mass while in a cast. Their training has been excellent - even over Zoom! I would highly highly recommend them to anyone who is recovering from an injury, or just looking to get better balance and strength back.

Thank you both!