Education: BS Health Science, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point

Certifications: NSCA-CPT, TRX Certified, CPR/AED/First Aid

About yourself: I was born in North Carolina and I moved to Wisconsin at a young age. I grew up playing basketball, football, track and volleyball. I played football from 7th grade all the way through college at University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. In my spare time I enjoy going on long runs and competing in Spartan races and Tough Mudders. I also enjoy spending time with My wife and son. I am currently in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. Where i am the health and wellness NCO.  

What are your personal wellness goals: My personal wellness goals are to continuously better myself and to stay in great shape. I love competition and beating my old goals. I like to challenge myself with new goals in running farther and faster. I one day want to complete multiple Spartan trifectas. I can also help out with getting ready for races and obstacle course races.

What is your personal favorite and least favorite workout: I am a big fan of pushups, as my clients know. My least favorite exercises are single leg squats and lower body workout days. I always have to motivate myself for those types of exercises.

Why did you become a personal trainer: When I was in high school I started out as lineman and I always looked up to athletes like Sean Taylor and Leroy Butler. I wanted to be like them fast and strong. I was picked on quite a bit and I felt this need to prove others wrong. So I decided I was going to start running, working out and eating right. After 6-7 months I lost the weight and got faster. I loved the feeling of feeling better and having more energy. I started helping out friends and family do the same. I loved every minute of it and have always had a passion of helping others. So I decided I wanted to have a job helping others accomplish their goals. I love seeing the look on clients faces when they accomplish their goals. I know my clients know this but I truly love my job.

What do you like about working with a team of trainers: I have always liked being on teams and being part of a group. You are able to brainstorm and learn from each other. You are able to bring the clients a great variety and knowledge to help them accomplish their goals. We are both passionate about coming to work and seeing clients accomplish large and small goals; and that brings joy to the workplace. 

Education:M.S. Kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Focus: Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics

B.S. Biology from Lake Forest College, Illinois

Certifications: ACSM-Certified Personal Trainer, CPR/AED/First Aid

About yourself: I was born in France but I have spent most of my life living in the U.S. I grew up playing basketball and soccer and have always led an active lifestyle. After I got my Masters in 2011 I began my career in the fitness industry as a personal trainer.

Why did you become a personal trainer?

After graduating from Lake Forest College in 2008 I did an internship at the Shedd Aquarium working with marine mammals. I spent my time training the mammals and taking care of them. Following the internship I decided I wanted to continue training but not with animals. Since I always was active I decided that I wanted to change gears and work with actual people. Therefore, I went back to school to learn about human movement. I learned how the body moves and what happens when we workout. I wanted to apply my education in a practical application so I decided to become a personal trainer. This has allowed me to help people on a daily basis while also educating them during the process.

What are your own personal fitness goals?

I have always been a thin guy and with a 6’7” frame it has been difficult to put on some pounds. My goal for the last few years has been to add lean muscle and increase my weight. It has been a struggle to eat the necessary calories to do so but I have slowly put on a few pounds. I have found a balance between working out and calorie intake which has yielded consistent results.

What is your favorite and least favorite exercise?

My favorite exercise is the pull-up. Being really tall pull-ups have been difficult. When my arms are completely straight my knees are almost touching the ground. Pull-ups are my favorite because they have always been challenging and they are a good gauge of my progress. On the other hand, traditional deadlifts are my least favorite exercise.

What is your most memorable success with a client?

My most memorable moment of training was when my 60+ years old female client did 51 pushups in a row during her fitness assessment. She trained four times a week for over a year and worked hard on her nutrition. She made the necessary lifestyle changes and stayed consistent on a weekly basis.

Education: B.S. Kinesiology from UW-Madison

Certifications: ACSM-Certified Personal Trainer, CPR/AED/First Aid

About yourself: 

I grew up in Muskego, Wisconsin where I played soccer for the younger part of my life. During my first years of high school, I became less active but was convinced to join the track team by one of my teachers. I started out very slow, but found my passion in running and other endurance sports over the years! Outside of athletics, I like to help others and spend time outside. In college, I worked as a respite provider for families who had kids with disabilities and volunteered for an organization called Adapted Fitness.

Why did you become a personal trainer?

I became a personal trainer to help people reach goals they did not think they could reach. I have a passion for sports and health and love to help others understand more about movement and exercise, so I spent years learning and training for endurance sports. I then realized just how much knowing more information can help with achieving goals, and now I pass on what I know so that others can start their journey to the lives they want to live.

What are your own personal fitness goals?

I was late to really join sports in High School, but when I began running I fell in love with trying to beat my own personal clock. I started out incredibly slow, but by training with others and learning from various coaches I have made a decent amount of progress from when I started. I now chase multiple endurance events such as running, cycling, and triathlons trying to make myself better each year.

What is your favorite and least favorite exercise?

My favorite exercise is the long run. It isn’t easy but pushes me mentally and physically to maintain for long periods of time. My least favorite exercise is side planks. I love training core but always found trying to   increase time for this plank variation to be challenging!

What is your most memorable success with a client?

When I worked with Adapted Fitness, I worked with an individual who suffered an accident years before and lost most motor and speech skills. Over the course of the semester, we made progress on multiple movements. It was crazy to think of how far she came, and to see her smile when we had a good day of training. It’s never easy overcoming a change so extreme in life, but to see people feel good about making progress no matter how big or small will always stay with me.