What others say about Sifu Slim
(For press inquiries, please click here. The following individuals were kind enough to provide testimonials but are busy people with their own lives to live. Please do not contact them for Sifu Slim quotes. You may use what they have said here.)
Personal Coaching
Victor J. Massad, Ph.D., Business professor, Penn State University “Now that I am in my mid-50s, my fitness and energy are more important to me than at any other time in my life, and that’s coming from someone who ran two marathons in his 30s. I am most impressed with Sifu Slim’s Maintenance Workout because his approach is simple, easy to perform, and results-oriented. I’d recommend it for just about anyone who needs to accomplish his or her fitness needs with a limited amount of time in a limited amount of space. I also take credit for booking Sifu Slim in his first invited standup comedy gig back in 1991. He’s pretty quick on his feet and the ad-lib stuff he does is even funnier than his prepared material!”Interviews with Athletes
Wolf Wigo Testimonial for The Aging Athlete II by Sifu Slim The Aging Athlete — How to Switch from High Performance to Maintenance and Wellness. How a Performance Athlete Can Maintain Fitness For Life. Wolf Wigo 3-time Olympian for U.S.A. Water Polo and Commentator for TV sports for Water Polo, Graduate of Stanford University, Coach for Men’s and Women’s Water Polo, and Father of Three. Still pursuing fitness as performance and recreation. Ken Shamrock testimonial for Sifu Slim’s The Aging Athlete Ken Shamrock, former UFC heavyweight champion provides testimonial for Sifu Slim’s book ‘The Aging Athlete.’ See TheAgingAthlete.com “Ken was one of the most entertaining interviews to date. Take the most eventful, frightening moments of your life… some of us might have 5 or 6 of these. Starting by getting beat up by older kids of a different race at age 5 in Macon, Georgia, Ken Shamrock has experienced hundreds of these moments and, amazingly, is still alive to talk about them. You could say that Ken is not a fighter by design, he was really born a gifted athlete like his elder brothers. He was also born into the streets of hard knocks. Fighting came because it descended upon him.” Sifu Slim 9-19-2013. Testimonial for Sifu Slim’s ‘The Aging Athlete’ by Bryon Powell, Ultra-Marathoner and Author Ultra-marathoner Bryon Powell, finished a college career as a distance runner, then eventually left a professional career as a food and drug attorney in Washington D.C. and put his passion in first position. He loves life which consists of running the mountain trails across the United States and publishing articles, blogs (see iRunFar.com), and even a book ‘Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide to Running Ultramarathons.’ Bryon spent some time with Sifu Slim and shared his personal biographical perspectives. Testimonial for Sifu Slim’s ‘The Aging Athlete’ by Allen Winder, retired Basketball player Insight from retired Basketball player Allen Winder, the first white player to play along side the amazing Harlem Globetrotter legends! Josh, yoga instructor/tour guide in Oahu Testimonial for Sifu Slim’s YogaP “It was great,” says Josh, certified Yoga instructor. “And I’m not usually up at this time… Now I get why you do this fitness and mind-body connection so early. It sets up the day for wellness.” Dr. Bill Gallivan, 4th Generation Orthopedic Surgeon and Former Competitive Athlete “In my practice I see all kinds of injuries. Some are from accidents of normal living and situations resulting from genetic impairments there is little anyone can do to prevent. The rest fall into the realm of injuries which result from bad choices and improper care of the body. Prevention plans through proper daily exercise do so much for the stability and functionality of the body that it’s hard to imagine anyone living a pain-free life without them. As a former competitive athlete and current weekend participant in sports, I realize now more than ever how important daily fitness is for me, my wife, and my patients. Sifu Slim has shown me he has the ability to take moves from various training practices, from martial arts to calisthenics and body-weight exercises, and show the lifelong practitioner of fitness how to achieve maximum functionality and fluidity without a lot of strain. His standing ab crunches are pretty impressive yet he readily admits that the magic is in doing them. When some think of fitness programs, they picture bench presses and cardio machines. Sifu Slim developed his plan so that you don’t always have to get to the gym. His moves use the body in very natural ways and exercise the entire body, even strengthening areas that tend to be major weaknesses in many patients who consult people in my field, most notably the lower back and hip area.”Margy Hamai, Program Coordinator for Bodhi Tree Meditation Center
Sifu Slim did a wellness presentation which he opened and closed with a functional exercise routine at our center. The physical portion showed us how small, precise movements can slowly create good changes in one’s physical strength and well-being. I highly recommend Sifu’s talks and the helpful exercises which can help us deal with the lack of physical activity and wellness in our modern lives.
Janie Arnold, 50-something Sales Rep, Haagen Typecraft Regional Consultant, Mother of 4
“I recently did a Saturday, 7 AM work out with Sifu Slim. We skipped, did slides, leaps, burst of running and squatted and that was just the warm up. Sifu puts a lot of play into his complete workout plan making it an easy, interesting and fun way to start a day, yet he makes you push a bit as well. He showed us several great ways to incorporate his maintenance workout into a day at the office so we really have no excuses to prevent us from choosing to be healthy, active and strong. In just one week of using Sifu’s maintenance workout program, I can see a vast difference in my form, endurance and agility. Sifu is a gentle, kind, lighthearted man so, as a woman, I felt safe that he was not going to put me through a boot camp that would have me in pain for the next several days. For those women who may read this and are not in the area, Sifu has a 15-minute, maintenance workout video you might want to check out. Be well.”
O.P., PhD., Scientific Research
“I am a scientist whose life has been active on the school and work front for over 30 years, which Sifu Slim reminds me was a lot of sitting and some standing at lab tables. When the aging process started to hit me in my early thirties I experienced aches in my hip and sciatic area. I was also having trouble making it to both the fitness gym and my recreational activities, like dance and tennis. With a work schedule that is quite demanding, I knew I needed a more streamlined approach to wellness. Sifu Slim taught me his weekly plan which you can see on his DVDs and in his book. About a year ago when I was extremely fit, I told him, “Sifu, I have now mastered your program.” While he was happy to give me an advanced belt in his art, he said the true masters of this program seek wellness each and every day. A year after my proud statement to him, I called him to tell him that I again was experiencing pain in my hip and sciatic area. Again, he intervened to remind me of his fitness philosophy and to clue me in on the mindset I needed to adopt in order to thrive during another year of my nine hours of daily work sitting in a lab. A few days later I was feeling better and I owe that to the teachings of Sifu Slim.”
Chris Danahy, Competitive Triathlete & Educator of Triathletes & 4-Time IronMan Hawaii Finisher. Also Restaurateur and owner of an elite running shoe company. Richmond, Virginia
“I have known Sifu Slim since the 1980s and he has been so dedicated to fitness and wellness. In college, he was also always applying for summer jobs one year ahead of time: he was the only guy I knew who did that. He wound up getting some international finance jobs in Paris at a time where the French unemployment rate was over 12%! He’s always been a big planner.
I have seen him get in character as he walks up to the podium–it’s truly amazing! Like a skilled actor, Sifu Slim has the ability to engross himself in the task at hand. He is balanced and well rounded and not prone to overdo any one area. The only things he’s addicted to are knowledge and fitness. But he never goes overboard in any one area of his life. That’s part of his wellness message-don’t overdo things. Being a triathlete I have certainly seen my share of athletes and weekend warriors who train too much and get repetitive stress injuries. His program keeps people thinking about long-term lifestyle and injury prevention.
If someone tells about their current health concern, he doesn’t just regurgitate some known remedy. He listens to the person, asks them questions, and then brings the person into the discussion with skill and care. It’s like listening to Dr. Dean Edell on the radio-it’s the same kind of caring and sensible approach. In some ways he’s like Jack LaLanne–he’s a genuine, driven guy who will never stop preaching sensible health and wellness, no matter what silly things people get into.
We have these long conversations where it’s as though I’m being interviewed. He wants to know what I know, the latest triathlete training methods, the current swimming goggles and running shoes we wear, and the current events of the competitions.
When I questioned him about these “interviews” he said, ‘Until you write a book or develop a Blog, Chris, I have to do get that cutting edge information from you over the phone. It’s how I learn.'”
Jay Peet, Regional Marketing Officer, for a Fortune 500 Real Estate Financial Company
“…he’s a great closing speaker and master of ceremonies. I have been doing several group seminars a week for many years; it’s a significant part of how I develop my business. Sifu Slim’s skills are up there with the best of them. He knows his finance and can put things in a historical perspective. He gets the audience thinking outside the confined, traditional box. He keeps things light and entertaining but always gets the important messages across. Having him speak at my events makes me look good. I recommend him highly.”
J.W., Owner of a Financial Advisory Firm since 1987
“I can’t say enough about the drive Sifu Slim has. He regularly proves that he can do things that are so original that amazed and enlightened people walk up to me after the seminar and ask me: ‘Where did you find this guy?’ I always enjoy hearing his novel way of looking back at financial models. He’s been studying finance for a long time and has an international perspective found in few speakers I get to hear. He is very detail oriented–you might call him a perfectionist who also goes with the flow as the situation requires. We have done a number of joint seminars and he always confirms with me the exact goals of the presentation. He then sets a course to meet those goals. At the event he always keeps the audience in mind and ensures that what is being presented is what the attendees came for.”
Lisa, nurse from Hawaii
“Sifu, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to me yesterday. These days, listening seems like a lost art. It was different with you. You listened to me, listened to my questions, and gave me answers that I could understand. You are an encyclopedia of knowledge, and yet, you spoke with me, at my level. There’s an expression, “Meet people where they are at.” Sifu, you did just that. It was a delight to talk to you.” Lisa 😉
Brittany L., Engineering Student, UCSB
“Sifu Slim is a great trainer, especially with customizing workouts to every individual. In addition, he offers helpful tips and tricks acquired by experts in various sports. The workouts are stimulating physically, mentally, and spiritually. It will leave everyone invigorated and refreshed.”
Dr. Kara Gochnour, Native of Idaho
“I am a chiropractor. I love to educate people about wellness and creating healthy lifestyle choices in order to prevent disease and illnesses. About 2 months ago SifuSlim introduced me to his workout program. He was very knowledgeable about his workouts and improving overall health in a very safe and non-threatening environment. The exercises were fun, rejuvenating and challenging all at the same time. They can be modified to each individual’s physical level of health. I feel confidence referring my patients to SifuSlim because I know they will experience a safe and effective workout starting with the most basic/beginner level to the most advanced individuals.”
J.F., Member, Million Dollar Round Table, New York City
“I took a business trip out to California where I met with Sifu Slim for personal training in 2007. When I told him that I had been having sciatica problems, he gave me some trigger point therapy which fixed the problem after 20 minutes of his treatment. He then taught me an exercise program I could do right in the hotel room. It was terrific! I saw him again in 2009 and told him to put this message on his website: ‘I haven’t had any hip problems since you worked on me in 2007.’ Now that’s an incredible intervention from someone who knows what he’s doing!”
B.B. Retired, Paris, France
“Cet homme est incroyable. Quand je fais son programme je n’ai plus de problèmes de dos. Dès que j’arrête, je me plains. Essaye son programme, ça marche! Et comme speaker il est top!”
Jack E., Regional Manager for a Real Estate Investment Corporation.
“I have known Sifu Slim since he was in his early 20s and have been telling him to take his message and his “act” to the public since we first met. He has helped me with my aches and pains, and the aging process, and he has helped encourage me with my fitness program and life goals. He captivates people from the moment they meet him. He has the extraordinary ability to open up with new people from diverse backgrounds and get them to open up. He’s also the funniest guy I’ve ever ridden a ski lift with. He’s brightened many a day of the strangers we’ve traveled with on those lifts! Some lift riders may still be thinking about him.
In a caring way, he intervenes in people’s lives. I think that’s what he was put here on earth to do.”
T.W., aka “Rastini”, former Competitive Multi-Sport Athlete, currently a Businessman and Family Man.
“I worked with him in an entertainment company for 4 years and have known him for over 20. He does what he says he’s going to do and he does it with flair. He takes the mundane and makes it interesting and fun. I used to be the Bud Abbott of our group, more of the straight man with the contract in my hand. Now that I have two growing children, I have had to become more like him, less of the straight man. I have used his teaching with humor methods with much success. Without it in my busy life of cell phones, meetings, committees, and family time, I might have blown a fuse.”
D.M., Business Owner and Lifelong Pumper of Iron. New Jersey Shore (not far from Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi’s hometowns).
“Sifu Slim and I have always bonded on the practice and philosophy of training the human body. One year I took him to my gym and he explained to me that although he would love to “pump iron” with me as we had in the past, his body was not currently ready for an intense free-weight-pumping workout. He had been doing martial arts and needed smoothness of form, so he had designed a workout in the out of doors to compliment that.
So, instead of lifting with me and a buddy of mine, he did his own program with body-weight exercises. That way, he explained, he would not be stiff and in pain for the next few days. We went out to play golf the next day and he was blasting 300-yard drives down the fairway. Pretty cool stuff for guy who weighs what he weighs.”
S.T., Former Advanced Black Belt in Hung Gar Kung Fu & RSI Consultant to Fortune 500 Corporations.
“Back in the 1990s, Sifu Slim came in to my office for injuries related to his active life in athletics and improper biomechanics. I relieved his pain, taught him the stretches and exercises he needed, and sent him on his way. I knew he would be back. He didn’t want a quick fix, he wanted to learn how to move his body, how to sleep properly, and how to fix himself. He came back for the next 5 years.
We started with proper walking, which few people know how to do, then practiced picking up objects off the ground which was important for the avid golfer he was. I taught him how to sit, how to stand, and even taught him some self defense. I give him an “A+” as my student and patient. Whether you’re a full-time staff member of a business or a retired athlete, all who seek wellness need to incorporate proper posture and form. I’m delighted Sifu Slim is continuing to get the biomechanics message out.”
My Father, born in the Depression. Retired Senior VP of Institutional Investments for a major Wall Street Firm, now, with my mother, Tree Farmer and World Traveler
“My son and I both have the same long and lean build, quite a challenge for competitive and amateur sports and problematic for lots of sitting and standing. I spent most of my adult life working in New York City (where for exercise I used to walk a lot, including the last few flights of stairs to my office in 2 World Trade Center), raising kids, working on our small farm, and playing recreational golf. Along the way, I injured my back a few times, including a compressed disc and a stint in traction. A few doctors wanted to operate.
I visited an older physical therapist originally from Ireland. When she examined me and my X-rays she said, ‘I’ve seen a lot worse and we have helped them through physical therapy.’ For over forty years, I’ve been doing the exercises she prescribed. Without them I would have needed surgery and might have had further back injuries. Because I have done my back and hip exercises every day, I have been able to enjoy golf and enjoy life. I have yet to see my son on his speaking tour but he has long shared his message with me.
In July of 2009, I took my son to a golf practice range so he could give me a lesson. Even after his 16-month layoff from golf, and after the mandatory warm-up he had us do, he was hitting the ball like a pro. The driving range we used has woods past the 250-yard marker. Playing my 3-wood straight from the grass with no tee, he actually drove several balls into the woods beyond that last distance marker! Here I had thought he was getting older: so much for the aging process! The answer, he told me, ‘fitness, especially hip strength! And the confidence that comes with the mind-body connection’. Soon he had me hitting the ball with confidence! Now I’m charged up again about the game!”