Ciani Espadas

Virgil's most precious gift as a personal trainer, strength coach and a physical educator is that he is an amazing teacher. Whatever your goals are, Virgil will teach and guide you on how best to achieve them.

Ciani Espadas
Con Ritmo Dance Studio Owner
Professional Dancer/Instructor

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Sharon Athanasiou

I met Virgil about 5 years ago, when I worked at The Sports Center at Chelsea Piers in NYC. He was the trainer for my complimentary session, and it was immediately clear that Virgil was not the typical instructor. Even though I didn't know him well at the time, he was unusually warm, and very pleasant to speak with. It was easy to feel comfortable with him, and I was therefore able to ask him whatever fitness questions I had on my mind. I learned a lot from that one session, and I also knew that Virgil was someone I would enjoy calling a friend.

After knowing him for several years, Virgil and I spoke about him writing a fitness column in the national magazine I was editor of, Natural Living Today. I was confident that he had a lot to offer my readers, and I was right; Virgil handed in several contributions to the magazine, each one stressing the importance of exercising with safety and moderation. I was a fan of his very realistic and doable approach to staying in shape, and I like the way his friendly personality shined through.

Virgil's incredibly positive attitude in all things he does is very contagious. As a personal trainer health/fitness instructor, this attribute is a benefit to whomever he comes into contact with. I would recommend Virgil to anyone interested in learning about the correct ways to get fit; he is a truly sincere person who is constantly seeking knowledge and expanding his horizons, and is very excited to share what's he's learned.

Sharon Athanasiou
Freelance writer/editor

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Jennifer Jones

I have Known Virgil Aponte for seven years as a fellow colleague in the physical education department at Bushwick High School. It has always been a great pleasure working with Virgil because of his caring, enthusiastic, and amazing knowledge in the field of strength and conditioning and physical education.

Knowing Virgil means knowing someone who cares about what he does and is committed to helping students, clients and anyone he works with reach their strength and health related goals.

Another bonus is Virgil's pleasant personality. He's easy to get along with and you enjoy your time spent with him. The students at Bushwick High School love Virgil because of what he gives them and because he's an amazing role model. He always takes time to help our student athletes with their strength and conditioning programs. What I also like is that he just doesn't tell them what to do he teaches them what to do. He always tells me how he loves it when a student can just walk into the weight room and get to work on his/her strength and conditioning program with out him. He feels that's when he's really done his job.

The man loves to teach and besides his wealth of knowledge in strength and conditioning that's his biggest asset. He won't stop till you learn what will help you achieve your goals. Anyone who decides to work with Virgil or seek his advice will achieve their goals because that's what Virgil does. He teaches you how to get results and he's so successful at it.

Jennifer Jones
Physical Education Teacher
Varsity Baseball Coach

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Mayra LaSalle

To all who value good training:

Virgil Aponte, a man who understands the body and mind. I started training with Virgil about five years ago. The very first session, I could tell that I would lose the weight that I wanted to lose. More importantly, I felt I had control over my body and I owe it all to Virgil. Virgil gave me the confidence to believe that I could accomplish my goal and keep the weight off.

Amazingly, when I was depressed or stressed he knew right away. Virgil would talk to me during training and at the end of my session I felt like a new woman. He bonds with all of his trainees because he cares for all of them. On my worst day Virgil always made me smile and even when I thought that training was a waste of time he would push me to my limits and I always felt good about myself.

In addition, Virgil also takes the time to find literature to educate his trainees on what and how they should eat. Virgil explains that everyone's body is unique. More so, reiterating that everyone needs to work their bodies in different ways for the exercising to be effective for them individually.

Lastly, but not least Virgil will ensure that all his trainees feel good about themselves. He is gallant in all ways. He is sensitive, diligent, and will always take the time to listen equally to all of his trainees, a quality in a trainer that is very hard to find. You do not know me, however, you took the time to read my testimony, I promise and guarantee that investing your time with Virgil Aponte will not be a mistake, but the best decision you will ever make.

Respectfully, a trainee of Virgil who started at a size 14, and is now a size 6 and for 5 years now is still a size 6.

Thanks for taking the time in reading my testimonial.

Mayra LaSalle
NYC High School Teacher

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Fran Del Bagno, LYFE Teacher

During my years as a LYFE teacher at a Brooklyn High School , Virgil has helped the staff and children of the LYFE Center in many ways. We first met Virgil when he offered to take over the parenting class of a fellow physical education teacher who had gone on sabbatical. No other teacher came forward to fill this important position. It entailed working with teen parents to help them learn about child development and how best to care for and interact with their child. Virgil also spent one period a day in the LYFE Center playing and exercising with the infants and toddlers of the teen parents. He provided advice to the staff on how to lift children without causing injury to themselves. He also advised the staff on how best to increase their own physical strength through exercise and proper diet. Virgil always brought a caring and enthusiastic attitude to his work with children, teens and adults. His warm manner and true concern for all those he is involved with always comes through.

Virgil has remained a friend and supporter of the LYFE program. He has also advised me personally in matters of strength training and in my own swimming regimen.

Frances Del Bagno
LYFE Teacher

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Jeff House

I met Virgil when he joined our staff as a seasonal strength & conditioning coach with the New York Liberty. I have known him for approximately 4 years. I'm am one of the assistant coaches, and actively involved in the day to day training of our athletes. What Virgil allowed us to do, as a coaching staff, was two-fold: 1.) focus on basketball. Virgil's knowledge of proper techniques, eating habits and a sound systematic approach is excellent. He allowed us to not have to worry about our team's strength, conditioning, weight or cardio-vascular needs " he had that covered for us. We could focus on what basketball skills we wanted to help each player improve. Secondly, Virgil helped us incorporate some of his routines and exercise principals into our individual basketball drills so our player's workouts turned into a combination of his training regimen and our skill improvement sessions. Virgil is so passionate about helping athletes improve, he develops a personal relationship with each one " he honestly cares about the outcome, their improvement as well as the team's improvement.

Virgil teaches the proper techniques, and habits for a healthy life " not just put people through a work out. He wants them to adopt this as a part of who they are, not just train and then be done with it. He is very successful with that approach. He also emphasizes the importance of stress reduction and getting enough rest and sleep. The rigors of our season and the travel can be very damaging to an athlete's mind and body. Virgil also encouraged our team and staff to learn on our own, to use the resources he had to further our own knowledge " another sign that he was helping make a life change not just getting us to workout.

We only had Virgil on staff for one season, but he continues to come to every game and work with our players and staff. He has made lifelong bonds, and we are grateful for his work with us. We continue to use what he helped us learn.

Virgil is a great resource, if you are serious about changing your health and lifestyle, as well as improve your strength then Virgil can help you reach your goals.

Jeff House
Assistant Coach/Video Coordinator
WNBA New York Liberty

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Robert Gunderson

I have known Virgil for over six years as a physical educator, personal trainer and strength coach. His passion, enthusiasm, intelligience and work ethic are hard to beat. He is always in search for the truth and teaches people what he's learned. Virgil designed simple yet effective strength and conditioning programs for a number of our high school athletes and teams. I was always complaining about how we don't have enough resources and facilities to properly train our athletes. Virgil always smiled at comments like that because he believes that an athlete's mind and body are his/her greatest resource. He had our athletes do bodyweight exercises, run stairs, pull old car tires and carry laundry bags to improve their strength and conditioning. It seemed simple and unconventional but our athletes really bought into it and they were in magnificent shape.

Virgil is also great at making people understand what he's trying to teach. One time I brought an athlete who pulled her hamstring in practice to him. I explained to Virgil that she needed extra stretching. Virgil quickly performed a flexibility range of motion test on the athlete's hamstring and said that her problem was not due to her flexibility but rather from lack of strength. I gave him a puzzled look and said don't most athletes who pull their hamstrings need extra stretching. Virgil then explained how that was a big misconception among many coaches. He then proceeded to show me what the proper range of motion for a hamstring was. He used the athlete as an example and she actually had better than normal range of motion in both hamstring. Virgil then proceeded to show me and the athlete some bodyweight hamstring exercises and she was fine the rest of the season. After the student left, Virgil showed me some more flexibility tests and encouraged me to learn more on my own. I could tell you story after story and go on and on about Virgil but the truth is he needs no help. Once anyone decides to work with him they'll be in for an amazing learning and transforming experience. They will learn to exercise, to eat better, to sleep better, feel better and just plain live better. Period.

Robert Gunderson
Athletic Director/Softball Coach

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Colleen Barrington

I met Virgil at the high school I work at and have known him for approximately 4 years. I'm a school safety agent and a mother of two energetic children. When I first heard that he offered personal training services I was a little apprehensive because I feared that I would get too muscular. I'm only 4'11 and at the time my weight was around 145 lbs. Since Virgil is so passionate about helping athletes improve I thought I might wind up looking like one of those buff football players.

What I liked most is that he always tried to make me feel comfortable and more than anything he tried to teach me about exercise and not just watch over me. He also emphasized the importance of proper nutrition, stress reduction and getting enough rest and sleep. He would always say people should exercise for the health of it and not just for the look of it. He also encouraged me to learn what I could by referring me to many of his resources. I only trained with Virgil for six months but I continue to use what he taught me to exercise on my own. These days my bodyweight rarely reaches 120 lbs and I'm able to plan my own workouts and nutritional plans. I don't even consider Virgil a personal trainer I consider him an amazing teacher blessed with unlimited knowledge of physical training.

Colleen Barrington
Brooklyn , New York

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Stephanie Sanchez

I've known Virgil professional and personally and on both levels he is an extremely motivating and knowledgeable person. I've worked side by side with him on the field and training floor. He is not just a trainer, he's an educator. He will truly help you understand how your body works and how to get the best from it.

Stephanie Sanchez,
New York City Police Officer
Health Club Manager and Swimming Instructor

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I remember telling Virgil that women can't do pull-ups and he said the last time I checked women competed in gymnastics. Under his guidance I went from barely being able to do 1 pull-up to 7 in 12 weeks. 6 years later I still train with Virgil because I know that I will always continue to excel under his expert guidance.

Maria Coste
Fitness & Boxing Enthusiast

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Shelly Seevak

I started training with Virgil when at age 74, for the first time in my life, I developed a back problem -- a herniated disk. My orthopedist told me that in time it would heal. Training with Virgil I am now pain free. I follow a vigorous training schedule. I golf regularly, walk, run and do what ever I want. It is particularly important at my age to exercise properly without going to far and hurting my-self. Virgil has developed a unique training program for me that does just that. The thing that separates Virgil from other professional trainers is that the exercises he has developed for me are easy to do when he's not around. With Virgil's expert guidance I look forward to enjoying my physically active lifestyle for a long long time.

Shelly Seevak
Golf and Fitness Enthusiast
New York City

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Jeanette Crespo

Mr. Aponte's passion for total health is evident. He not only challenges your body, but also your mind. In the very short time that I have been working with Mr. Aponte, he has made a positive impact in my life.

Eating healthy for me has always been difficult, but the manner in which Mr. Aponte communicated his perspective about health and the foods we eat, made me realize that it is not that difficult to change.

He has shown me that exercising and eating healthy can be a part of every day life by making simple changes, such as, selecting healthier food, incorporating simple exercises and learning more about health. Also his website has exposed me to a wealth of information.

Although I have just begun my journey to total health, I am more than confident that with the guidance of Mr. Aponte, I will be able to achieve my weight goal. Mr. Aponte is awesome. He has a sincere and kind spirit, which transcends his work. He truly cares about his client's entire well being. Indeed, Mr. Aponte has been given a special gift in which he is using to bless others.

Sincerely,
Jeanette Crespo
NYC Administrative Assistant

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John Vamvakaris

I have been a New York City high school physical education teacher and head football coach for over 10 years now. I have used Virgil's ideas and expertise to design strength and conditioning programs for my football program. The thing I love most about Virgil is that he just doesn't hand you some exercise sheet filled with exercises that no one really uses or understands. The man sits you down and gives you practical ideas on what is best for your team and can actually be implemented. I remember asking him what he thought was the best exercise for developing speed and leg strength and his reply was that it only really matters what is the best for your situation and team and not what he thought was best. I had explained that I thought my athletes should all be barbell squatting. Virgil explained that the squat was indeed valuable but for my situation it was not. With one squat rack, 50 plus athletes and not much time you're better off getting on the field and doing walking lunges and plyometrics. Save the Squats for the few athletes that may need to bulk up. In my particular situation we had 50-60 hard working athletes a small weight room but access to the football field. Virgil advised us to use the football field for our strength and conditioning workouts. This would help us save time and would be just as effective as using the weight room. His ideas all paid off. My team was strong, fast, highly conditioned and most importantly injury free. Plain and simple, this man knows his stuff and can help any program or anyone looking for a winning edge.

John Vamvakaris
NYC City Physical Education Teacher & Varsity Football Coach

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Faith Groesbeck

"Virgil recently volunteered to lead fitness workshops at two homeless shelters where I coordinate health education services in Brooklyn .  His philosophy of adapting exercise to a person's lifestyle was practical and unintimidating.  Watching Virgil teach is an uplifting experience.  His positive spiritual energy saturates everything he does.  My clients and I are still enjoying the reverberations of that energy.  I look forward to working with Virgil on future projects with challenging populations."

Faith Groesbeck,
Health Educator/Caseworker
The Floating Hospital

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