Core Fitness and Nutrition, LLC

Dennis is an excellent and experienced trainer with a wonderful personality to boot. I found his workout plan non-intimidating and extremely manageable even as a bigger girl with a tight schedule. I would happily recommend Dennis to anyone looking to improve their fitness life.

My wife and I, after 25 years of start-and-stop exercise, found Dennis online. We met at our house and he explained his process for functional fitness. We liked the idea of building strength and cardio for everyday life (going to the gym to build 'ego muscles' was never very motivating). We also liked the idea of a 30-minute workout three times per week (because staring down the barrel of a 60 or 90 minute workout wasn't sustainable for us). So, we signed up. Here we are over a year later, and this is the first time in our lives outside sports as kids that we have worked out this consistently for this long.We recommend Dennis' services enthusiastically and without reservation for two primary reasons:1.His accountability. The one thing that keeps us consistent more than anything else is accountability. And the reason we show up for every workout is Dennis. His personality and energy are kind and motivating. We wouldn't want to let him down, and yet he never applies any negative pressure. He's just a great person to work with.2.His methodology. With Dennis, we do every kind of sit-up, push-up, squat, kick, punch, plank, stretch, and balance from every angle you can imagine. This is all done using gravity, an exercise ball, and basic handheld weights. The result is that we've become physically strong in every aspect (including cardio), which is great for golf, hiking, household stuff, picking up kids, laying on my back under the sink to fix the faucet - you name it. It's also the first time I've had a six-pack in my life.(Bonus 3rd reason - Dennis understands the value of quality beer).Dennis, we are grateful to you and the help you provide. Our sense of well-being and health has increased tremendously because of you. Our hope is that you'll be available for many years to come to help us continue living better lives.-Jon and Monique Thompson

I usually don't take the time to leave reviews online and I rarely give someone 5-stars. For Dennis and Core Fitness, however, I will make the exception. Dennis is a knowledgeable and skilled personal trainer who is committed to helping clients achieve their fitness goals. I have been working with Dennis for about 9 months and have dramatically improved muscle tone, strength, and have lost almost 30 pounds. It is rare that I get an opportunity to work with someone who is as dependable and dedicated as Dennis is, so I am happy to recommend his services to anyone who is interested in becoming healthier and getting in shape.

I'm not a typical "write a review" gal. However, I'm hoping that if you are reading this, it will be helpful. I moved to FoCo during the pandemic. I used to consistently go to the gym, but it was difficult to find one during the outbreak. I needed motivation, but struggled mightily. After getting on line and looking around, I reached out to Dennis! He was the right fit! We spoke about my goals and my needing a "kick start" of accountability. I had the tools at home, but not the "stick-to-it-ive-ness" to finish my workouts. Dennis encouraged me to keep moving and challenged me in our on-line sessions. I was never bored with his routines, perhaps a bit sore, but never bored. :) Summer has been a bit crazy, but his consistency in schedule and with the ability to have a few "make-up" sessions when I couldn't make it, was great! He is definitely a 5-star guy. If you are on the fence, get off and get going with Dennis...you won't regret it!!

At the age of 23, I was diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). Which meant that any form of physical exercise would prompt dizziness and the occasional fainting. Whenever I stood up too fast or got out of bed, I'd get lightheaded and dizzy. As a very active, young individual, not being able to hike, play sports with friends, or make simple positional changes made life very frustrating. Most importantly, for my dream career I needed to get SCUBA certified, but was unable to do so with my condition.My doctor recommended that I seek out someone to help me with consistent and graduated physical activity to strengthen my cardiovascular system. That's how I came across Dennis Blair and he does a great job creating a plan to help me progress with my physical activity. He is exceedingly thorough and thoughtful when it comes to my specialized training plans. We went from simple exercises on the ground to standing and jumping! I've been working with Dennis for roughly 1 year now and, WOW, what a difference it has made. Dizzy spells and lightheadedness are now infrequent and I've been able to get back into rock climbing, riding my bike, moderate hiking, and get out of bed in the morning. Plus, I am so close to being cleared for SCUBA diving! I could never have gotten to this point without Dennis.I am so grateful for Dennis and his dedication to helping me get back to the active lifestyle I once had lived and working towards my dream job.Thank you, Dennis!!

In 2014 I had a level-three disc herniation in my cervical spine with radiculopathy (including high levels of pain, weakness, and numbness) of my right shoulder, arm, and fingers. Afterward, I was very limited in what I could do physically for more than two years while I healed. Before my injury, I weighed 135 pounds, had an active lifestyle, and was in good physical shape. After my injury, my physical fitness and my emotional wellbeing slowly spiraled downward in a relentless cycle – fed by the fear of reinjuring myself and resulting in a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits.I joined a gym in the late fall of 2016; the membership included two sessions with a trainer who personalized a workout routine for me. Due to my spinal injury, the trainer limited me to low impact cardio equipment and weight machines. I was able to consistently go to the gym 2-3 times a week for several months. During that time, I experienced an improvement in my endurance and flexibility, but there was no change in my strength or pain levels. Like many people, my responsibilities distracted me from going to the gym and eventually became an excuse not to go. The relentless cycle continued to spiral downward.By the time I reached out to Core Fitness in the spring of 2018, I had gained 55 pounds, experienced consistent pain from my injury and lack of physical activity, and was deeply depressed.During the initial consultation and throughout our time working together, Dennis was professional and forthright about Core Fitness's expectations for clients. He took the initiative to inquire about and actively listen to my expectations, goals, concerns, and physical restrictions. He was always respectful of my time by being punctual and communicating with me about changes to our regular schedule long in advance.Dennis's style is a healthy balance between good-natured and stern. He created exercise routines that worked around and with my spinal injury. His approach was methodical, systematically strengthing muscle groups to eliminate the risk of injury while creating overall base strength to build upon in future sessions.Working one-on-one with him provided me a sense of accountability to maintain a regular exercise routine. I experienced noticeable results in my weight, posture, strength, endurance, emotional wellbeing, and pain level in a matter of weeks - something I didn't get from a gym membership.I genuinely looked forward to the workouts with Dennis. The routines were fun and different every time. If an exercise triggered my spinal injury, he modified it on the spot. I felt a sense of pride and accomplishment after every session, especially on the days when I wasn't feeling motivated to exercise at all.Today, with the help of Core Fitness, I have lost over 35 pounds; I feel happy, healthy, resilient, and strong.Having Dennis as a personal trainer is not a walk in the park. He will push your limitations a little further in each session, with the full expectation that you will do your part in between sessions to maintain a healthy activity level and diet. He is your guide and cheerleader on this journey to wellness, but *you* are the sole person responsible for taking the steps.

Fantastic guy to be around and a great trainer. I’ve been working with Dennis for almost 2 years and he always finds a way to change things up by offering a large variety of different workouts.

Great trainer. Very personable which makes sessions more enjoyable & designs a program for your particular situation.

In February of 2015 I was practicing martial arts and suffered a complete tear of my Achilles tendon. Not an injury to suffer at any age but I was 58 at the time. After 2 months of non-weight bearing, my stamina and muscle tone had been depleted. Knowing that I wished to return to martial arts I realized that I would not be able to develop my own comprehensive plan to recover and go back to what I loved to do. My research for a trainer led me to Dennis Blair and he came up with a personal program to slowly but surely get me back to where I wanted to be. Dennis was able to push me and I was able to see the positive results of his program. I learned to fight through mental hurdles and continue to work hard so that my stamina and strength increased. Dennis is a great coach and never wavered on his support and ability to make me better. Fast forward one and a half years and not only am I back to martial arts, but I’ve picked up 2 other arts as well. I now practice 3 different martial arts, teach tai chi and also train dogs. If Dennis hadn’t come up with a personal program for me, I would not be doing what I love today. All I can say is if you are in need of a coach/trainer look no further then Dennis Blair. Thanks Dennis, you’ve helped me reach my goals and recover my active lifestyle.John Montenieri

Dennis was an absolute game changer for me. I spent years (years!) trying to manage my diet and exercise by myself. I tried everything from gym classes, in home machines, Weight Watchers, and even juice fasts!What Dennis did was provide me with a reason to be accountable (he's coming, rain or shine!), a method to redefine what success means, and a detailed understanding of my capabilities and limits so we were always pushing the envelope. I wasn't sure that I could put up with the ego of a personal trainer or keep up with a true workout pace. I was winded carrying my luggage through the airport and I wasn't sure what I was signing up for.Our first discussion and then training session got me really excited. Dennis wanted to really understand my goals and knew that I was capable of more than I thought I was. He gave me a taste of success early (even if it was wall push-ups) and used that as a mechanism to remind me that a difficult workout was a success and not a failure. Before I knew it we were doing tough stuff and I'd never felt more empowered in my life. There were days I was left gasping on the garage floor telling Dennis to leave and that I'd get up later. Somehow, those were actually some of my favorite days.I lost 60 pounds while working out with Dennis and if it weren't for a cross country move - I never would have stopped. I can lift, squat, and hike with the best of them. I added cardio training on the side and met with Esther Hansen (start tracking your food - just do it). I've lost 3 sizes and so many of my saggy bits don't sag anymore! Nothing is more motivating than seeing yourself in the mirror and being confused because there's no way that's your butt.One of the main things that makes Dennis different from the other options you may have is his ability to kick your butt in 30 minutes and his flexibility to meet you at home. The thirty minutes are short enough to know you'll survive on the days you really don't want to workout and long enough to really hit it hard when you're feeling like beating his expectations. He consistently changes workouts up and will even sneakily hold exercises back until you can crush them. That first time you conquer something you couldn't do previously is truly confidence building.Put in the effort, do what Dennis asks, try not to throw the medicine ball at his face and you'll be amazed what he can do for you!