Built by Em

I’m Emma 👋 I have studied personal training through NASM’s CPT course, and have 7+ years of strength training under my belt.

Click the link to my website to learn more about what I have to offer.

06/09/2026

Transformation Tuesday!

Personally, I take a traditional bodybuilding approach to my gym sessions and utilize bulking (eating in a caloric surplus). Although it’s not everyone’s goal, it’s a testament to how capable weightlifting is to making changes.

The actual size and mass you pack on is at least 90% dependent on your caloric intake. That’s why I typically choose similar routines to what I do, for my clients looking to gain some strength and muscle. Food is what makes the true difference between subtle muscle tone, and a bulked appearance. To achieve the current after photo, I was in a caloric surplus (a heavy one at that) for a long period of time.

Had I stayed at maintenance calories like I recommend for those looking to make more slight changes in muscle tone, I would have a much more low-key, balanced physique. Bulking just tends to be my thing. 🤪

Moral of the story, you CAN shape-shift! 😂 (with the right routine and advice) 💪🏻

Disclaimer: my tattoo didn’t disappear. The images are just flipped to opposite mirror view. (I get this question a lot in my before and afters).

06/04/2026

Let’s talk glute growth ⬇️

As a personal trainer who has learned 80% of what works through real trial and error over the course of several years, it’s important to me to implement visuals rather than just asking for trust without anything to back it up visually.

If you spend any time scrolling online (particularly in the fitness algorithm), there’s an overwhelming amount of advice and tutorials on how to build glutes. All of them claim to be “the right way.” The first question to ask yourself is:

Are you looking to actually increase size and development? That highly alters what will work best.

If you’re looking to gain real muscle mass in your glute area, simple works best. Progressive overload, eating in a slight caloric surplus, and basic movements. Things like bodyweight kickbacks and bodyweight hip thrust will have absolutely zero bearing on making serious progress in the development of your glutes in the sense of large scale growth.

The exercises that are most effective tend to be coined as “boring” or “hard.” The truth is that all you need is 3 or 4 alternating exercises, perfected form and pace, and a dedication to increasing weight over time.

My favorites:

-Bulgarian split squats: Places the glutes in a significantly stretched position (a strong driver of muscle growth)

-Hip thrust: Works the glutes in the shortened, hip extension position (the primary function of the glutes)

-Weighted step-ups: Deep hip flexion (glutes move from a deeply stretched, angled position up onto a high platform, plus includes a slight hip extension at the top of the rep)

They’re not as fun as bodyweight movements, kickbacks, or random “booty-band” circuits. Those can help with conditioning, but do not contribute to large scale growth and development.

Trendy exercises come and go, but the underlying fundamentals of muscle growth do not 💪🏻

06/01/2026

🚨 Now offering trial sessions!

You can purchase up to one trial session prior to committing to a full monthly package.

It can feel daunting to fully invest in something before you have a chance to experience it for yourself.

If this interests you, visit my website builtbyem.carrd.co and fill out my application form to get scheduled. 🤍

05/27/2026

Becoming “skinny” or as small as possible should never be the ultimate goal. It is one thing to want to lose body fat - but not through means of restricting to the point of muscular breakdown.

Weightlifting is much more than vanity.

I hear often that many have the fear of becoming “bulky” when it comes to weightlifting. The truth is that to actually accomplish true bulking and substantial muscular mass gain, that has to be incredibly intentional. I’ve gone through several bulking phases, and I can tell you firsthand how much work, food and heavy weights that took to accomplish.

There’s a bold line between using resistance training to gain strength and to gain mass.

Measureable muscle mass decline for women, without any form of resistance training, commonly begins in your early 30’s. As you age, the rate of muscle mass decline only accelerates.

Similarly, the same concept applies with bone density. Your body naturally decreases in bone density in your early 30’s as well with a lack of strength training, too little protein intake, and a sedentary lifestyle.

We owe it to ourselves to preserve our strength for as long as we can, and to help prevent those declines in performance.

However, regardless of what age you are, it is never too late to start. Research tells us that, tailored carefully to age ability, we can increase our bone density, muscle mass and daily performance even into our 80’s and 90’s.

Muscle mass and strength carry into our everyday lives and are felt and noticed in even the simplest daily tasks.

We owe it to ourselves to maintain strength, mobility and agility for as long as we can help it.

🤍

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/share/14dc2mtvRpg/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/23/2026

One thing I’ve learned from years in the gym:

Those who get the best long-term results usually aren’t doing anything extreme or all at once. They just stay consistent, show up, and focus on getting a little stronger each time. The first battle is the initial step you take, the second battle is the steps after that, and before you know it you’re in a new phase of your life without a second thought.

Simple always works. 🤍

05/18/2026

If you’ve been considering training with me, now’s the time to join the team 🏋🏻‍♀️

My slots over the next couple of months are beginning to fill in, and I’d love to squeeze in any new potential clients who are currently on the fence 🤍

👉🏻 I can help with: weight loss, weight gain, body recomposition, bodybuilding, or powerlifting-style training
👉🏻I am not a certified dietician, however I can make personally curated macro recommendations towards your goals
👉🏻I like immersive training; I typically join in on most of the movements to make it feel like more of a partner workout

builtbyem.carrd.co to apply, or personal message me on this page for more info or clarification 🤍

05/12/2026

Apologies for the delay on announcing the winner of 2 free sessions - I just wanted to make sure people had more time to enter!

The winner is ✨Valerie Foster ✨

Valerie, please email me at [email protected] and we can schedule our two sessions! 😁

05/06/2026

I’ve added new package options/individual programs to my website to accommodate a wider variety of options!

https://builtbyem.carrd.co

Address

Presque Isle, ME
04769

Website

http://builtbyem.carrd.co/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Built by Em posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your business to be the top-listed Gym/sports Facility in Presque Isle?