Welcome to
181 West Madison

I was very lucky that until age 35, I never struggled with my weight. Despite not regularly exercising or watching my diet, my weight always remained the same. Unfortunately that all changed and I began to passively gain weight. Over the next 3 years I gained 50lbs and 6 inches on my waist line. When my 38" waist pants were getting tight, I decided enough was enough, and joined the LifeStart facility at 175 W. Jackson.

I began by taking RIPPED classes, running on the Woodway, and doing some light weight training. I quickly found that I was far, far more out of shape than I realized. Being a former athlete, I blindly signed up for a 5k run that was 6 months out so that I had a tangible goal on my calendar. The next 6 months were arduous as I clawed my way back at reclaiming a baseline athleticism. I finished the 5k with a respectable time, and had lost 20lbs in the process.

But I was hooked and I wanted more. I made the mental & physical leap from merely "exercising" to "training." I did not want to simply lose weight anymore, I wanted to gain lean muscle mass and lose body fat. I started to regularly speak with the staff at my gym, about unlocking the next level of training. They helped me learn more about how diet was the key to everything. So I began tracking everything I ate and over the next year I lost another 26lbs.

Over my first 18 months at 175 W. Jackson I lost 46lbs and my body fat dropped by 15%. I also lost 6 inches off my waistline. Since then, I have changed course and am trying to gain fat-free lean mass. While I maintain a healthy dose of cardio, my emphasis is now on strength training. I've gained 8lbs of lean muscle mass back over the last 12 months with an overall 13lb weight gain and a modest increase of 1.5% of body fat. My waistline has not changed. At this point, I am no longer focused on the number on the scale as much as I am with my proportions in the mirror.

I am very thankful to the staff at 175 W. Jackson for educating me on diet and more advanced training techniques. Don't just exercise, train toward your goal!"