Ultimate Performance Personal Trainers Los Angeles

I started training at UP for a lot of reasons, but primarily because I was pretty depressed - something I've battled in one way or another for much of my life. The idea of looking better than I ever have was a nice bonus, sure, but I know how closely tied physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing truly are, and I hit a point where I wanted to be at my peak in all three.

Prior, I was waking up late every day, beyond tired and after multiple alarms. I never had an appetite. My diet was basically a morning coffee for the caffeine shock, and then sometimes an entire pizza after a long, unintentional fast. I worked from my couch and my output suffered. My attitude and dating life suffered.

It took a while to convince myself that I could do something differently, but when I committed to myself, I knew that if I was going to really give my all and spend this kind of cash, I wasn't willing to settle for anything less than the best training I could find.

I did immense amounts of research, and I can confidently say there is not a more scientific, data-driven program that exists. Everything (sleep, steps, meals, water intake, weight, reps, routine, etc) is tracked to be able to analyze and adjust, and to instill accountability and discipline. I take progress pics every week (which are blowing my mind at this point), and do 19-point body fat caliper measurements to see exactly how my body is changing. (Look at the transformations. They're real.)

I've gone from 21.8% to 7.9% body fat in three months, now putting on muscle and maintaining that percentage. I'm lean, and I'm proud. I'm hungry at a healthy cadence, I eat cleanly and love it, nutritional tracking has become second nature, and I've learned proper form/routine across a wide variety of exercises that take care of my entire body. I'm disciplined, and I know that all of these skills and knowledge will be with me for the rest of my life.

There are marked differences around my mental/emotional well-being, too: My energy levels are significantly higher. For at least the last two months, I've woken up without an alarm without fail, generally eager to eat and get started on my day. My job - which is very stressful at times and demands great mental rigor - has become more manageable. And while I still do get hit with sadness spells here and there, they're less arbitrary, and I'm far better equipped to power through them.

I should talk about UP's staff, as well. Every single trainer is unbelievably skilled (I've trained with several when mine had to take a little time due to a personal emergency) - and they're all clearly passionate about what they do. I have to give a special shoutout, though, to Abigail Jachera, whom I've been fortunate to train with directly. I'm convinced she's exactly the right coach for me, given my (and her) demeanor, constraints, and goals. I'm very grateful for the thoughtfulness that was put into matching us.

This is a woman who was a professional ballerina, with a background in biology and endocrinology, and with voluminous knowledge of physical fitness. Her energy is infectious, she knows just how hard to push and motivate me (without turning me off), and she's deeply informed. I've never had a question about my program she was unable to answer (or find an answer to), and I know I can trust her entirely in her guidance. She's appropriately mindful of some weird physical quirks I have, and she knows exactly how and why each movement is impacting specific areas of my body. She's reliable, considerate, and responsive. She puts in the time and effort to the same extent that I do. I can tell that she deeply cares about me and my results.

Abi is also authentic to herself as a human, and at this point, I consider her a friend. I'm optimistic this is a relationship I'll carry with me well beyond my time at UP.

I never write reviews, but I'm doing it this time because UP has improved my life at the most foundational levels, and I'm hopeful I can maybe pay that forward.