An Introduction to JOHN HEART
by Joanne Sharkey
For those of you who do not know him, I am pleased to introduce you to John Heart, who he is a Certified Personal Trainer and bodybuilder himself. John Heart has used Mike's HEAVY DUTY™ high-intensity training principles for 27 years in both his own training, as well as that of clients. John has his own list of training clients that he trains using Heavy Duty™, but he has been offering to help me for a few years now. By an exclusive agreement with me, John Heart started conducting the phone consultations and in-gym training for my HEAVY DUTY clients. I have trust and confidence in John, and there’s no doubt that Mike would approve of my choice to use him to work with the HEAVY DUTY™ clients. As you read on, you will learn more.
I knew John Heart personally before Mike passed away; in fact, we spent a Thanksgiving Day together at Mike's condo around 1997. Most importantly is that Mike trained him personally in the gym, and John absorbed all he could possibly learn from Mike – like a sponge! After Mike passed away in June 2001, John went on to win the 2001 Natural Mr. Universe in November. It was unfortunate that Mike wasn't here to share in that win, because he told me that John Heart was sure to win the title! Originally when Mike started to train John as his training client and student, it was realized they lived within a few blocks of each other, and they became good friends. I can personally attest to the fact that John Heart was an accomplished student of Mike’s and a loyal friend, and John had continued to study every detail of Mike’s books since then. The more he absorbed, the better his clients’ progressed as he incorporated correctly all of Mike’s 7 fundamental principles and techniques that he learned directly from Mike himself.
John Heart remains loyal to Mike’s memory and to his HEAVY DUTY™ teachings and without hesitation, he gives credit to Mike for his own success due to all that he learned from Mike. In the past, I have referred bodybuilders living in the Los Angeles area to John Heart for “in-gym” training and those clients have been happy with his services and their progress. Since October 2009 when I started to refer HEAVY DUTY Phone Consultation clients to him, he has provided excellent training and support to those clients that I schedule with him. Most importantly, he has more than lived up to my expectations, and John Heart has brought these phone clients to a new level of progress with their training, including some old clients who have returned. I continue to get words of praise and appreciation from the clients about John’s expertise. In addition, they LOVE working with him and his personality; as some clients have confided in me that they feel John really takes to heart their training and goes beyond what most trainers would do because he takes a personal interest in them and their well being.
I am very pleased to have John Heart as a source of support for phone and in-gym clients (including email consultations for International clients), not just because of his training expertise and knowledge, but because John is a good man with high standards of values and integrity. Plus, he is educated in the fields of physiology and exercise science having studied in these areas. He wants to honor his friend, Mike, and to give something back to him through his lasting memory in the sport of bodybuilding and exercise science. I also treasure him as a trustworthy friend.
Joanne Sharkey, CEO/President
Mentzer-Sharkey Enterprises
“Hey Joanne! I just wanted to let you know how my initial Phone Consultation went with John Heart. I really couldn't be more pleased. It was awesome! Literally, it was everything I had expected and much more! John was very knowledgeable and a great advocate for both Mike Mentzer and HEAVY DUTY™ training. The hour literally flew by, and it actually went 1.5 hours and easily could have continued on had I not needed to leave for work.
John covered a lot of ground from the High-Intensity Training the Mike Mentzer Way©, book including going over very concisely the 7-principles of training, Using the Ideal Routine Workout, he went through each exercise and how to properly perform techniques, rep cadence, frequency of workouts, diet and supplementation. All in all, it was a fabulous initial consultation, and I am so pumped about following the HEAVY DUTY™ training program and looking forward to the next 2 follow-up phone calls.
Again, I can’t say enough good things about what it was like to working with John Heart! He came across as being genuinely excited to be working with me and did a great job personalizing the program for my needs! He emphasized how truly remarkable the Mike Mentzer HD training system is IF you give it 100% effort! I am really looking forward to some great gains using HEAVY DUTY™ training, and I am super-pumped to be working with John Heart! Hopefully someday I can take a trip from Canada to Los Angeles and train with him in person.
Joanne, I think you did a great job in choosing John Heart as the trainer to work with your clients using Mike Mentzer's teachings and principles. The excitement I express through my words is the “real deal”, and I am really excited about the future and working with such an awesome team (you, of course, Joanne, and John Heart)! The DVD’s and Clothing are also great motivators for training!
Thanks so much, Joanne!”
“I have been training with John Heart since October 2009, and I have been consistently making progress in strength and in the resulting appearance of my physique with muscle definition. What I like most about John is his dedication to me as a phone client. He prepares for my calls by reviewing my reports and photos and makes the necessary adjustments to my routines and diet. He puts the “personal” in personal training.”
“My wife and I visited Los Angeles on holiday from Italy, and I was especially excited to train with John Heart. I am 38 years old, and I work in the Risk office at a bank, but I am studying to get certified as a personal trainer in Italy.
Let me tell you about my first workout - the Leg workout from Mike Mentzer's HEAVY DUTY™ Ideal Routine. I was surprised to see that it took only 15 minutes for the actual workout! The day after this training session in the gym, I noticed that my calves were bigger than ever -- I was really stunned! [Ed: Even after the initial few days Simone’s calves retained their new size.] In the past, I was at the gym regularly because I played soccer for many years with a semi-professional team. But now, I know very well how much time I wasted all those years training the wrong way!
If you want to gain strength and muscle - the only way is the Mike Mentzer Way! Thanks to John Heart’s training sessions with me, I reached the correct intensity level to stimulate growth, and I can say that intensity is the most important principle to understand. One might think that it is easy to understand intensity, but until you have experienced it the way Mike Mentzer taught it, and as John put me through it in the gym, you just can't imagine! When you think you have reached failure, do two more rep....! By the way, I had 2 more in-gym training sessions with John Heart while I was still in Los Angeles.
When I first started talking with Joanne Sharkey about the HEAVY DUTY Phone Consultations, she told me that she would not refer me to just any trainer, but it would be with a trainer who she knew thoroughly understood and used Mike's HEAVY DUTY principles correctly. After my 3 in-gym sessions with John Heart, I then realized why she thought John was one of just a few trainers she trusted to teach the Mike Mentzer Way. Now, I've brought back first-hand knowledge to Italy and can pass along this knowledge to others here. My experience was priceless!”
“Before arriving in Los Angeles from Australia, I purchased a one hour HEAVY DUTY™ training session from Joanne Sharkey, because I wanted to be sure to experience a true HEAVY DUTY™ workout. She set me up with John Heart who is a patient and understanding trainer. He even took extra time with me to be sure I understood Mike Mentzer’s principles and techniques of using HEAVY DUTY™ training correctly. I consider myself fortunate for having trained with John and being “baptized” into the HEAVY DUTY™ high-intensity training program. When I visit Los Angeles next time, I definitely look forward to training with more sessions.”
“I was a newcomer to HEAVY DUTY training when I contacted Joanne Sharkey, I purchased her recommended books, and started to read about what Mike Mentzer had to teach me. Shortly afterwards, I purchased a 3-call Phone Consultation for HEAVY DUTY training and was scheduled to consult with John Heart. When I first started my phone consultations with John, some of the things he advised me do, ran in conflict to a lot of things I had previously been led to believe about working out. John also instructed me to do something that no other trainer made me do - READ and study Mike's books.
I already had Mike's HEAVY DUTY books, and when I read them, I started to learn and understand how the body actually functions. To be honest, I had to read several times before the material became a part of me. It was the first time a personal trainer made me educate myself on physiology and kinetics, rather than simply "giving me a routine" and guidelines for eating.
I implemented the recommended exercises with blind faith and trust. In addition, I kept a food diary. In the end, I gained a great deal of strength, and lost 24 lbs of fat - without doing any cardio. I am quite pleased with the results and will continue on with the HEAVY DUTY training system. Thanks, John!”
“My first thought about my consultations was that I found the right way to train with HEAVY DUTY, and now I can make it all perfect with the right nutrition. I´m a loyal Heavy Duty disciple.
My first consultation with John Heart included my workout logs. Joanne told me that he was trained by the master himself - Mike Mentzer. The next consultation had to do with my "fat reducing and simultaneously to build up my strength and muscle. From all the information and documentation that I sent to Joanne, John made the nutrition plans for me after analyzing my workout logs, measurements, and my photos.
I know about healthy and natural nutrition, but I know nothing about how I can get definition and build muscles up at the same time. There are too many people out there in our sport that only tell "nonsense" like a politician. John answered my questions with patience, and he thoroughly understands my plan and goal. I have a good feeling in training with him. He is very nice to work with, and I trust him because I can see the first effects from his advice.
I know that our cooperation and teamwork is only at the beginning, and I look forward to my next consultation with him.”
“He uses consistent and experience-tested "principles", namely the 7 Heavy Duty fundamental principles, to guide expertly those he trains but that's only part of the story. John also has the intelligence, flexibility and sensitivity to communicate in the manner that best fits the person with whom he is training, which can vary greatly, for example, between a teenager and a professional in his 60s. After working with him for several years now, I am happy to report that my time with him remains one of my most important and productive investments in my heath and well-being and with positive results in every aspect of my life.”
“John is a quality human being bar none! Not only does he know where it's at when it comes to productive exercise, even more importantly, the man is a true humanitarian... a quality so very lacking in today's day and age. The “me...me…ME...” obsession that plagues our society doesn't apply to John in the least. He's honest, sincere, and extremely giving, and that alone makes me feel blessed to be able to call him "friend".”
“I have been fortunate enough to get to know John Heart a little more from working with him. He is truly an inspiration to everyone he trains, that I know. The man has such an intensity and commitment to his clients that you find yourself drawn to him or just listening to him. I knew of only one other man who literally changed everything and everyway I looked at life, and sadly he passed at the age of 45. He too was a bodybuilder. He was probably the only bodybuilder I have met that had such a strong work ethic when it came to anything he did in his life. John Heart is a man cut from the same cloth and having the opportunity to meet this man makes me realize how blessed I truly am to know quality men of the highest integrity in my lifetime. I learn something from John every time I watch him at work, and if a day goes by where I don't, then I feel cheated!! We are lucky to have him in this world.”
“John went above and beyond what was expected...Thank You, John!”
“John is a thinking man's trainer, and he is effective on personalizing dietary and training needs for the individual client based on years of experience rather than following the crowds and fads of the day. I'm sold on HEAVY DUTY training and love lifting again. I’ve experienced great results! I have won the following titles: 2009 Forever Natural Mr. San Diego and the Forever Natural Mr. USA (both are medium height class wins).”
“I am a true believer in Mike Mentzer’s HEAVY DUTY™ type of intense, brief and infrequent workouts. It is efficient and exciting. I learned invaluable information working out with John Heart and my workouts lasted no more than 15 minutes, once every 5 to 7 days. I'd recommend him to anyone.”
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