Body by Design is rated the Triangles best personal trainer year after year. After working with Joe, its easy to understand why. The studio in Five Points is very well equipped and a great size for getting 1:1 attention, but also for getting to know the other trainers and clients.I came to Joe asking him to train both myself (not easy) and also my 12 year old son. I was looking for a program typical of many 40 year olds - lose some weight, tone everything, and feel more energized. For my son, the concerns were more how to keep weight on and please implement something to improve coordination and athletic abilities. We both hit the lottery...With twice weekly sessions, excellent nutritional guidance, and encouragement for both in and outside the gym, we transformed our bodies and lifestyle. Maintaining healthy weight will no longer be an issue as Ive gained the stamina and confidence to participate in numerous 5Ks, half marathons and am constantly varying my athletic activity. My son plays basketball, flag football, and swims and is eager to vary his athletic abilities as well.At Body by Design, there is a fitness program for adolescents to geriatric clients.I highly recommend Joe to anyone looking for a personal trainer that is fun, motivated, knowledgeable and dedicated to seeing you achieve your personal fitness goals.

When I relocated to Raleigh last year, I never thought I would find a personal trainer who rivaled the one I’d been training with in New York City (at a whooping fee of $180/hour). I did a lot of research on gyms and trainers before giving Joe a call, and after one session with him I had no doubt that he was just as good, if not better, than my trainer in NYC. (And in case you’re wondering, the latter proved to be true!) About a month after beginning my sessions with Joe, I found myself with a diamond on my finger and a date on the calendar, so a “Buff Bride” regime began in earnest. I trained with both Joe and Lisa 2-3 days a week, and their combined expertise and encouragement transformed me into a tight, toned bride in a mere 10 weeks. When friends and family told me that I looked the best they’d ever seen me, I knew they weren’t patronizing me on my wedding day—I really did look and feel incredible, and I owe it all to Joe and Lisa! Body By Design is, hands-down, the best personal training gym in the Triangle. The gym itself is well-equipped and always immaculately clean. If there are two other clients training at the same time as you, that’s considered a crowd—most of the time, you’ll feel like you’re in your own private workout facility. Joe and all of his trainers are the best in the business and are knowledgeable, caring, and a lot of fun. Working with a trainer is as much about the relationship as the routine, and there is someone for everyone at BBD. Lastly, it’s affordable and worth every penny. Joe doesn’t run a “get what you pay for” kind of gym—he runs a “get far more than you pay for” kind of gym. Give him a try…your wallet and your waistline will thank you!

Joe and the team at Body By Design provide an incredible training experience. Each of the trainers I’ve worked with over the years is knowledgeable and professional. They motivate by supporting you and encouraging you to push your limits, not by yelling and screaming at you. Each training session is different from the last and each is tailored to meet the customer’s specific goals (weight loss, building muscle mass, improving cardiovascular fitness, etc.). The studio itself utilizes top-of-the-line equipment in a clean and comfortable space. I can’t say enough about Body By Design. Totally, unequivocally and highly recommended.

I have been a client of Body by Design Studio for several years now. Joe has organized a fitness plan for me that fits within my lifestyle and has allowed me to accomplish my fitness goals. I have been able enjoy noticeable and lasting results. Further, the studio and all the trainers are extremely personable and all very good to work with. This is not an ordinary gym, your how outlook on fitness will change.

I’m in my early 70’s and while in better shape than many of my peers, I was disappointed with my strength and my endurance, and I was dissatisfied in how my body shape was beginning to change. Part of this was due to back problems and a recent back surgery I had to correct sciatica.I had tried one Raleigh area personal trainer and think that helped to aggravate my back before surgery, so I was really leery about trying another one but I knew I needed help to look and feel better.I heard about Joe Augustine and his team at Body by Design Studio from a nurse at my doctor’s office and went in for my free trial a few months ago. I can tell you that the experience has been life-changing for me! Going two times a week now for five months I feel like I did 20 years ago. I think I actually look better now!With the help of Joe and the Body by Design staff I have build muscle, my back is pain free and strong, and my waist is small. The workouts are always different, always challenging and always productive. I leave feeling tired but energized and my friends and family notice the difference too!Body by Design is private, professional and their program just works.The best thing now is that they have just opened a second studio in my North Raleigh neighborhood, so now I don’t have to drive more than 5 minutes to get there.I highly recommend them if you are considering hiring a trainer and you at least owe it to yourself to give them a try, because they’ll give you a free session just to judge for yourself. They are the best in Raleigh in my book.

I’m writing this review to tell you how Joe, Peter and the rest of the Body by Design team saved my wifes life. Here is her testimony in her own words.I’m an interior designer and personal stylist so appearance is very important in my business and my life. I came to Body by Design when I was 5’ 3” inches tall and with my weight ballooning to nearly 200 pounds. I had been an emotional eater most of my life, but had never weighed or looked like this – I was too big and unhappy.Joe began working with me slowly, not just with physical training, but with emotional support and knowledge too. When I came to Body by Design, I had severe diabetes, high blood pressure and clinical depression – and littlelief that I could change things. I also love clothes. I had a closet full of beautiful designer clothes that I was too big to wear.Now after working out with Body by Design, my situation is completely different. I weigh 102.5 pounds and in my early 60’s look the best I ever have. Earlier this year the local TV station even did a story on my success, which I would never have imagined!I continue to train twice a week with Joe and my new, healthy weight has been stable for more than a year. My diabetes has disappeared and my doctor has taken me off medications for that and high blood pressure.My weight would have shortened my life, if not killed me, but now I have a new lease on life and Body by Design to thank.

After a few failed gym attempts, I have finally found a place that I know is going to help me reach my goals. Although I have only been training at Body by Design for a little over a month, I am already in love with the place.I have worked out with trainers before, and Ive never been as instantly comfortable as I was made to feel here. Not only has Rebecca helped me make some big life changes, but I actually am starting to enjoy working out again. The entire staff is helpful and fun, and my hour long sessions fly by.Im so glad I found this place, and Im looking forward to an amazing 2014 with the whole team!

Ive been a client at Body By Design for a little over a year. Joe helped me develop a nutrition plan while my trainer, Ashley, transformed my body. I will be 50 years old this year and Im in the best shape of my life!! If youre ready to get in shape, feel great and change your life, call Joe!

I have been training at Body by Design for almost 3 years now. I have never felt and looked better! I see Joe and the trainers as good friends and I always look forward to working out.

In 2010, I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis (extreme bone density loss). Drugs did nothing. Supplements (calcium) did little, if anything.After much consideration, I joined a small gym and signed up to work with a personal trainer. After a year’s training, one hour, two days a week, the bone density loss leveled out. After two years of dedicated training, my bone density went from extreme loss, to mild to moderate loss. That is no longer Osteoporosis, but is the condition of “Osteopenia.”At my last physical in November of 2013, my bone density loss was “better” than mild to moderate loss. I owe this success to my exercise and training with a personal trainer who worked specifically to address my physical issues, bone density loss in particular.My gym is “Body By Design” and my personal trainer is “Peter.” I thank them both.I hope others suffering with Osteoporosis will benefit from my experience.

Great studio and very knowledgeable personal trainers!

I’ve been a client of Body by Design’s off and on for over 3 years and it’s been a great experience every time! I’ve been a gym rat and runner all my life, but when I hit 50 I started gaining weigh despite my workouts and runs.I thought I knew it all when it came to fitness and diet, but at that point I knew I might need to get some short-term help. I found Body by Design on the internet after doing a bunch of research and went in for a free trial. In one hour I found out just how much I didn’t know about working out!In three months I lost 32 pounds of fat and built my body back into what it looked like when I was 30 years old! I took the knowledge and advice they gave me and was then able to train myself much more effectively. I go back every three or four months for a “check up” and more training just to keep me honest ☺I look good, feel good and now consider myself a REAL fitness expert thanks to Joe and the trainers at Body!

I have only been a Body by Design client for about a month, but I’ve been so happy that I wanted to tell people about my experience.About two months ago, I started looking to get in better shape. I’m a single mom and I wanted to finally “get back out there” and start dating. I made arrangements so see a few trainers so I could compare them and I included Body by Design in the list even though I thought they were really out of my price range. As it worked out, I went to Body for my free trial first because they could see me the soonest.I saw Rebecca -who I train with now - and it was such a great experience that I felt like I had never really worked out before! I then met with three other trainers who were about half the price ($25-$30/hr), but everything was a letdown after seeing Body by Design. There was really no comparison between Rebecca and the other trainers – they just were not as knowledgeable or fun. They really weren’t even as fit either. It really did make me feel so much better in the Body studio because it was private and so well equipped and nice! One of the other trainers did work at another place that had it’s own gym, but it was sparse, grey and nasty.Now here’s the thing I found out, Body by Design will negotiate with you some on price if you really need it – and I did! You should ask them. In the end, it’s still more than I thought about paying initially, but you do get what you pay for! It is so worth the extra money I can’t even tell you! Just the motivation alone is worth the price.The other things are, they do not have any kind of contract and they wont charge you if you miss a session.If you are thinking about getting a trainer, don’t be scared by the price. I would rather pay more and I would get more out of coming once a week to a real trainer like Body by Design than I would at three times a week with the cheap trainers I tried (and I do make the sacrifice to come twice a week too).Come to Body by Design and see the difference yourself! Good luck :-)

Body by Design is the fourth personal trainer that I have worked with, and Joe, Sara and the rest of the team have given me the most effective workout sessions I have ever had. In just a few weeks friends and family began talking about how much weight I had lost and how good I looked. I didn’t tell them that it wasn’t really weight loss (I didn’t tell anyone I was working with a trainer ;-) but that it was weight training that had made me stronger, healthier, and given me a more fit physique. I previously worked with some other trainers for over a year and never got such notice.The most amazing thing though was that, after just about a month of training and strengthening my lower body, my long-standing plantar fasciitis went away. I had previously had physical therapy, orthotics and even injections that did not work. Getting in shape with someone who knows what they are doing can make all the difference, even with life’s aches and pains of aging.Sarah (and all of Joe’s team at Body by Design) is knowledgeable, competent, and always very professional. Joe is also up to date on the latest research and information in health, medicine and fitness and uses that information to constantly make Body by Design a better place. Any time I ask for further information on other subjects, such as nutrition, he immediately responds and forwards the information. I dont think North Carolina has a more informed, professional, and effective trainer!My workouts at Body by Design are always unique and keep me from hitting a plateau. In my opinion, one of their strongest attributes is making sure that your body develops muscle in a balanced and efficient way so as to avoid injury in both sports and in everyday life. I have been an athlete and have worked out most of my life, but my trainers at Body by Design continue to challenge me in my workouts and I have never been more fit. They tailor workouts for each individual and will not march anyone down the wrong path with fads like crossfit or short-term fixes like starvation diets. They are truly interested in making a positive impact on their clients lives - for the rest of their lives.