Extraordinary Health Magazine Extraordinary Health Vol 21 | Page 51

“I caught the fitness bug and loved
lifting weights,” said Eric. “I still love
it more than anything, and I like to say
that the gym is my mistress!”
Growing up on
a farm in Maine,
Eric was such a
small weakling
that classmates
tormented him
by stuffing him
in lockers and
hanging him on
coat racks. His
father was so
concerned that
he enrolled him in
martial arts classes,
but his skinny
frame really started
to fill out when he
joined Gold’s Gym.
“I caught the
fitness bug and
loved lifting
weights,” said Eric.
“I still love it more than anything, and I like
to say that the gym is my mistress!”
Eric spent five years as a certified personal
trainer in New York before moving to Los
Angeles in 1996 to train with some of the
country’s most renowned bodybuilders.
He studied with Nick Kane, Frank Zane
(Mr. Olympia) and Don Howorth, the “Duke
of Deltoids,” whose massive shoulders helped
him win the Mr. America title in 1967. Along
the way, he developed his own gender-specific
workout regimens, including his Sleeping
Beauty and Sleeping Giant programs designed
to deliver transformation through diet, exercise
and sleep.
Although he was new to the Hollywood scene,
Eric started working with celebrities right off
the bat when a neighbor arranged for him
to train actor Kevin Spacey. Eventually, his
services were so much in demand that he
launched his own fitness consulting business
called Eric the Trainer.

Over the years, Eric’s
methods have been
utilized by film stars,
television personalities
and mixed martial arts
fighters. He has appeared
in major magazines and
television programs, is
a regular contributor
to Muscle & Fitness
magazine, and is a
member of the Muscle
Beach Hall of Fame
Nominating Committee.
He often travels to movie
sets or reality show
locations to keep his
clients in top shape,
but a recent trip to Abu
Dhabi to train U.S. troops
was one of his most
rewarding experiences.
“I went there with one of my clients, Food
Network Chef Robert Irvine, so we could
pamper the troops and raise morale by feeding
them and training them,” Eric said. “I had never
worked with the military to this extent, so the
opportunity to serve those who serve us was a
very powerful, awesome thing!”
With more than 6,000 living on the base,
Eric and Chef Irvine spent hours working
with personnel from the Army, Air Force and
the Marines, and reminded them about the
importance of diet, exercise and sleep.
“We reminded them that you have to
properly nourish your body if you are
doing extraordinary things,” he said. “And
since many of them are exhausted from
working 10- to 14-hour shifts, we let them
know that sleeping is the only time the body
can renew itself and recharge its energy
sources. Overall, after seeing their dedication
to protecting our freedom, I’d go back to help
them in a heartbeat!”