Jeff Shoemaker, a lifelong Denverite, recalls when he first met Marty Lavine in the summer of 2004. Shoemaker was 13 months away from turning 50 years old, and he had several goals in mind: the ability to swim 50 laps, bike 50 miles and run five miles.
After working with Lavine to reach those objectives, Shoemaker spent the next 20 years as his regular client, exercising at PUSH Gym two to three times every week.
“I know I’m in the best shape I’ve been in my life,” Shoemaker said. “I’m one of the healthiest, fittest 69 year olds out there.”
He pointed to three reasons why he preferred working with a trainer who is also a physical therapist: Lavine instilled discipline, maximized the benefits of his workout and kept him from hurting himself.
At the gym, “it’s what Marty doesn’t let me do as much as what he lets me do,” Shoemaker said.
But what kept him coming back to PUSH Gym was Lavine’s personality, which Shoemaker described as “just kind and gentle, always professional.”
Shoemaker has watched the gym evolve, embracing group fitness classes as years go by.
“You go to these large gyms, and nobody’s looking and telling you that’s too much weight or you’re arching your back,” he said. “Marty doesn’t let you hurt yourself, but Marty maximizes your ability to benefit yourself.”
Shoemaker depicts himself as passionate about self-care: mental, emotional and physical. He says it’s a dedication that he shares with Lavine.
For several years, they hosted a Denver event to walk, run and jog a mile, which is where Shoemaker broke his seven-minute mile, with a pace of 6 minutes and 59 seconds. His late father, who was elderly at the time, joined as a walker.
“It was a hell of a fun thing,” Shoemaker said.
Recently, Shoemaker moved to Muskegon, Michigan, with his wife. The couple plans to stay active through walking, biking and kayaking, and Shoemaker is on the hunt for a trainer who compares to the one he left back in Denver.
“I’m in the shape I’m in because of Marty Lavine, but also, as much as I respect him as a PT and a trainer, I admire him as a man,” Shoemaker said. “You’re not a number; you’re a person at PUSH Gym.”