Client Stories

Anita’s Story: From Chronic Pain and Exhaustion to Stronger, Pain-Free Movement

Anita’s Story: From Chronic Pain and Exhaustion to Stronger, Pain-Free Movement

What Our Clients HAve to say

Corlian  D

Anton Esterhuizen, Monique Labuschagne and Corlian smiling at the camera inside the HPC gym with workout equipment and black walls.

  • Definitely less pain! So initially, I started training with Anton because I had bursitis in my shoulder and issues with my knee. My husband actually met him, and then he said to me, "Listen, you can contact this guy. He knows what he's doing." So then I said, "Okay, I'll come for an evaluation." And then I started training with the idea of just doing it for a few months and sorting out the pain, and now it's been almost two years.

    Very quickly, I didn't have any pain in my shoulder anymore. About a year now, and my knee is like a hell of a lot better, and I haven't had any back pain for the last year already. With regards to my work, I physically pick up patients every day, and we pull patients over, and that task has improved a lot. I don't have pain when I have to pick people up and help them.

  • I usually come two or three times a week, depending on my energy level, but I'm always excited to come 'cause every day is something new, and it's nice to train and know you are not gonna be sore afterwards, or you're not gonna be able to walk afterwards. Because one of my issues was that I couldn't actually walk up stairs without pain, and that has since been gone. So it's really changed from “dreadful pain” when moving to “I actually want to train,” 'cause this is actually making me excited to move. In December, if we don't train for a while, then I message Anton, and I'm like, "My knee's sore. I need to come back to training!" So yeah, if I don't train, then the pain actually comes back. But if I do it consistently, there's no pain, so it's great.

  • It was actually in December when the gym was closed. I actually went to the gym with my husband...one of the big ones. And for me, as I walked in, I was like, "Oh, there are so many people." And I hate it when people look at me. So it was like everybody's staring at you and like, "Can you finish? I need this machine." So it's nice that you come and you are guided, and this is the machine - you're not gonna stand and wait for a machine, and then you get cold again. So everything is already worked out before you set foot in the gym. You don't have to think about it. You just do. And if you come in and say, "Listen, I've got a pain here today," then Anton works it around, or Monique works it around, and they figure it out before the end of the session.

  • Listen, we are getting older. I'm turning 40 this year. A lot of friends are like, "Yoh, when you gym, this is sore." And then I'm like, "You're doing it wrong. Go to this guy. You won't have pain." So yeah, you're gonna hurt yourself more in the long run by doing it wrong at another gym. We are not children anymore, so going to the gym can be quite daunting. And you really can hurt yourself. So yeah, I recommend him a lot and like, "Listen, just go to this guy." In my work as well, when we have people who need surgery, I always say, "Listen, if you need a gym afterwards, go to this guy. He does rehab." And a lot of my patients have actually come to him or done his rehab.

  •  I think the big thing is Anton's personality, and like all of you guys, I train with Monique as well on the other days, and it's just like, "You are my friend - let's do this, and I feel your suffering, but let's do it." I have trained with other trainers as well, and a lot of times it's like, "Just do this, do this, do this," and you feel so awkward.

    What I do like about the team is that nobody ever makes you feel bad about your insecurities. So if you're like- Mm ... "Oh, my bum looks big in this," or whatever, then they're always like, "No, we're gonna sort it out" And so it's a fun environment and it really feels like you are at home and it's with friends, and you're like, "Okay, no, we're gonna try and bring the best out in you." So it really makes you feel at home. You don't feel like you're being judged or anything like that. It's really just a comfortable environment, and it's very nice to work out with all of them.

Jayden P

  • So when I first started, I wanted to commit to reaching my full potential. And I wanted to come here to do what my body was actually meant to do. Physically, I think I've improved a lot. Mentally, I think I’ve improved a lot as well, because I think that when I come here, and I face challenges in the gym, I grow as a person, too.

  • It depends day to day. Sometimes you come, and you're tired. And sometimes you feel good, but mostly you just gotta push through it. At the end of the day, you feel really good after every workout. So they're good.

  • I feel that when I come here, I learn a lot more new things than I would in the gym on my own. But being here, training with someone who's actually helping me and making sure I'm doing things right, it makes me feel a lot better and more confident.

    More importantly, the vibe and the energy are different. This is like a family. You feel that everyone is part of the same culture. When you come here, you know, you're with similar people. You think the same. So this isn't like just a normal gym where everyone goes, does their own thing. Everyone here comes for one reason: to get better. Whereas in the other gyms, everyone's just doing something different and there’s no connection. Everyone at HPC has the same mindset. That's the thing I like.

  • I think that a lot of athletes don't get the guidance that they need to really become the athletes they want to become. But at HPC, I get that. So if you come here, there's someone who knows what they're doing, they will help you, guide you, and be with you on your journey, in whatever you wanna do. Coming here, no matter what, you will reach your potential, and there will always be someone helping you, no matter what.

  • I think schools have the basic stuff, but they lack a lot of knowledge regarding things like technique and form. Education is the most important thing because a lot of kids just come to training and they don't have any knowledge of nutrition, they just eat bread. That's not gonna help you in any way.

    I think there are a lot of kids who have really good potential, like really good, but because there's no guidance, they can't get better. I think there are a lot of people who don't have the guidance to really ma- maximize all their potential.

A person is performing a pull-up exercise on a pull-up bar in a gym, while another person stands nearby watching. The gym has brick walls and workout equipment.
A young man wearing a blue sports jersey and shorts is performing a fitness exercise with resistance bands in a gym. A man in a gray hoodie and cap is observing in the background. The gym has various exercise equipment, weights, and T-shirts on displ
A man in a blue shirt and black shorts performing a squat exercise with a spotter in a gym. The gym has weight plates, exercise equipment, and motivational posters.
A man in a blue shirt doing pull-ups on a pull-up bar in a gym, with another man observing nearby.
A man stretching on one knee during a workout in a gym, with a trainer standing nearby. There is gym equipment, a large water bottle, and motivational signage on the wall.
A gym with two men, one sitting and one standing, engaging in workout activities. The gym has various weights, resistance bands, and exercise equipment visible. There is a water bottle on a small black table in the foreground.

Geneveve S

Monique Labuschagne and Geneveve smiling and posing in front of a large American flag graphic and exercise equipment at the HPC gym, wearing workout clothes.

  •  I think nothing short of life-changing. I think my biggest testimony is that I had two pregnancies while I was at HPC. Directly after my first pregnancy, even though it was my first, I was very unhealthy and not as strong. I would say I was not the skinniest that I ever was, but I was the weakest that I ever was. And then had my pregnancy, and then started training with HPC after my first child. And going into my second pregnancy, I had so much less pain. I could just carry the whole pregnancy even better, even though, you know, the weight was more on the second pregnancy. I'm a healthier person, a stronger person, mentally a better person after being with HPC.

  • Excited. I know it's gonna be a session, but I wouldn't say, you know, compared to previous gyms and trainers that we've had, it would be like, okay, I'm dreading this day because I'm, you know, I'm gonna bust myself and it's gonna be really hard and I'm gonna be sore the day after. Whereas if I come here, I know I'm gonna work hard, but not to an extent where I'm killing myself. Even the day after, I can feel it's not that tenderness of overexerting oneself, but within each session, you do grow in your fitness journey. It's balanced. So yes, excited to come to every session.

  • What makes HPC different is that it's about the whole human performance. It’s not just preparing to stand on stage or following a 28-day diet or whatever the case might be.  And HPC has done so much, not just for me but also for my family. My son is currently five years old, and he's very into athletics. Even though he's not an official client of HPC, the trainers here have provided me with so much advice on how to improve his athletics. And my husband and I train together, and as a whole family, it's a benefit for all of us.

    Even if your kid isn't necessarily a top athlete at school, this is for everybody. So this is if your back is sore from carrying your school books, if it is because you are a couch potato at the moment, like this is, this is good for all kids. And I know my son will eventually enrol with you guys here at HPC when he comes of age, but now he's just busy with rugby. But yes, beneficial for every athlete and every person.

     I love the improvements that have already been made in the gym, and I know there are big plans for the future to go further. So, really excited to just keep growing with you guys.

  • As a mom, I explained to the trainers when, you know, going into my second pregnancy, what my expectations were, and that I didn't wanna do a C-section again, what the complications were. And, it didn't end up like that. The trainers took into consideration everything that I needed for my body to prepare to have that second birth naturally. That's what makes HPC so special.

    I always had knee pain before starting here, even though I've been to so many gyms and so many trainers and used supplements and whatever the case might be. And the simplest thing was just my posture when I stood up from a chair, and when I was doing my crafting time, how I would sit with my knee. And within basically a month, two months of training, we wouldn't say rehab, but prehab to prevent what could get worse, HPC helped me to correct my lifestyle and my posture. Just making me aware of that, and that's drastically changed my daily pain levels.

Darius P

Anton Esterhuizen and Darius smiling at the HPC gym

  • It makes me feel better about myself, improves the way I look at myself, and gives me more confidence.

    It’s difficult to explain, but it gives you a lighter vibe. Like I always feel more sporty, I feel healthier, I feel like I don’t have that “I’m fat” feeling, and things like that all the time. I just feel much happier because I get all that oxygen in, and it’s an incredibly nice place to train.

    It made a very big difference to train at HPC for my sports performance. I could feel it immediately when I started at HPC. I feel so much better. I feel like I can do so many more things on the field. I can take so many more risks than I could before. So it feels much better to me, and it feels much easier for me to run on the field, and I feel I can rest easier knowing I did my preparation at HPC.

  • It’s very nice for me to walk in here, and it’s a nice vibe, always nice company. I’m always happy to be at HPC. It just feels like a place where you can come and enjoy yourself and put your best foot forward.

    You do stress a little bit because of all the hard work you have to put in and the tough times you go through. But as soon as you walk out, it’s incredible. You feel like a much better person. It is wonderful.

  • At other gyms, you feel like you get lost. It’s like you’re just another number, and you don’t train as nicely as you ever could at HPC. It’s incredible here. In everything you do, you feel like you’re working, you feel like you’re getting bigger, you feel like you’re making progress.

    You don’t get that feeling of, “I’ve been gymming for two months, and I still don’t see anything.” That’s just not how it is here at HPC. And for me, this is much better than any other gym. Especially as an athlete.

    At other gyms, you are alone. Here, people look after you and show you exactly how to do the exercises. They make sure you don’t get hurt, and they help you build from there to get better each time.

  • I would definitely recommend HPC. It’s about seeing your friends do better, and you will immediately see the difference in them, what HPC does to a person, the difference it makes in people, not only on the sports field, but also in other ways.