I have retired from fitness and no longer do fitness videos nor do I answer questions on YouTube and Facebook. The one place I am still very active is my forum, Sweat4health. If you want to ask me questions about fitness, nutrition, investing, or working out, you will get detailed answers from me personally. The forum is very small and intimate.
A personal trainer costs $50 to $100 per hour but for $39, you can get an entire months worth of coaching and support! I personally answer every question.
Getting stronger, more muscular, leaner, and healthier requires knowledge, a support network, and some sweat – This website provides the first two and you provide the last! I have over a decade of experience helping thousands of people get in the best shape of their lives, and I can help you too! With my help, and the help of our awesome, supportive community, you will be able to achieve your goals! Our very small closed community is a nurturing environment united by similar goals of strength and muscle gain, fat loss, health, fitness, and performance improvement.
- Weekly scheduled chat time where I can answer those quick questions you have
- Cardio motivation like the popular run around the world challenge and the bike to the moon challenge
- 24/7 chat room for those quick questions and socializing with others trying to get into the best shape of their lives
- Private forums for getting your detailed questions answered
- An awesome support group to help you succeed
- A profile to help hone your goals and fitness program
- Private progress diaries to help motivate you
- Personal best wall for achievements you are proud of
- Activity stream/ Wall to keep in touch
Why pay for Sweat4health when there are lots of free forums?
Great question! I have a lot of experience with forums. Before I started my own very successful AskScooby.com forum, I belonged to many of the big fitness forums for years and I can tell you what happens there, if you don’t believe me, join them and ask a few questions to confirm I am correct. When you ask a question on a free fitness forum, answers are typically one of the following forms:
- Stupid question. How dare you waste their time with such a “STUPID question”!
- Trolling. Giving ridiculous answer/advice just to be funny or controversial. The scary thing is that some people are so good at this that many people who are new to fitness believe this advice and act on it.
- Promotions. Free forums are filled with people who are paid to subtly promote products. Someone posts that they are a “hard gainer” and someone responds telling them to try Mass Gainer 9000 because it helped them “gain 30 pounds muscle in 6 months”. Since many forums make their money selling supplements and have ads for supplements, they often have these “promotion moles” themselves.
- Insults. Free forums are the gutter of humanity. Discussions on fitness topics always seem to end in insults. People seem to be unable to debate things in a civil fashion. “Agree with me or you are a MORON” is the rule rather than the exception. Insulting the person rather than constructively discussing the topic seems to be the methodology used by many.
- Show offs. People giving answers only given to show off how smart they are, how strong they are, or how fabulous they look. “Follow me on Instagram/Facebook!” is probably their signature line and their answer will probably contain a link to their latest eBook or website.
My personal philosophy is that there is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers. Every question is a great opportunity to teach. As far as promotions, Sweat4health has no commercial sponsors and has no advertisements, in fact, I actively discourage the purchase of *anything*. Nothing is promoted nor sold. I learned from my AskScooby forum during the 6 years and keeping people civil was the biggest constant challenge. Requiring a small monthly membership fee on a credit card does amazing things at weeding out the incivility. In the entire three years of sweat4health, I have only had to ban one single member as compared to the nearly daily bannings at AskScooby.
Features of Sweat4health
Forum. We are a community! Here you can discuss the latest fitness research, get workout suggestions, talk about nutrition, and provide encouragement to each other. I will add my two cents worth on every question asked but in many cases your fellow members will be more knowledgable and have better answers than I will. I don’t have assistants or employees, I personally will chime in on every thread. There is no such thing as a stupid question!
Social Media. In this closed fitness oriented community, your profile shows all about your fitness goals, your workouts, your nutritional plan, your progress photos, and your progress diary. You can see who is online, join a chat room, or message your fitness friends. You can ask me questions and let people know how your workout was today in your activity stream where people can comment on it. A private, safe, and friendly fitness version of Facebook.
Personal Best Board. Health, fitness, strength, and endurance come one day at a time, one small accomplishment at a time. Did you do your first real pullup? Did you run your first mile without having to stop or walk? Did you squat your own bodyweight for the first time? We will encourage you every step of the way!
Progress Diaries. A big part of making progress is keeping track of what you have done and what the results were. If you have trouble, ask for help and we will gladly give you suggestions on how to change your nutrition or workouts. A lot of our great discussions actually happen in peoples progress diaries.
Important Note I am not a certified personal trainer nor am I a medical professional – nothing here constitutes medical advice. If you have medical issues, your physician is the person you need to consult with. It is your responsibility to discuss any information found here with your physician and decide if it is appropriate for you before acting upon it.
Current Sweat4health Challenges
These challenges help motivate!
Is it worth $39 per month?
Hear the answer given by Sweat4health member Mert when a new member asked this very question:
Did I get my value of my $39 per month? Let’s see:
1- One advice. At the beginning, I asked the forum members what to do about willpower issues regarding food. Scooby’s response: “I have ZERO willpower when it comes to delicious food”.
Wow… Legendary Scooby has ZERO willpower? Until that time, I always assumed that all fit people had have natural resistance to junk food. How wrong… Just this advice I got was priceless…
How much does it cost? How much for that I hanged to my plan for the first time. How many dollars per year of gained life expectancy in years?2- Another one. I am applying Scooby’s advice,and it works, but it works slowly. Then I realize that some members follow an eating regimen called LCHF. I do the research, I become convinced, then I personally ask questions to members. I am sure that they won’t have time to respond. Then, they all respond. Wow… They take the time to respond. I also fail initially, but they keep encouraging, I course correct, and then I succeed! 11 years of frustration has ended! I found my way.
How much does it cost? How many dollars per year of gained life expectancy? How many dollars for the emotional burden disappeared?3- Many more small questions answered, at one point, I ask what to do while traveling. Until this time, I always put on weight when I traveled. This is important. they suggest me many things, I do them all. They also suggest me to buy a cooler. I say, it is impossible, too much hassle. Then, in two months, I change my mind. I buy a cooler. The hassle is 2 minutes: 1 minute to load, 1 minute to unload. I lose weight each time I travel since. I save $100s while traveling just until so far. Oh well… How much did I pay for this advice as an extra? How much for the future savings while traveling? How much just for sticking on the plan?
4- I got injured yesterday. So emotional, some would never know, this is absolutely a breaking point. I ask for advice. Check people’s and Scooby’s response. Incredible. Now, I immediately have a plan to execute.
How much does it cost? How much for not gaining again (this time) lost 10.2 kg of pure fat after 4 months? What is the cost of staying on track? What is the cost of avoiding frustration?5- Social support. I won’t even mention it. Both regarding fitness issues and personal problems. Now I am accountable and I need to reach my goals. Because people care. And, I’ll do.
What’s the cost for this support?You are to decide. Did I get my $39 back?
Mert