Building sustainable strength, cardiovascular fitness, and long-term health alongside the demands of executive leadership.
| Resting HR | Skeletal Muscle Mass | Body Fat | A1c | V02 Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52 | +11.3 lbs | 24% → 12% | Prediabetes to healthy range | 50.2 |
Obstacles
- Frequent travel and schedule variability
- History of recurring training-related injuries
- Balancing health alongside executive leadership and family life
- Desire for sustainable long-term progression rather than short-term intensity
- Need to improve metabolic health and longevity markers
- Maintaining engagement and consistency over time
The Story
As the CEO of a creative fabrication company, Andrew maintained an active lifestyle for decades through endurance events, recreational sports, and consistent training. At 54 years old, after years of athletics and high physical output, the challenge became finding an approach that could continue delivering high-level results without the cycle of setbacks commonly associated with traditional fitness programs.
Like many high-performing professionals, balancing health alongside business leadership, family responsibilities, and frequent travel created additional challenges around consistency and recovery. Previous training experiences often led to overuse issues, unnecessary physical wear, or programs that became difficult to sustain long term.
The focus shifted from simply training harder to building a system that could support long-term performance, metabolic health, and consistency while remaining adaptable to real life.
The Exis Protocol
Integrated Performance Training
Strength, cardiovascular conditioning, and mobility were trained concurrently to improve performance while minimizing unnecessary physical stress.
Longevity-Focused Progression
Training intensity and progression were carefully managed to prioritize joint health, recovery capacity, and long-term sustainability over short-term exhaustion.
Lifestyle & Travel Adaptation
Programming adapted dynamically around travel schedules through virtual coaching, support programming, and flexible session design to maintain consistency year-round.
Health Data Integration
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), cardiovascular metrics, and recovery data were integrated into the program to guide lifestyle and training interventions, contributing to measurable improvements in metabolic health markers.
Results
Body Composition
- +11.3 lbs skeletal muscle mass
- Body fat reduction from 24% to 12%
- A1C Pre diabetes to normal
Strength & Performance
- Built and maintained a VO₂ max above 50
- 18 strict pull-ups
- 50 consecutive push-ups
- In 4 years of training, sessions have never needed to be paused due to injury
Lifestyle & Adherence
- Maintained consistency despite frequent travel demands
- Increased engagement through varied and adaptive programming
- Built a sustainable long-term training system integrated into daily life
Client Perspective
I trust him to protect my body and do things the right way.
My goals shifted from looking good in the mirror to having strong bones and muscles for longevity in my life.
A good fitness plan involves taking care of your body to have as much uptime as possible. That’s what Exis gives you — maximize your uptime.
What a lot of trainers do is push you into ego-related situations. Sam has the patience to get you a great workout while also keeping you safe.
The beauty of this approach is that it keeps you coming back.
— Andrew Bernstein, CEO Color-X
Why This Worked
- Training balanced strength, cardiovascular fitness, and mobility simultaneously
- Progression was guided by sustainability rather than excessive intensity
- Sessions adapted dynamically around lifestyle and travel demands
- Objective health and recovery metrics informed decision making
- Long-term consistency was prioritized over short-term peaks and burnout