Lila, 14 Years Old

When I started weight lifting with Arttu it was both exciting and extremely nerve racking. I came to Arttu with chronic knee pain. I had lost hope in fixing the pain after many months of physical therapy and multiple doctor recommendations—none ever fixing my issue.

He helped me step by step discover the source of my pain, giving me a space to discuss my thoughts and guide me through the process of strengthening my knees and building a base for the rest of my body. Arttu debunked all of the reservations I had about weight lifting—trusting my strength and pushing me to get over mental barriers when it came to heavier weights.

He helped me improve my performance in all sports through consistent consulting in and out of the gym. Whether soccer, volleyball, or skiing, Arttu helped me achieve my goals in each. Throughout my time with Arttu it’s become clear that he values his clients immensely and respects their limits as well as encourages constant progress. Arttu tailors each plan to every client, taking into account every reservation or desire they have in order to make a perfectly fitted product.

As a 14 year old girl, I truly appreciated how he initiated conversations about my experiences with sports as well as eating habits. He took the time to understand my past with food and created a plan according to my needs. Things like these are what make me believe whole heartedly in Arttu’s abilities as a trainer; the compassion he possesses allows all his clients to feel safe and fuels them to overcome self doubt.

Julia, 17 Years Old

When my dad first brought up seeing Arttu, I immediately said no. I didn't want to take the step outside of my comfort zone and commit to learning and adapting to another environment. I had no idea what to expect when I finally walked through the doors of the gym, but what I ended up finding was exactly what I needed.

Coming out of organized sport and a year of inactivity due to Covid, I had some reservations about beginning this new journey, but with Arttu's help, we set out to redefine my relationship with exercise. He, one by one, dismantled my preconceptions of what exercise should look like, how it should feel, and what it should do. He was incredibly patient with my physical and mental progress, taking the time to explain the purpose behind everything we were doing and slowly implementing manageable changes to my everyday routines.

His flexility was a key factor in creating sustainable habits and his understanding created an environment in which there was no reason to lie or hide any concerns. Furthermore, he simultaneously showed me that working out didn't mean killing yourself every time you went to the gym and that my body was capable of far more than I expected. He never set limits, verbally or through his actions, on what I could do and continuously set me up for success. Every part of Arttu's methods was practical, purposeful, and sustainable. Ultimately, having the opportunity to work with him has changed my perspective on how I live my life for the better.

Alexio, 18 Years Old

I suffered a torn ACL at the age of 12 playing soccer, it was one of the most devastating things I have had to go through because it forced me out of soccer, my passion and my life.

I had some help from a physical therapist after the surgery and thought I would get back to playing soccer within a few short months. But 4 years later, I am now 16 years old. My knee has still been hurting and getting in the way of my soccer performance and my everyday activities. I stumbled across coach Arttu and asked him if he can help me fix my knee and get me back to my old self playing competitive soccer.

He first asked me about my life and not about my knee. I was a little confused as to whether that had anything to do with improving the health of my knee. He was the first person to connect a deeper meaning into performance, why recovery & improvement is not just achieved inside the gym. I thought it was only about what exercises I needed to do in order to heal my knee. I have not received any education in school on nutrition, sleep, managing my stress, on bowel movements and why water intake is so important for me. I have heard about all of them but never really understood if and how they might be affecting my health & performance. He has been the first person to start teaching me how they all connect with my knee rehabilitation, my health and goals of playing high level soccer.

After 10 months of working with coach Arttu my knee has never felt this good, I am stronger, going to bed earlier because I know what it does to me and starting to play soccer again without fearing of having pain in my knee. I am truly grateful that I found coach Arttu and for his guidance

Naomi, 20 Years Old

After having played volleyball a lot during school, I eventually got a small tear in my rotator cuff that I needed help to fix, and I wasn't really sure what to do

Coming to Arttu, I wanted to both improve my shoulder condition, and overall have a better sense on what properly taking care of my body looked like. Starting off this summer, we talked about fitness goals, eating habits, and personal interests, from which he developed an individualized program that was centered towards my goals and needs, as well as provided advice when it came to food and nutrition.

While I only spent four months with him, I found a huge difference in my ability to use my shoulder; I went from barely being able to hit without a lot of pain to having virtually no pain at all. In addition to my shoulder recovery, I feel more confident in my ability to enter a gym and know what exercises to do, how to do them, and the steps to take towards more difficult movements. I've taken the knowledge he provided to me over the summer and have applied it to my life in university, and am excited to continue using the things I've learned. All in all I would highly recommend Arttu as spending this summer with him has had huge benefits to my physical, nutritional, and mental health!

Miles, 21 Years Old

When I met Arttu for the first time I expected a personal trainer. I thought I would come in, get a workout, sweat, leave and repeat. This was why I was so reluctant to see him at first, I thought I could do that alone.

I did not expect him to take a series of tests that allowed him to pinpoint my most obscure physiological weaknesses. The next few months consisted of challenging work, mostly performing slow and controlled movements I have never even heard of. Pretty early on the question became, how can I learn to do this myself? I thought this was an impossible question because it would force him to give away the knowledge on which he founded his business.

No. Hours after my training was finished we would sit talking about fitness, the fitness industry, food, sleep, or just small talk. Mind you, this was after the gym closed, this is the time he could have been spending with his family and friends. This is when I knew I was experiencing more than just training. A year later we are parting ways and I am standing far above what I thought I could ever physically achieve, unimpeded by injury or doubt. Arttu is a coach, a friend and possesses a hunger and wealth for knowledge that is truly epic. Thank you for everything!

Rachel, 22 Years Old

As a soccer player, I was constantly moving and pushing my body to new limits. Eventually, I reached those limits and pulled both hamstrings, along with multiple ankle sprains.

I have been working with Arttu for about 3 years, originally to help strengthen my hamstrings. I was 18 at the time and thought fitness was only about how much weight you could lift or having strict diets. Through my work with Arttu, I have learned that fitness isn’t just about weights but about building a healthy mindset and learning more about what my body needs in my day to day life. As a young woman, there are so many different topics that I need to start taking into consideration when looking at my overall health.

We talk a lot about stress, nutrition, weight, body image, and yes even my menstrual cycle. Managing these topics are important to understand as they can affect people in different ways. With Arttu’s guidance, I have learned a lot about my mind and body and what I needed to do in order to get through my more stressful days. He strategically plans out my programming so that I don’t feel overwhelmed, which really helps me as I work through challenges associated with school. I have learned a lot in my time with Arttu and continue to learn as we work on different topics. As I exit college I have a better idea about my overall health and fitness. Arttu has really cemented these ideas with me and over time I have felt happier and healthier.

Kendall, 22 Years Old

I am a D1 beach volleyball player at Tulane University. I started training with Arttu my summer going into sophomore year of school 2020. I was experiencing shoulder pain and knee discomfort to the point it started to affect me both physically and mentally. I wanted the pain gone, to understand how to make it better but I didn't want to do another rehab program and that's when I was put in contact with Arttu.

I have worked with many coaches in my lifetime and none can compare to the effort and care that Arttu does. He is hands down the best coach. He genuinely cares about my progress, pushes me in the weight room and with health, and is extremely knowledgeable. I saw a huge improvement in my athletic game since working with him. He is very specific and gives great corrections in the weight room. All of my weight have increased significantly working with him and I can see the correlation on the court! I feel confident about my shoulder, my knee and that I am not doing random training just to get strong and not see those improvements in my practice and games.

Arttu takes his craft very seriously, I take my approach to volleyball very seriously and have big goals that I want to achieve. I understand that I will not play this sport forever or be able to stay at a high level and working with Arttu allows me to express my true potential. I am forever grateful to have him in my life. 

Jill, Parent

Arttu has been coaching my two adult children for the past three plus years. My 21 year old daughter has had a lot of training in the gym growing up. She is currently a top D1 Beach Volleyball athlete. She has worked with several trainers before finding Arttu. Arttu is hands down the best coach for my daughter that I have experienced. What impresses me the most is his connection with his clients. He is warm and kind. He goes above and beyond to make sure my daughter is ready for the season. She gained a tremendous amount of strength working with Arttu. She came home for the summer from college solely to train with him. I greatly appreciate his attention to doing activities with her to mitigate any injuries. 

My son, age 23, is also a client of Arttu. My son is employed full--time and had no prior gym experience. The connection Arttu made with my child is priceless. I thought my child would last a couple of weeks in they gym. He has been there for years. He was a tip toe walker. Arttu fixed that and lengthened my son's hamstrings. Last week, my son rushed home from the gym to show me a video of himself doing a 'skin the cat' on the rings. My son's muscle mass has improved greatly. Another thing that has really impressed me with Arttu is letting his clients find nutrition. My son didn't eat anything green. He views nutrition differently and is creating a new connection with food through Arttu's education.

I appreciate that Arttu is able to work with different types of clients. You can't find anyone more knowledgeable. He is kind, caring and reliable.