No Excuses: Toronto’s best personal trainers who come to you

No Excuses: Toronto’s best personal trainers who come to you

The Busy Torontonian's Survival Guide: Top personal trainers who come to you

The personal Trainer

Gidon Gabbay’s mind-over-matter method is the ultimate choice for dogged New Year’s resolutionists. His mission is to motivate even the most committed couch potatoes, be they the chronically injured (he’s gotten NHLers with spinal injuries back on the ice) or those hoping to shed their infernal muffin tops. Each session includes a meditation where ­clients visualize their fittest selves, ­followed by a customized workout—from muay Thai to plyometrics (jump training)—and comes with nutritional consultation, all designed to get them into their ideal form. $85–$95 an hour. 416-716-2348, gforcetraining.com.


The women’s cross-trainer

Jennifer Stretch—her apropos real name—is a former diver for the ­Canadian national team. She has degrees in both kinesiology and teaching, moonlights as a stuntwoman and also runs her own for-women-only ­fitness empire. Stretch knows how to kick ass, especially her clients’. She goes all over the GTA with customized pre-planned workouts that incorporate a huge variety of exercises (her favourite is high-­intensity intervals that use body weights). $80 an hour. 647-968-6784, fitpersonaltraining.ca.


The yoga gurus

Lauren Anastasi and Emma ­Prendergast of Mobile Yoga are based on the road (they have no studio proper), making Torontonians a more agile bunch with a mix of hatha and vinyasa techniques. They’ll work with beginners and experts, the infirm and athletes (one client used to do seated “chair yoga” and now does modified shoulder stands), dawn to night, custom selecting ­postures and intensity for each yogi. For busy parents, they’ll also include the kids. $125 an hour. 416-451-2385, mobileyoga.ca.


The pilates perfectionist

Amy Brown of Pilates for Life has been teaching pilates for 13 years, studying all the latest methods and ­incorporating the best into her own core-­strengthening, posture-perfecting system. She trains pro athletes and their tight-­bodied wives—other instructors, too—but her true skill is rehab. She tailors routines specifically to each client’s limitations and goals. $130 an hour. 416-966-1868, pilatesforlife.ca.


The Busy Torontonian's Survival Guide: 50 professionals to do everything you're too swamped to do: Stomach Stuffers

Stomach Stuffers

The Busy Torontonian's Survival Guide: 50 professionals to do everything you're too swamped to do: No Excuses

No Excuses