At 59, Judy Davidson wasn’t prepared to slow down, MaxStrength Fitness is keeping her fit, lean, and motivated

By Patricia Nugent

Opening Day may be a few weeks away for the Guardians, but for Judy Davidson, the siren call of baseball is heard year-round.

Playing since she was 8 years old, first against her two older brothers in Geauga County, then in high school and adult travel leagues, teams and tournaments across the country, she’s spent much of her free time training to achieve the fitness level of a high-performance athlete.

Now 59 years old, she’s working with the trainers at MaxStrength Fitness to help her stay in the game. And it’s working.

Eliminating Pain from Overuse Injury
As a trusted glove at the shortstop position, who can rapid-fire the ball to whichever base it needs to go to get the runner out, over the years Judy caused a lot of wear-and-tear damage to her shoulder, which became painful and moderately debilitating. After her orthopedist diagnosed a torn labrum and other rotator cuff issues, she underwent regenerative PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy. Her blood was drawn, then centrifuged and injected back into the shoulder. It provided some relief, but there was still lingering pain. She was working out with a group boot camp-style trainer but wasn’t seeing results.

“When I first came in and did a consultation with MSF founder Jeff Tomaszewski, telling him about my increasing pain, he was confident they could lessen it,” she says. “I was skeptical that two workouts twice a week would be enough to make a big difference, but they are. I’ve trained most of my life and this style of exercise is completely different than anything I’ve ever done. The movements on the high-tech equipment are very slow and difficult. The one-on-one trainers push me to do more than I’d do on my own. When I leave here my muscles feel totally exhausted.”

The Possibility of Life-Long Improvement
After a few months, not only has she made strength gains, but Judy reports her shoulder and knee pain are gone.

According to trainer Mike Palko, who, along with other trainers at the studio, works with Judy, “In addition to addressing shoulder pain and knee pain, Judy also wanted to gain lean muscle mass, lose a little belly fat and improve overall flexibility. She’s achieved all of that, and now tells us she can do yoga poses she couldn’t before.”

One of the reasons she loves the MSF protocol, and plans to train here long term, is that since the studio temps are kept pleasantly chilly, which makes for no-sweat workouts, she can leave the studio and go about her day without worrying about showering.

“Most people think it’s unrealistic to believe you can improve your fitness into middle age,” says Judy. “None of the trainers think like that at MaxStrength. Though it seems too good to be true, that’s the culture at work here. You can expect to improve, no matter your age. I have no plans of slowing down or stopping.”

The scouting report for Judy this season? Judging by the two home runs she recently drilled over the heads of the outfielders in a game she played in California, the future looks promising.

MaxStrength Fitness is located at 4212 State Route 306 in Willoughby. Call 440-226-8080 at 2211 Crocker Road in Westlake, 440-835-9090 and at13500 Pearl Road in Strongsville, 440-467-0700 or for more information or to view more testimonials, visit MaxStrengthFitness.com.