To the Management of 24HourFitness:

I write this letter with appreciation and affection and give my highest recommendation to my personal trainer, Carlton Cullins. He literally gave me my life back and for that he has my deepest gratitude. During the course of the past year that he trained me he made the training fun, informative, and inspiring. He always made me feel good about myself and set reasonable and achievable goals. He tailored his training to meet my particular needs and easily adjusted, added or stopped particular exercises to reach all of those goals. I consider him to be the best trainer 24 hour fitness has – and I have watched them all train people over the last year. Just as important I learned while he trained me that he is also a special person with great depth, compassion, and intelligence, seasoned with a terrific sense of humor. If this sounds like I like him, I do, very much.

When I started working out with Carlton I was 58, fat, weak and cranky. I felt old and I looked old. I couldn’t get out of a chair without pushing with my arms. I couldn’t get down onto the floor without holding onto something and I couldn’t get back up without help. I had to walk downstairs sideways to avoid falling because my balance was so bad. I had been falling suddenly if the slightest thing tripped me. I had hurt my knee badly on one of those falls and had a lot of knee pain. Several months before I began training I had had a herniated disc which had required a lumber injection to relieve the unremitting pain. My cholesterol was high and I had had my gall bladder out just two months before I started seeing him. My elbows hurt all the time and I couldn’t even begin some of the exercises we first tried. My ideal fat burning heart rate is 137 with 147 beats per minute being my 85th percentile rate beyond which I am not supposed to maintain. Going at the slowest speed possible on the elliptical machine my heart would begin to race above 155 within just two or three minutes requiring me to stop to let it slow back down before continuing.

Today I can maintain a medium high speed on the elliptical for 20
minutes without my heart rate going beyond 147 and do a total of 45 minutes of cardio total. I can run up and down stairs properly without getting breathless. I can lower myself to the floor without using my hands and get back up again the same way. My elbow pain is gone, as is my knee pain. I haven’t fallen in six months, although I have tripped on things. My cholesterol is lower. I can do three sets of 12 planks and hold each of them for 10 seconds, an exercise I could not do at all when I started. I lift weights and do squats easily. My legs and arms and shoulders show muscle definition! I feel good about myself, confident, and I believe in myself and my ability to be strong and fit.

As I said when I started this letter, Carlton gave me my life back. I feel 20 years younger than I did when I started. And even though I haven’t followed the nutrition recommendations as well as I should have, I look and feel much younger. I can garden again and I can play golf again. In fact, I can now hit a golf ball 20 yards further than I have ever hit it! And even better I can now lift and play with my granddaughter. Life has become very good.

Michael Case Lederer

September 28, 2006
Yelp.com Testimonials
James M 9/30/2009

this dude is the man! what carlton lacks in head hair he makes up for between the ears. and then some plus a little more.

carlton is a really generous warmhearted professional with a good thing going. check him out. tell him one-armed charlie brown sent you.

Debra 6/30/2009

I have been working with Carlton for several years and followed him from the health club once he opened up his home gym. I am a middle aged woman who works hard to stay fit and healthy and Carlton is a big part of that for me. He is knowledgeable and very helpful, amazingly upbeat and positive even while making me work as hard as I can stand to. He continues to learn and grow, which I respect a great deal. He also knows what I need and tailors my workouts to take care of me, to maximize the experience of training. I don’t know how he does it. He can work with anyone and help them to, as he says, find “happiness thorough healthiness.” He’s great. And his rates are beyond fair. I recommend him without hesitation, most enthusiastically. Always professional, yet friendly and personable. One of the best.

Jeremy 6/15/09

I am a school teacher, and it is part of my job to be fit – not just to keep up with the kids, but also to be a good role model for them. I have been training with Carlton for a year. In that time I have really gotten the results I wanted. I have gained back the muscle I was starting to lose, as I have grown “older” and spend more time working inside and less time outdoors playing! Carlton is really laid back and he is great at switching up my workout so I never get bored. He knows so much about health, fitness and nutrition. And he is always studying and learning more – I really respect him for that. I completely trust his fitness advice and it has really paid off for me. I also really like the location – South Austin is where it’s at!

Dove 5/11/2009

I found Carlton through Yelp. His location, reviews and the training philosophy on his personal web site sold me. (His very reasonable rates didn’t hurt either:)) I just finished my third session and, boy, are my arms tired:) He’s got raw dough on his hands, now, but when we’re done, this body’s gonna be some hot cookie. Thanks Carlton!

Morton 3/18/2009

Carlton is a great trainer. I actually found him here on Yelp. I have never reviewed a business, but I thought I would register and write one for him. My fiance and I started going to Carlton to lose some weight for our wedding. He is a great trainer and has an amazing intuitive knowledge of how far you can push yourself. He is not the type of trainer who is going to sit there and bark orders at you like a drill sargeant. He will work with you and craft a personalized routine to help you reach your goals. I tend to avoid working out so there are times when I do not want to go, but I leave every session with a sense of accomplishment. I have noticed and had people comment that I look slimmer and more fit, and I have only been going for a couple months. Somehow, Carlton manages to combine his inherent high energy with a laid back attitude. It is obvious he loves helping people be healthier and happier. I do love not having to go to a gym. I was hesitant at first about going to a gym in someone’s home, but he has always been professional, and it works out great because a lot of the workouts can transfer to your living room. I would highly recommend Carlton to anyone looking for a trainer.

Elaine 03/13/09

I worked for the YMCA for 22 years, and worked out with several different trainers. Carlton is light years ahead of everyone else. He is knowledgeable, and supportive. I have never asked a question that he couldn’t answer with clarity. An injury, several subsequent surgeries and two years in bed or a wheelchair had turned me into oatmeal from the neck down. While I was motivated and had some knowledge of training from many years experience, going to Carlton was miraculous- he encouraged me without pushing too hard, he bore with my extreme frustration, and because of his vast knowledge and experience, he kept me from injuring myself, which I would definitely have done if I had tried this alone. He has a wonderful knowledge of diet and nutrition, and has helped me a great deal in changing my eating habits. He was the best investment I have made on this long road to recovery! One of the best things he has given me is a routine that I can use at home. Simple equipment, no expensive machines, and a lot of variety lets me work out whenever I can, without having to trek to a commercial gym. My results have been everything I could have hoped for! Thanks Carlton- I love you!

Irene 09/17/2008

If you are looking for a personal trainer in SOUTH AUSTIN I recommend you consult with Carlton. I love not having to go to a big ugly gym, he has everything you need in his home gym. The workouts are varied and he creates a program individual to you and your needs. I have trouble with my knees and was concerned about starting to exercise again– but once I started working out at Blue Sky, I have been regaining all the strength I have partied off over the years. My knees aren’t bad– my muscles were WEAK! Carlton doesn’t BS–he won’t waste your time.

Jeniffer D. 09/22/2008

I’ve been working with Carlton for over a year. I actually look forward to going to work out with him. He keeps the workouts challenging and fun. I am so much stronger and much more balanced. Carlton is lots of fun. He is super smart and intuitively knows just how far to push you. He is down to earth and very funny while remaining professional. He is creative and very supportive. I’ve continued to train with him while recovering from injuries and he comes up things I can do without involving the injured joint. The best part of training with Carlton is that I don’t have to go to a noisy gym. I get to pick the music I want to listen to and most importantly I get to work out in my bare feet!

Erin 09/17/2008

I’ve never worked out a Blue Sky, but I know Carlton from a previous gym. He is amazing! Carlton is very knowledgeable, creative, open-minded, and encouraging. He is an over-all great person, athlete, supporter, and coach! 🙂

Kevin 09/16/2008

Carlton is fun and interesting to work with and makes your work out varied so that you would not get bored. I always get a great workout when i’m working with him.

Rhiannon 08/26/2008

Carlton is awesome! He is a great trainer with a private gym: very different from the average meat market gyms with hulking muscle men and skinny perfectly toned girls that make me feel even worse about myself. I also get to pick my own music, which is great because if I had to listen to anymore Lil’ Wayne, I may have given up on any chance of getting in shape.

Adrienne 09/02/2008

Carlton is a wonderful trainer. He pushes you to your limit without having unrealistic expectations. I know I’m always going to get a good workout without pulling something or overexerting myself. He varies the routine enough to keep it interesting and selecting my own music is nice 🙂

A Few of My Satisfied Customers… 🙂