Jean Paul Desrosiers has been running, cycling, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and swimming throughout his life. He has completed marathons and triathlons, and was a semi-pro cyclist. But he’s not just an enthusiast; he’s also a trained professional. He has a degree in exercise science and is also a certified personal trainer who shares his wealth of knowledge with clients using his “experience training” technique. Jean loves adventure. That’s why Sherpa Fitness isn’t just a gym. He likes to point outside and say, “Out there…that’s the real gym. The real gym is infinite.”
Jean doesn’t spend the day in a gym. His gym is outdoors. You’ll find him with clients at five o’clock in the morning, headlamps on, out for a two-hour snowshoe before the workday begins. Or maybe you’ll catch him trail running, hiking, or swimming. “Push-ups and sit-ups are fun,” he says, “but you can really improve yourself when you take what you’ve learned indoors and apply it to something outside the gym.”
Jean works with a wide range of clients who have a goal. Clients and goals can range from a stay-at-home mom who wants to participate in the Avon Breast Cancer walk, to a young couple determined to complete a 523-mile eco-challenge in Utah. However, a client’s goal doesn’t have to be so lofty. Jean says, “I don’t want people to feel intimidated by what I do. I don’t want them to think that they need to be in great shape to work out with me. That’s not what I’m about. If a client is 100% motivated about what he or she wants to accomplish, then we have something in common. There’s nothing I like more than seeing my clients succeed.”