Back Cove Personal Fitness Review

I recently bought a package of personal training sessions at Back Cove. Jeff, the owner, was great in pairing me with a trainer he thought would be a good fit. Ryan was awesome. I am 52, was feeling very self conscious and apprehensive about training with anyone as it had been awhile since exercising, and I found myself at a weight I'm not proud of. From the onset, he was nothing but professional, courteous and put me at ease immediately. He is so personable, before you know it, you are blabbering about anything and everything and your workout is done. The workouts were not easy, but that is what I asked for, and he never let up on his consistency and persistence. Every workout was different and never became boring. He demands excellence but he is also respectful of your limitations. I hadn't exercised consistently in about a year and this became a last resort for me. I am now motivated again, working on it a day at a time and while I have a long way to go, I am stronger. I would recommend Ryan without reservation. You will not be intimidated at this facility, it is low key, and the majority of time we were the only ones in the gym. I got every pennies worth with this facility and my trainer! He also gave me a little routine I can do in my office at work using my chair, desk, and the wall! Thanks Ryan and Back Cove Fitness!

Back Cove Personal Fitness changed my life in an hour and a half. Working with Noah Harrison, he quickly identified my problem; open hips that have caused back and other body injuries for over forty years. Some simple but intimate work later, I found immediate pain relief and a shining light for the road ahead. Improvement continued quickly, and it has transformed my physical and mental health. Looking forward to World Class skiing (Nordic, Downhill, Backcountry) for the next 50 years. Worth every penny. Go see 'em and fix it.

I have had first rate PT and training in many cities, in many countries, and this group is uniquely gifted. Jeff is possibly a wizard. Not in a purple coat, pointy mustache way but in a I CANT BELIEVE YOU FIXED MY BODY way. Smart and passionate, they will make you healthier and stronger.

Thanks to BCPT, I have my life back! The staff at BCPT is exceptional at assessing needs, developing individualized programs and offering the skills, support and encouragement needed to bring results. Whether recovering from an injury or interested in gaining strength, mobility and agility, the staff's expertise and welcoming studio can't be beat.

I would HIGHLY recommend as a veteran physical therapy patient. This group knows their stuff and will look at your body as the inter connected machine it is. I am just beginning my journey here but I can already see a difference in the long battle I've waged with knee pain. I can't wait to see what the future brings!

Update: after fighting knee pain for years & 2 surgeries to correct the issues, I am a fully capable person once again. I can run for the first time in years, hiking isn't off the table anymore and I can go try new things without fear of knee swelling & pain. I started in January 2019 & completed my run around June 2019 attending a session one to two times a month. If you've been battling long standing injuries/multi-facited joint problems please give this group a go before you resort to surgery. It could be the answer you needed all along, it was for me!

I started working with Jessica about three years ago. I was 60 and had developed shortness of breath so severe I couldn t walk up the steps to my porch without gasping! I had a history of disability and a great deal of fear about fitness workouts. Jessica was amazing. She worked with these fears, developing a fitness plan that allowed me to monitor my progress. Today I am able to take fitness and yoga classes with folks who are half my age! Back Cove was a welcoming place for me as a woman and as a senior.

Back Cove Personal Fitness is Awesome! I have been taking the group classes now for over 2 years and love it. It is always a good workout and Jess changes up the class to keep it interesting and challenging. They offer a group class rate that makes the classes super affordable. I only wish I could find time to come to all the classes they offer. I would highly recommend Back Cove Fitness and their team of professional.

Have only had the chance to work with Jeff once but in just one visit he managed to do more for addressing my pain than 5+ years of CHIRO's, PT's and other various health professionals. I look forward to continuing to work with him. Highly recommended.

50 Cove Street in Portland, Maine is the home of Back Cover Personal Fitness.

The trainers at Back Cove are truly people whisperers!

Friendly, attentive trainers in an intimate setting.

I have a long list of injuries from action sports when I was younger. The worst are my neck and shoulder. Every time I would go to the gym to lift I would start to get stronger, start to lift heavier and inevitably injure myself and have to stop lifting. After seeing a physical therapist at OA, he told me that to continue my therapy I really needed to start lifting and recommended that I train with Jeff. In my mind personal trainers were for people who need motivation or people who can t Google a workout routine, both of which I didn t need help with. I got back in the gym and immediately tweaked my shoulder again, I decided that maybe I didn t know as much as I thought and it was time to give Jeff a shot.

Jeff showed me how many of my lingering injuries were all interrelated and caused by posture imbalances and poor breathing technique. His focus on lifting with good form was something I had never seen from any other personal trainer, often stopping me to make subtle corrections in my positioning. These were things that I would never notice on my own, but were exactly what was causing my previous injuries in the gym. While working with Jeff I began to get stronger and lift heavier but instead of injuring myself like I did in the past, my constant neck and shoulder pain began to improve. I have been working with Jeff for over a year now and while I still have a long way to go, Jeff has taught me so much about lifting correctly. Now feel better than I ever imagined and put on 20 lbs in the process!

Jeff Eckhouse was my personal fitness trainer for over a year, before I moved to MA. I had lot of fun and great success working out with him. His workouts were varied mix of cardio/functional/strength exercises and very effective leading to producing results; He gave me lot of good guidance on nutrition and health too which I still follow. Above all, I felt he was always sincere for my continued progress, which made me work harder and passionately.

Jeff and his team are fantastic! Really helped me with my knee and I saw instant results after one session. Highly recommend them.

Jeff has chosen a knowledgeable, dynamic, beyond friendly staff that has created an environment of growth, recovery and strength. The training is catered and specific to each persons circumstance and no matter what your immediate or long term needs may be you'll find what you're looking for here - personal training, group training, rehabilitation, chiropractic, diet/nutrition, in-home training, etc etc.
There's hands down nothing in the Portland or the surrounding areas that compares.

Jeff Eckhouse knows more about exercise and personal fitness than anyone in town -- highly recommended.

I began going to Back Cove Personal Fitness and working with Jeff Eckhouse after having been told I was "bone on bone" in both hips and needed two hip replacements. As an avid athlete (skier, hiker, biker) I didn't want to go into surgery without having my body mechanics correct and I wanted to be in the best shape possible. After working with Jeff even a short time, I am starting to walk the way I should with no pain or limp.
I am regaining correct mechanics, building strength around my legs and hips, and learning to correct years of misalignment which has caused me many of my issues. This is not your "hey, lets lift some weights and go harder" kind of place. I mean, if course its about getting into shape. But at its core its about getting into shape CORRECTLY. These are body mechanics wizards; they see things in a way other facilities and trainers can't even imagine. They give you exercises to not only build strength, but to reset your neuromuscular pathways and correct gait and movement habits that you didn't even know you had. And as that happens, you realize this is what has been stopping you from feeling better while doing the things you love and performing at a higher level. Will I end up with hip replacements? No doubt sometime. But for now I am looking forward to ski season, which I missed last year due to these issues. And if I do have surgery, I'll have a better result, and better mechanics at the end because of their work. Great people, smart body technicians, and a friendly place. Highly recommended.

Back Cove Personal Fitness is a great place to work out! I have been taking the group classes since October taking the bootcamp classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. I had never taken a kettle bell class before and it has become my favorite class! Jess changes the classes up to keep things from becoming monotonous and it keeps me motivated! The group class rates are super affordable. I highly recommend Back Cove Fitness!