What Clients Say

I am 74 years old. I have had 5 back surgeries with hardware, screws, and a plate implanted in my back. The last surgery was in 2014. I could hardly walk, could not stand straight, and was in constant pain. I completed physical therapy twice and was in home healthcare for a period of time. The Doctor said he had done all he could do and I would never be able to walk very much or stand straight. He prescribed medication for pain but I did not want to take pain medicine for the rest of my life and I wanted to walk and stand up straight! 
I have always been active and went to the gym on a regular basis before my back surgeries. I went to O2Fitness and told them my problem. They immediately referred me to Eric. At this point my life began to change. When I met Eric my goal was to stand up straight and walk. Eric developed a plan for me and said he thought we could achieve 80% mobility. I was excited then and more excited now. I have been in training with Eric for 8 months and I am walking and standing up straight! I recently went to the Doctor and my blood work was excellent; better than it has been in 5 years. I’m sure it is due to the great plan Eric developed for me. His knowledge is overwhelming! He knows about all of the muscles in your body! When I ask questions or have doubts he always has the answer.
He encourages and motivates me to succeed and is always mindful of the medical issues with my back. He is concerned about my physical health and makes sure I know what to do when I have pain and how to keep my back strong. He has taught me daily exercises to do at home. He can even tell if I have done my homework or not. Eric is such an inspiration in my life! Eric is the BEST Trainer Ever! He has made my life worth living!

I signed up with Eric to get my knees (both of which have been replaced and were babied for the last 5 or so years) in shape for a European river cruise that I thought would involve a ton of walking.  I was right about the amount of walking and about choosing Eric. I just got back from two weeks of going through five countries in Europe, never once having to choose the “gentle walkers” group for my treks through town. I also never used an elevator until I got back to RDU.

Why didn’t I sign up with Eric sooner?  I watched the trainers for the first year to get a feel for how they worked with others. I am not an athlete – I just want to keep moving. I watched Eric work with others that looked like rehab patrons. He is kind, explains why he is having you do the things he asks you to do. He takes the time to stretch you after a session and he gave me the confidence to get things done. He gave me exercises I could do at home to reinforce what we did at the gym and I think that was key. That, and he is a great cheerleader!

You have taken the time and the extra effort needed to calm me. You understood the battle inside my mind when sessions were tough for me. You encouraged me through each and every session. You have taught and instructed me with insight on each and every exercise. You have helped me strengthen my shoulders and I know how to protect them now. You have brought your professional skills, knowledge and teaching style into each and every session. You have helped me face the years of bad form; bad muscle habits; and my aging. You have remained a true and caring friend throughout. I am truly thankful for your help in my fitness journey.

After 53 years of obesity and related health issues, I had finally after RNY gastric bypass surgery and 109 pound weight loss, reached a normal BMI. Over the years, I had joined many gyms and had experienced many complementary personal trainer sessions. Based on my experiences, I was not looking to hire a personal trainer. I explained my health and physical limitations, and I was scheduled with a trainer who could address my concerns.
Enter Eric Wilson. I found Eric to be professional and very personable. He listened to my concerns-age (I’m 57), history, limitations and goals. Never once during our first two sessions was I given a “canned” program to follow or a sales pitch about why and how badly I needed to hire him. Both sessions were conducted as though I already had.
We worked together for 16 sessions. In that very short time, I attained every one of my goals. Eric’s effectiveness as a personal trainer has been proven over and over again in my new found abilities on a daily basis. Having challenges with the body changes and nutritional requirements that most people do not, Eric was amazing in his ability to fine tune his knowledge and apply it to my situation. He was especially helpful offering me great sports nutrition information that I could apply to my needs. Before working with Eric, I could not have enjoyed the activities I now regularly engage in.
From backyard renovation to 30 mile bike rides, I’m enjoying the practical application of Eric’s expertise and patient guidance. The strength and muscle mass I’ve developed is unbelievable in the two months of effective training with Eric. His work is truly his life’s passion.

I had no intention of working with a personal trainer. I had been out of the gym for about a year due to unexplained physical pain. When a doctor finally told me what was wrong and that I wasn’t broken I headed to the gym that afternoon. I explained to the man selling the gym membership that I didn’t need a personal trainer because I worked part time as a certified personal trainer for about 5 years in the past, and was knowledgeable enough to go at it alone. When he told me that there was a personal trainer who specialized in corrective exercise, I decided to check him out.
When I scheduled my first appointment with Eric I was very apprehensive at best because I was already under the care of a Doctor, Physical Therapist and a Podiatrist and was sure that this guy had nothing more to offer. After my first meeting with him, my not-so-positive attitude began to change. His assessment was very similar to what my Physical Therapists had told me, and his methods seemed to align with what I was being told to do by medical professionals. After my two free visits, I committed to working with Eric one time a week for six months, and have now been working with him for about 2 and a half months.
I have always loved the gym, working out and helping people. Eric’s similar passions are exciting to me and our conversations are inspiring. He teaches me things that I never knew I didn’t know, he challenges me, and helps me move past my embarrassments every week. His calm, encouraging demeanor keeps me going even when I feel stupid, fat and lazy. When I get to a point of pain or fatigue that would normally make me quit, he pushes me further. Unlike the drill sergeant attitude I’m used to dealing with, he encourages me to like myself for who I am while always trying to improve. Discussions we have had have made me consider goals that have never even crossed my mind.
After the short time I have been working with Eric, his knowledge and methods have impressed me so much that I am seriously considering a personal training certification again. I love the work he does and how he does it. My only hope is that, should I pursue such a goal, I will be as encouraging, inspiring and effective as he is.

Eric was excellent helping me to get started at the club. I had some arm weakness and he quickly focused on that making several observations and recommendations. He showed good identification with me and the normal training challenges facing each of us. He is a personal trainer and really showed the strength of his credentials while still relating with the training I do each day. Eric was encouraging in every way possible as I move into my training regimen. He professed a holistic approach to the training so it benefits the whole body via balance, endurance and cardio not just strength.
We could all benefit from a few sessions with him.
Thank you Eric

I started training with Eric in 2012 1:1, but it wasn’t until after my 3rd foot surgery in 2013 that I realized Eric wasn’t just a great trainer, but also a true support system. I had to start back at the basics: learning to effectively walk again, build balance, strengthen leg muscles that had weakened greatly from 6 weeks in a boot, and reset mentally that I wouldn’t be able to do everything that I could do before. Eric tailored workouts to what I could do and challenged me every workout without making me feel weak or bad about myself/my progress. I was very happy with the progress and started to feel like myself again.
After about a year, I felt ready to make the transition to his small group training class–and have been there ever since! We have a great mix of people who support each other and make working out not stink :). Eric tailors exercises to any issues that we have and still works with us to ensure we can meet our individual goals in an environment that is safe, fun, and a lower-cost alternative to 1:1 sessions.
Thank you Eric for helping me to not only “walk again”, but also to keeping me accountable and helping me to meet my goals!

I first met Eric Wilson over seven years ago. He was always the ‘friendly face’ around the gym. He never tried to sell his services to me but was always willing to answer questions. For this reason I decided to book training sessions with Eric.
My goals are simple: live a healthy and high quality lifestyle as I entered into the senior years of life. Beginning with my first training session I realized Eric was a strategic trainer, listening to my needs and explaining the steps forward. He tailors my workouts to my current fitness level and pushes me ‘just a little further’ which allows me to see the results I am looking for. A recent example of his understanding of the human body and flexibility to adjust workouts was displayed last summer. I had a lower back issue and needed some quick relief. Eric worked with me to alleviate the pain through a series of simple movements. He also suggested a physical therapist as he teams with professionals in various areas of the health industry. He worked in tandem with the physical therapist/therapy sessions for over two months to insure I maintained my muscle strength while my back healed.
As a very inquisitive person by nature, Eric is constantly researching new technics and learning what more he can offer his clients. I have adapted a clean eating mindset and maintain a regular workout schedule thanks to Eric’s knowledge, encouragement and motivation.
I currently work within a small personal training group that Eric leads. Everyone within the class have varying fitness levels. Eric designs each class to challenge us individually doing the same series of exercises. He simplifies fitness in a creative way that is easy to understand, making me want to come back to the gym and try on my own. Eric would never ask a client to do anything he does not do for himself in terms of exercise and healthy lifestyle, walking the walk! For all these reasons I have referred him to many family members and friends.
Thanks to Eric I am in better shape today than I was when in my 20’s. I will be forever grateful to him and plan to continue my healthy lifestyle goals!!

It has been my pleasure to work with Eric Wilson since March of 2015. I have been with O2 Fitness for over 5 years and a part of the industry for over 20. Eric is truly special when it comes to professionalism and his ability to raise the bar as to the standards we now hold other trainers to. His knowledge of Biomechanics and ability to restore individuals to normal movement patterns are unparalleled. Our entire team of 17 trainers look to Eric as our go to guy for questions pertaining to best practices as well as exercise prescription.
For me one of Eric’s most impressive traits is the fact he has no understanding of down time. He by far carries the highest client load, yet if he has five free minutes, it’s spent in the effort to learn something new. I have never once seen Eric just sitting. If he is not engaged with a client, he is reading, consistently improving his skill set in an effort to better support his clients and their goals.

I have just completed cleaning my house, a task requiring bending, squatting, reaching, balance, and endurance and I credit Eric Wilson with my ability to do so without issue.
I am a 70 year old female who has worked with Eric for 2 years. My physical issues began at age 37 when I broke both bones in my lower leg. After setting my injured leg was slightly shorter leaving me with a permanent “gimp” especially when tired. Of course tired was common as for past 43 years I practiced as a bedside critical care nurse. On my feet most of an 8 or 12 hour shift. Another physical issue I had was constant neck ache from turning and pulling up patients and computer charting. This all came to a head 3 years ago when I found myself with constant knee pain, stiffness, and locking. Also the inability to go from sitting to standing without pushing with my arms.
After seeing a sports medicine physician and an x-ray I was diagnosed with knee arthritis and sent for physical therapy. This did make my knee improve but that was the only focus. I felt I needed to improve my overall functionality and decided to sign up with Eric who my husband had already been seeing.
Eric is a great listener and adapts my workouts to my specific issues. He started off slowly with exercises to strengthen muscles I didn’t know I had. He watches closely to correct bad habits and make sure the exercise is done correctly. By strengthening my “lats” and other back muscles I can now say I am free of neck pain. We also started with exercises to support the muscles around my knees and hips. After one year I could walk stairs 2 at a time and no longer need to use arms to assist me in standing from a sitting position. I also can now squat to put away dishes etc. in lower cupboards.
Eric is interested in me as a person and listens while I share things about my life. Upon learning that my granddaughter (then 9 months old) was moving closer he created a series of “carrying exercises” so that I would be strong enough to lift and carry her. She is now 15 months old and not only can I carry her upstairs for her nap or lift her into her car seat but we have a lot of fun on the swing and slide at the playground.
As a nurse I ask questions about the “what” and “why” in my exercise regime and I have never been disappointed with the educated answer I get from Eric. As a newly diagnosed osteoporosis he also educates about diet but not in a pushy, “must do it my way” tone. Again, he backs his teaching with evidence based knowledge.
I cannot imagine how my life would be today if I hadn’t begun training 2 years ago with Eric.

I have been living with the rheumatoid arthritis for the past 14 years and have become disabled due to the disease. About five years ago I had double hip and knee replacement and recently had surgery on my hands.  After the knees and hips surgery I had issues with the knees and hips not bending due to muscle weakness.  I went to Physical therapy but it did not help.  So I started seeing Eric.
Eric has been my personal trainer for four years now, Eric has helped me build up my strength, re-learn and re-train how to use my muscles. Since seeing Eric my knees and hips have gained strength, I have been able to walk without the use of any aid device and been able to climb up stairs. Eric’s training and extensive knowledge in corrective exercise has continued to help me with my balance issues, improved my posture and helped me gain my independence back. His enthusiastic commitment and treatment has helped me keep focus on my goals and allowed me to live an enriching life.  
I know without the help of Eric I would not have achieved the results that I have today. The results are due to his combination of diverse training methods, his consistent positive feedback and encouragement. Eric is a well-trained, caring professional trainer who takes interest in his patient’s health and well-being.

I’m a 72 year old grandma. I met Eric Wilson in April 2015 when I was 70. I was living a fairly sedentary life at the time and thought I would look into a gym. I was assigned to Eric for our 2 introductory sessions. Lucky for me!
Eric showed considerable interest, enthusiasm and concern and I signed up for a 12 session package. Eric started off with simple but challenging workouts. They went very well for me, and I noticed benefits right away.
I had major surgery on my right shoulder when I was 20, which has given me problems ever since. The resulting limited mobility and ‘frozen’ nature of that area was probably also contributing. I had muscle pain and tension from my jaw to the bottom of my rib cage, and I had no strength in, and could barely use, my right thumb. The pain in the shoulder area was quite intense at times.
With Eric’s experience and expertise in body mechanics, he took on the challenge of my unusual and debilitating injury (with some gusto, I might add). During the next 6 months or so, he figured out where the problems were coming from and we worked through the pain and disability.
When I began with Eric, I couldn’t climb stairs or find a place on the bleachers to watch my grandson play basketball. Now, I climb those stairs two at a time and can walk up the bleachers to get the best view of my grandson. The custom orthotics that I always thought I would need are now unnecessary!

Pilates class, strength or interval training at the YMCA or running on my own outside. I considered myself to be a capable athlete and could rise to most any challenge. However, what I found after a few weeks of PT was that I wasn’t getting all that I hoped out of my therapy and that there was a huge disconnect between my therapist and myself. While I may have been unrealistic in how quickly I would recover, I was more aggravated by the constant feeling that I was just one of many patients. To me, this injury was life changing. To my therapist, I felt like he saw me as just another person to rehabilitate. And in fact, near the end of my therapy, when I was trying to describe foot and heel pain I had been dealing with, he brushed it off as nothing unusual. By the following week, I had full-blown planter fasciitis.
Once I got over the fact that it wasn’t going to or I couldn’t make it happen on my own, I decided to finally give Eric a try. Since I began working with Eric, I’ve regained my confidence in my physical abilities and have even found an intensity and level of duration that I’m not sure I could have achieved before my injury. Unlike my therapist, Eric is beyond attentive – he is always focused on me, correcting my form and sencouraging me. There is no doubt that I am the only person in that room. He quickly caught on to my personality and knows just how to motivate me. Eric is patient. I like to ask questions when we exercise – why are we doing this and how will it help? Eric does an incredible job of explaining how our bodies work, what muscles are used during a particular exercise, and how it will correct and/or strengthen my weak areas.
We have worked on calf, soleus and plantar fascia stretches and strengthening, we have done toe and heel raises; single leg balances. We have worked on my core, my shoulders and at times, what feels like every other muscle in my body. I have lifted more weight than I thought possible, done more repetitions than I thought I was capable of, and accomplished physical feats that I had been afraid to try.
Because of this corrective exercise, I no longer have the excruciating pain I would experience in my foot at the end of my day. I have no signs of the planter fasciitis and no longer wake up feeling stiff in my leg and ankle. I do not have to break up my day in to segments so I can go home and rest my leg in between. I don’t throw my sneakers in the car anymore in case I can’t make it out and about with the pair of shoes I have on. I ran my first full mile recently, without pain, without stopping and not too far off the time I ran prior to my injury. I can rise up on my tippy toes. I can now wear heels again. And while we still work toward a full recovery, I finally feel ‘normal’ again and no longer think of myself as injured. In six short months, Eric has helped me overcome both a physical and mental hurdle in leaving my injury in the past.
There is no doubt that without Eric and his corrective exercise training, his level of knowledge, and his dedication to helping me recover that I would not be where I am today