I've lived in Chicago my whole life and don't know why I've never heard of Jim Karas until this past Summer. I've had several trainers over the years but these guys are not only really good trainers but you won't find nicer people. Their workouts are very high tempo and I love it - I lost 20lbs this summer and can actually see my abs!

After Allure magazine listed Jim Karas Personal Training as the best in Chicago, I decided to give them a try. My trainer really listened to my goals and created workouts especially for me -- turns out I was "cheating" on some exercises and had been doing others for so long they weren't working. He really knew his stuff and kept me motivated - in about two months, I'd lost weight and my arms were really defined. When I got pregnant, I worked with another trainer with pre-natal experience and she was great too. While it's a little more expensive than trainers at LAC, definitely worth it!

Jim Karas is a great personal trainer, but he wont be training you. His poorly trained staff will and they will charge you $150 an hour! What you get there is no different than what you can get off an exercise video or from a magazine. Its nothing special. And, if you have an emergency and cancel in less than 24 hours (yes 20 hours is not good enough) they will charge you. No exceptions. Left a bad taste in my mouth.