Zeal Performance

Tessa and crew are amazing! I have been skiing my whole life and at age 51, I have never felt this strong going into the ski season. Tessa developed specialized exercises for pre-season ski training, specific to my strengths, weaknesses and past injuries.

Zeal Performance has been a great asset for getting back on track with a strength training routine. I was getting bored working out in my basement by myself doing the same exercises over and over. It's great to work out in a small gym with a few other people sharing a very qualified coach. It feels like personal training for the price of group training. Tessa gives me a progressive training plan with two workouts at Zeal and two for me to do at home each week, all on an app. Every month it builds, and it's rewarding to see the progress in my strength, balance, and mobility.

As a 67 yr old, I have long struggled to maintain a fitness regimen. Work and caregiving for family members have dominated my existence for some 35 years . Now, in retirement and without familial obligations , I have spent the last 3 years looking for the right fit for moving forward with taking care of just ‘me’.The small group training at Zeal has been a perfect fit! My program is 100% about my capabilities and is designed specifically for me. Mitchell, my coach, has this remarkable ability to see and address any underlying physical weaknesses while proactively encouraging me to push through and beyond any and all at a pace that not only suits my temperament but is always grounded in my safety.In less than 6 weeks , I no longer worry about aggravating my lower back issues, hip bursitis and a weak knee resulting from a fall. I have felt supported, encouraged and protected every step in this journey . Kudos to the team Tessa and Doug have recruited and the various programs they have developed. Much appreciate the offering here in Calgary!

I'm back on track!!! Thanks Zeal.I go for strength resistant training 3x (50 min) per week, and I'm stronger, slimmer (traded fat for muscle), have better posture, better balance, improved cardio, can keep up to my young family on holidays, confidence in being able to do things I wouldn't have tried before. And the best part? I've only been going 5 months. All that in five months. Wait until I tell you how amazing it is in a year!!! I get an individualized program, and correcting so that I don't injure myself. I can help my husband move things around now, he notices how strong I am. I've never found anything like it before. Don't be intimidated, there are all ages here, all levels of fitness, all shapes and sizes. Come and feel the best you've felt in years!!!Richelle

I met Tessa a few years ago at the Calgary Rowing Club where she was running some strength and mobility sessions for master athletes. I was impressed with the quality of her coaching, her dedication and her impressive academic qualifications. I have been following her training advise since then. During COVID-19 restrictions, I was able to profit from the virtual training options she offered and later some one on one sessions at the Zeal Performance excellent facilities, all great options to access her knowledge and contagious enthusiasm.

My 8 yr old granddaughter attended the half day Zeal summer camp in July 2022. She went in very reluctantly because she was by far the youngest and the only female, very important at this age. The coach, obviously a very gifted young man, made her feel like she was top of the heap"

My Sports Medicine doctor referred me to Tessa at Zeal Performance for an in home exercise program designed to correct and re-train muscles that were not functioning properly. During my assessment, Tessa determined what exercises were required to 'fix' my issues and trained me on how to perform them properly. She emailed my training program and included instructional videos. This exercise program was easy to incorporate into my fitness routine. A short two weeks later, I noticed positive results, now 6 weeks later, the results keep getting better. I'm confident that I will continue to have excellent results and my issues will be fixed. I highly recommend Tessa at Zeal Performance, she is extremely knowledgeable, professional and has an amazing bubbly and positive personality. Thanks Tessa.

I contacted Tessa VanDerVeeken at Zeal Performance because she is listed on the Osteoporosis Canada website as a Bone Fit trained exercise professional. After meeting with Tessa to discuss my goals and physical limitations, I started the 50+ fitness training sessions. It has now been two months since starting the virtual sessions and I have noticed a considerable improvement in my strength, balance and flexibility. The coaches are able to modify any exercise to accommodate my limitations and they are a joy to work with. I highly recommend Tessa and the team at Zeal Performance.

After over a year of working from home, and generally not moving as much as before the pandemic, it culminated in some persistent myofascial pain for me. Despite seeing a physio as well as a Sports Medicine physician, I really wasn’t seeing much long term improvement in my pain, and my Sports Medicine physician suggested meeting with Tessa to talk about a strength training plan.I had an initial meeting with Tessa at the Zeal training facility and it was great. Tessa did a careful assessment of my movement patterns, and ran through a few exercises with me. I have a pretty full schedule so trying to attend group fitness classes during the week was also not very feasible. Tessa offered the option of creating a remote program that I could do from my own home through a training app, using whatever equipment I have on hand (which consists of a small set of weights, some resistance bands, and a rather dusty rowing machine). I started my home program in early October doing 30 minute sessions, 3 times/week. As someone who admittedly hasn’t done much strength training, I am so happy with how I’ve progressed and more importantly, how I feel since starting with Tessa. I’m feeling a lot better pain-wise, I can see changes to my posture and movement and I’m also enjoying having some devoted “me time” to invest in my own well-being. I’m also a recreational curler, I was super excited to see what an impact the training has had on my curling. I feel stronger, and so much more stable in my curling delivery, and it’s a great feeling! Thank you Tessa for making strength training much more approachable, for using the equipment I have on hand, and for offering remote training solutions. If you’re needing help with pain, or wanting to start with some strength training, this is the place for you!

My daughter plays competitive volleyball. The team does strength conditioning with Tessa at Zeal. Tessa does a great job of pushing the athletes to improve stamina and strength!!