BareBones Training

Jin is a fantastic trainer — the BEST — who constantly offers challenges and switches things up. Plus, he’s a major source of exercise– and life-​inspiration. He knows how to kick start positive attitude, and along the lines of what most anyone will tell you, it’s 5% what the body can do, and 95% in the mind.

I’m new to having a personal trainer but Jin is awesome at what he does. He pushes me to the limit but adjusts accordingly so I don’t pass out. I feel stronger after every session. If you’re looking for a motivational trainer, he’s definitely the one to go with.

I’ve been training with Jin consistently for close to two years now. I was about 25 pounds overweight, completely out of shape, and burned out after a high stress work project when I first sought him out.
Jin and I talked through goals and started a strength and conditioning program to lose weight, with an emphasis on circuit training. I had tried dieting and running on my own in the past, but making a commitment to work with Jin twice a week forced me to be consistent and accountable.
Over time I dropped 25 pounds while getting stronger and my conditioning improved a ton. Jin has multiple certifications, which is great because over time he’s varied the workouts we do to incorporate things like kettlebell training and more focused strength training. Jin is also a runner and gave me a bunch of tips on training for races. Last year I ran a 10k and then a half-​marathon. This year I completed a full marathon. He’s always very easy to talk to and supportive of your goals.
Highly recommended if you’re looking to get in shape or take your fitness to the next level.

Jin is the best personal trainer I’ve ever encountered.
I’m not a natural when it comes to all things fitness, but working with Jin for a few months now has me making progress. Jin is very helpful for explaining and demonstrating different exercises, and he helps with formulating a workout plan. He challenges you but is always aware of your level and limits. I can’t imagine having the know-​how and workout regimen I have today without Jin’s dedicated teaching and positive attitude.
His studio space in Palo Alto is great too! It’s private, clean and he has all the equipment needed for a large library of exercises.
Highly, highly recommend.

I’ve been training with Jin for approximately 2 years. During that time, Jin has been instrumental in helping me loose approximately 90 lbs, going from 290 to 200lbs. He has not only provided great work out and fitness advise but also helped tremendously with nutrition.
On a personal level Jin’s positive attitude, graciousness and affableness make for rewarding interaction. The integrity or his moral fiber is above reproach.
I usually don’t give positive reviews and have infact never given a 5 star review. However, Jin deserves my highest rating and I would would recommend him to anyone.

Jin helped me drop ~20 pounds without ever being bored or overwhelmed with the workouts he designed. He modified workouts to suit my somewhat touchy lower back without ever making them less than challenging. Two thumbs up!

The thing that sets Jin apart from a lot of trainers is that he listens intently to YOUR goals and does everything he can to make you achieve them. A lot of trainers try to fit you into their preconceived fitness plans, but Jin will actually listen to your needs and come up with something customized especially for you. Couple that with Jin’s enthusiasm and the fact that he’s not afraid to push you hard and you’ve got a recipe for a great trainer. Highly recommend.

Jin is an excellent trainer. He is likable but also focused on having you work out hard. I haven’t used many personal trainers in the past so I don’t have a lot of other data points to compare it to but I have been really pleased with Jin.
Since I can’t provide comparables, here is a description:
1. The Space
Jin has a small space in Palo Alto that contains a bench, a rack that can be used for squats, inclined press, etc., a good selection of bars and weights and a large number of kettlebells. He also has plyo boxes, ropes, etc. His gym has no shower but it does have a nice bathroom, water and towels. It has air-​con but is largely open air.
2. The Workout
I think this varies from person to person but for me we usually start with a 2 – 3 minute warmup, then usually do several sets of compound exercises (10 reps of exercise X, Y and then Z, then rest, then repeat the sequence 3×4 times) and then do abs. I do a lot of body weight and a lot of kettlebell/​plyometric or dumbbell work with less of an emphasis on free weights though we do those as well.
Jin has training in Oly lifting, kettlebells and is an avid runner.
Pricing — his pricing is very competitive with other trainers, though definitely much more expensive than just joining a gym.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Jin.
I started training with him in February and I’m THRILLED. He’s the first trainer I’ve ever used and hopefully ever will use. He spent a lot of time upfront discussing my goals and coming up with a plan that included working w/​and around my chronic bad lower back. He always checks to see how it’s doing before/​during workouts.
I’d seen other trainers at my company gym who yell and push their clients to motivate them. For me that is not a motivator. I need someone who can encourage me (without yelling). I train with him 2x week and really feel like I have made a lot of progress. I’m definitely more toned! I also like the fact he’s constantly changing the workout. I rarely do the same activity twice which keeps me interested.
As an added bonus he’s a ‘foodie’ like me so we pass the time discussing food! What could be better? The time flies by, I get a great workout, AND recommendations for local eats.

About 8 months before my wedding I realized that I was definitely not in the most awesome shape of my life (okay, I was in more or less the worst shape of my life!). Knowing myself and my level of discipline (or lack there of), I figured personal training was best way to go.
I started working out with Jin twice a week and it was fantastic. He met with me first to discuss goals, my current level of fitness, etc. After that we worked out an hour twice a week and it was tough, but not so hard that I wanted to quit. Jin always seemed to be able to tell the difference between when I was just complaining because I was lazy and when it was genuinely getting to tough. I loved that he was motivating without being too in-​your-​face. I actually looked forward to working out for once!
After a few weeks (a few sore weeks) I started to see results. By my wedding I had lost all of the weight I had wanted to lose, and ended up with great muscle definition, and was in basically the best shape of my adult life. I actually had to get my wedding dress taken in!
I would recommend Jin to anyone who is looking to get in shape and wants a very knowledgeable, motivating, wonderful trainer.

Jin is an awesome trainer. I was in OK shape before I started working out with him, but his training sessions made a huge difference in my strength and general fitness level.
One of the best parts of having a trainer like Jin is that he can give you a sequence of exercises that keeps you pushing yourself, while still keeping you motivated by not making them more difficult than you can handle. For me, this is one of the best reasons to see a trainer — to help you to reach your goals by working hard, but not so hard that you dread coming in to the gym.
Jin can definitely help you get out there and reach your fitness goals!

Training with Jin is awesome! He is thoughtful in constructing a workout plan that is designed with your personal goals, likes/​dislikes, and interests in mind. More importantly, the workout will totally kick your ass when implemented (in a good way). I’ve been working out for a couple of years and working out with Jin is definitely taking it to the next level. I think if I had to boil down my reason for 5 stars I’d say it comes to two things:
1. I look/​feel a lot better about myself now because of the work Jin has helped me to accomplish.
2. Jin is great to hangout with while you workout. His gregarious attitude really makes the workout a joy.

Before I hit the big 4 – 0 I had the idea of getting on the best shape of my life. I like working out and doing some biking, running, swimming and hiking. But also I have a profound appreciation for food that kept me on the 200 to 205 pounds range. I am 5’11″ and according with the BMI and «overweight» person.
Then I started training with Jin Kim. Jin makes a complete evaluation of your strength, stamina, flexibility and coordination. Then he set up a program for you in perfect harmony with your personal goals. There is no way around with him, he is tough but professional, approachable and charismatic. Every session is hard but I found myself always looking forward to the next workout.
Now as I result, I have achieved my goal of weighting 175 pounds, I have run several half-​marathons and I am preparing for a full one. Also, I feel stronger, faster and ready to compete on any sport event. I feel so confident to recommend Jin that even my wife is now his client. My goal of doing a triathlon does not look so tough anymore. Thanks to Jin.

My background is this; I am middle aged and have never been «a skinny guy.» I used to race bicycles in college before it was trendy and I play in a couple of rec. league hockey leagues as both a skater and a goalie. I have been working out at the gym on a regular schedule and have not been getting the results I have been hoping for; so I talked to Jin. Jin is a good listener and will design a program for you. I’ve learned a lot in the 6 + months I’ve worked with Jin. His sessions are challenging and if you don’t like to be physically challenged, go to the bar instead. If you want a great workout, see Jin.

I consider myself somewhat of a middle-​aged athlete with a fairly decent grasp of weight training principles and who understands the importance of cardiovascular exercise for good overall physical fitness. Prior to my interactions with Jin, I weight trained about 3 – 4 times a week for 1 – 1.5 hours each session, and played full court pickup basketball with similar frequency and duration. I figured that this level of activity would be more than sufficient to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but I didn’t account for my extremely poor diet saturated in sugars, salts and saturated fats.
Starting last May of ’09, I decided to kick it up a notch in an attempt to shed a few pounds prior to getting married this past September. Apparently the extra notch that I needed was Jin’s bootcamp class that met twice a week Tuesdays & Thursdays from 7 to 8 AM. Keeping everything else essentially the same — crappy diet, a semi-​consistent weight training regimen in the afternoons & an occasional pickup bball game — I dropped twenty pounds, two pant sizes and several body fat %age points in a 12-​week period (6’2″, from 210 to 190 lbs, 36.5″ to 34″ waist, mid-​teens to high-​single digits in body fat %age). If only I were disciplined enough to trade in the super-​sized double cheeseburgers and large fries for more health-​conscious choices, my results would’ve been much more impressive.
Jin does an excellent job of keeping things fresh by mixing up (and doing different variations of) the multitude of exercises that comprise his bootcamp. The strength and endurance focus of the class typically starts off with a run of 1 to 2 miles — sometimes with cumbersome medicine balls, lengthy 2 x 4s, ropes or other exercise paraphernalia held overhead — often in groups of 4 to 8. This is usually followed by some form of team-​based competitions, typically in relay-​race-​type formats, involving anything from bear crawls, walking lunges, towel pushes, prisoner squats, kickboxing bag pushes, kettlebell walks, etc. Calisthenics also comprise a lot within his format, but he certainly isn’t afraid of pulling in dumbbells, gliders, bolsa balls, ropes, kettlebells, TRX straps, rock-​climbing-​wall-​equipment, you name it, into his training regimen. The class then usually «winds down» with some core exercises — crunches, bicycle kicks, russian twists, planks, turkish squats, etc. I’ve yakked or near-​yakked on a number of occasions, learning early that it’s best to intake at least a banana and a fair amount of fluids before stepping into a boot camp session.
So I guess the bottom line is: Jin teaches a helluva class & knows how to push your limits while keeping you motivated and engaging you in novel and actually pretty fun types of activities/​competitions. & I guess most importantly, he delivers results. I’m pretty happy with how his boot camp helped me transform my physical appearance, forced me to run distances greater than one mile for the first time in my life (improving my 1-​mile pace from double digits to 6:30), and forge a brand new social network of «Boot Camp Homeys» that keep me even more motivated and challenged. I actually ran my first (& maybe only) half marathon @ Big Sur this past weekend, and there’s no way I would’ve been able to cross that finish line without Jin’s training that predicated the race. Two thumbs up, fo’ sho.

Let me just say that two years ago it would have been shocking if I ran a half mile without stopping. I was never athletic, and I even took marching band to skip my PE classes in high school. I was awesome.
Fast forward to today and I just finished my second half marathon (within the same month), I can clean and press 26 lb kettlebells for 10 minutes straight, and I’m getting used to be called names like, «Beast», and «The Hulk». (Did I mention that I’m 102 lbs, and 5’0″ tall?)
I have to give most of the credit to Jin, who has trained me this past year with his grueling kettlebell and bootcamp workouts. I feel like I really lucked out finding him in the sea of personal trainers.
Jin is awesome because his workouts are super effective, and he is great at not letting us get bored. He is also incredibly supportive and easy going, yet I still never want to let him down and have pushed myself further than I thought I could go.
I’d recommend his training to anyone at any level any day.

Last December when I started working with Jin Kim, I was in need of direction and discipline. I had the motivation, but that was about it. Jin asked me about my personal goals, and then he set up a program for me to achieve. I’ve lost about 30 pounds and two dress sizes in those months on my way to physical fitness, with Jin’s guidance and coaching. And I’m still working with Jin every week, to get stronger and to maintain what I’ve done so far.
Does he make me do hard things? Heck, yeah! But he also makes me realize I can do those hard things, which builds strength and confidence for future improvement and success. He pushes me to push myself, which is part of the formula for an ongoing fitness regimen.
I would recommend Jin to anyone — if you’ve not worked out in ages and you’re scared about that first step, go ahead and do something for yourself by taking it.

Jin has been my personal trainer for over 2 years, 3 times a week. It’s the longest by far I’ve ever stuck with any kind of fitness regimen. He knows how to keep my interest, how to push me to the point where I’m still improving but not so far over the edge that I dig my heels in and rebel. He puts up with my occasional grouchiness and lateness with his usual positive attitude.