Better Bodies of River’s Bend is a 3,000 square foot personal training facility in Maineville, Ohio owned and operated by long-time Parrillo adherent Lauren Dudzinski. Open since 2007, Lauren has a unique approach towards building better bodies. “Each and every client that walks through our door has a different situation.
In one sense they all want the same thing – a better body – yet in each instance each client has a completely different set of circumstances and requires a completely different approach towards training and eating.” Lauren takes the time and exerts a real effort to understand each new client’s individual situation. “We never try and twist our clients to fit our criteria. While we do have general philosophies; philosophies that we believe in and abide by, I am a great believer in tailoring core philosophies to fit individual circumstance. It is too easy to simply tell a new client that right from day one they need to be perfect. How easy is that? A truly good personal trainer will guide, coax and nudge the client into ever greater degrees of fitness.” Lauren is 39 years old and has herself experienced being completely out of shape. “I started out as a very athletic youngster: I was a cheerleader and a competitive ice skater growing up in Oxford, Ohio. Most of my life I was thin and fit. In my late twenties I gained a lot of weight and in a very short period of time my body weight shot up from 135 pounds to 170 pounds. I stayed heavy for almost four years.” As Lauren’s bodyweight spiraled upward, her self image spiraled downward. Physically and psychologically she disintegrated. Eventually she decided she had had enough. She jumped back into fitness with both feet and within a mere five months of concentrated effort she morphed from fat into fit. Lauren underwent a complete physical and psychological transformation.
“To be fit my entire life and then to not be fit was horrible. When I meet with a new client, someone who is completely out of shape and feeling bad about themselves, I have great empathy: I know exactly how they feel because I was once there.” When Lauren decided to get back into shape, she and husband Greg started working out together each and every day. The duo had a very elaborate home gym set up in their basement. “In five months I lost fifty pounds. I transformed myself very quickly and went from depressed and out-of-shape into the best shape of my life in five months. It was at this point I decided to become a fitness professional.” How did Lauren burn off fifty pounds of fat? Four times a week after dinner Greg and Lauren would start off with a thirty minute speed walk. This was followed by a 90-minute weight workout. Lauren and Greg trained hard and trained consistently. Intense training was combined with dedicated effort and amplified with lots of Old School dietary discipline. Reenergized she made a life changing decision to become a professional trainer. She wanted to help others achieve what she had achieved. “I learned the fitness facility ropes and after a few years decided to open my own facility. I felt that generally speaking there was a huge disconnect between the typical gym management and the typical gym clientele. It was pretty common to hear gyms announce, ‘Come train at Joe’s Gym – we have our way of training – the Joe’s Gym way!’” The owner of Joe’s Gym had likely won some bodybuilding titles and felt that his methods could and should be used to train Average Joe. Lauren felt this cookie-cutter thinking was inapplicable for most people.
“I was continually told not to deviate from the Joe’s Gym method – even when I saw that a client might need a completely different approach. The realities of the client’s life might not allow them to train in the Joe’s Gym way. I was told to “make it work.” Lauren felt a more fluid approach would work far better. “My idea was to open a fitness facility that would customize a training and nutritional regimen for each and every individual client.” Back when Lauren opened Better Bodies, this approach was a real gamble. “Who knew if this approach would gain traction? We thought the customized approach would prove successful – but in the beginning we were swimming against the tide of conventional commercial gym thinking.” In the world of professional training and fitness facilities, nothing generates new business faster than renovating clients on a consistent basis. As the old saying goes, “A transformed body is the best form of advertisement.” Within a very short period of time Lauren Dudzinski had a fleet of walking, talking human billboards; advertisements to the effectiveness of the Better Bodies approach. Lauren is thoughtful and has given deep consideration to every aspect of the personal training business. Her facility slogan sums up her attitude, “The body you never knew you had!” Her approach towards resistance training is equally illuminating. At Better Bodies resistance training orthodoxy is turned on its head. “We have devised unique methods that meld free weights with cardio equipment.” Lauren elaborated on varied usages of standard resistance machines, cardio machines and free weights. “I want the client to stay in continual motion once the session starts. About the only time you will see Better Bodies clients using cardio machines in the classical fashion is if they are coming in on ‘off days,’ non resistance training days, to catch a ‘regular’ cardio workout.”
Lauren has devised a training protocol unique to Better Bodies that melds resistance with cardio to create an interesting hybrid. Lauren describes a typical workout. “Every resistance training session is supervised by one of our personal trainers. If the client is scheduled to perform a lower body cardio-based resistance routine, they start with a five minute warm-up. They might use the recumbent bike and start off using little or no resistance. By the end of the fifth minute they will be using the maximum resistance. Warmed up and ready; the real work begins.” Lauren has dozens of routines, depending upon the particulars of the client’s situation. She described in detail one particular routine that mixes strength training with cardio. “On a lower body day, I might start a client off with one minute of “step ups.” The client steps up onto a sturdy exercise bench holding a pair of 15 pound dumbbells. “We do one minute per leg. This is followed immediately by a 25 rep set of leg presses; then a 25 rep set of leg extensions. After the step-ups, leg presses and leg extensions, we have them perform walking lunges holding a 25 pound plate in each hand. These are deep lunges; we want them to touch the plates to the floor on every step rep. I have them repeat this four-exercise cycle four times without a break.” The 4×4 cycle takes twenty minutes to complete. Afterwards the client gets a drink of water and begins treadmill work. “I start them off with 10 minutes, at a moderate pace, walking up the steepest incline setting on the machine. This is followed by two minutes of walking sideways; then two minutes of walking backwards before finishing up with two minutes walking sideways facing the opposite direction.” This particular workout is finished with fifteen minutes of abdominal work: fifty reps of modified crunches; followed by fifty reps in the Russian twists; then fifty reps of ‘regular crunches’ before ending with two sets of fifty in the cable crunch. Three hour-long sessions per week are recommended. On the “off days” 30-45 minutes of cardio activity are suggested. Non conventional and unorthodox, Lauren is continually creating clients who now have “the body they never knew they had!”
Lauren has been using Parrillo Performance Products for more than a decade. “I cannot say enough good things about John Parrillo and his potent products. I think that his training techniques and nutritional philosophies are incredible. John was the pioneer at combining healthy, sensible, clean, low fat nutrition with hard and intense training. The combination creates a fabulous body and allows the user to develop a lifestyle. His approach is what we at Better Bodies stress and teach. His overall approach is fantastic; adherents have great energy because they make great nutritional choices.” Needless to say, Lauren recommends Parrillo Products to all her clients. “We love CapTri®. If an individual trains as hard as they are supposed to they need calories to recover. Muscle recovery must precede muscle growth. CapTri® allows my trainees to train as hard and long and as often as we recommend. CapTri® supplies hard training clients with exactly what they need – lots of clean calories. Quality calories ensure recovery and ultimately ensure growth. After every single high intensity training session, we insist the client immediately consume a 50/50 Plus™ post-workout recovery shake. I cannot conceive of putting a client through the ultra-intense training routines that we put them through – and not making them consume the regenerating nutrients necessary to start the healing process.” Parrillo is the number one supplement line at Better Bodies and clients love the various Parrillo Products. When it comes to nutrition, Lauren thinks nothing of taking that extra step for her clients. “I often will take clients to the grocery store to shop. You would be amazed how the food industry has brainwashed people. Regular folks believe that since a package has ‘healthy’ or ‘reduced fat’ or ‘sugar free’ on the box, that this makes it okay to eat. I will take clients on shopping trips and show them how to avoid certain foods altogether. Grocery shopping with me is an eye-opening experience for people raised on fast foods, bakery products and frozen foods. I help them make good food choices and good food choices are the cornerstone of a sound nutritional program.”
Better Bodies Recipes & a Recommended Dietary Plan
Breakfast
Breakfast Pizza
Natural Vitamin E Plus™
Evening Primrose Oil 1000™
Joint Formula™
Essential Vitamin Formula™
Ultimate Amino™
“Clients often have hectic lifestyles and it is easy for them to skip breakfast. A healthy lifestyle can be enhanced by preplanning. The ‘breakfast pizza’ is a nice alternative to oatmeal and can be prepared ahead of time. It makes for a great breakfast and slices reheat quickly in the microwave. Here is the Breakfast Pizza recipe…”
1. In a large skillet sauté shredded potatoes in Butter Flavored CapTri®. The potatoes need to be left a little wet, so add extra CapTri®. Don’t let the potatoes get crispy. You will need a thin layer of potatoes to place on top of the pizza.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, chop up veggies of your choice. I like green, red, and yellow bell peppers, perhaps some spinach. Slice up two Roma tomatoes.
3. Spread four tablespoons of Greek yogurt lightly atop a whole wheat pizza crust. I use Boboli pizza crust.
4. When the potatoes are done, spread them evenly over the whole wheat pizza crust. Place the chopped veggies on top of the thin layer of potatoes.
5. Slowly pour 8-10 egg whites (beaten in a blender) over top of the pizza.
6. Place the sliced tomatoes on top of the egg whites.
7. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.
Slice the pizza when it has cooled: this will yield 7 to 8 serving slices.
Mid-morning snack – approximately 2 hours after breakfast
1 or 2 Parrillo Hi-Protein Cupcakes™: I often add chopped nuts to the cupcake mixture.
“I recommend clients take a zip-loc bag full of sliced veggies with them in the car to munch on while they drive. I like dense vegetables, rich and varied in color and texture.”
Lunch
Taco Salad with CapTri® drizzled on top. Here is the recipe…
1. Brown 1 pound of ground chicken or turkey and drain.
2. Add 1 cup of low-sodium salsa into the browned meat mixture and stir.
3. Add black beans and chopped veggies of your choice.
4. Squeeze 1 fresh lime into the mixture.
5. Simmer the mixture for 10 minutes.
NOTE: Add CapTri® separately. This mixture can be stored in the refrigerator and makes for a quick dinner. Double the recipe and have plenty on hand.
Ultimate Amino™
Advanced Lipotropic Formula™
Mid-afternoon snack – approximately 2 hours after lunch
Parrillo Energy Bar™
Sliced tomato and cucumber salad with vinegar and seasoning.
Dinner
Baked Chicken with a low sodium seasoning. Steamed Asparagus with CapTri®.
Evening Primrose Oil™
Ultimate Amino Formula™
“If hungry before bedtime drink a Parrillo Hi-Protein™ shake or have some vegetables. Remember to drink a post-workout 50/50 Plus™ shake after every workout.”
Lauren can be contacted at