Being a personal trainer in Boulder has been a very an enjoyable experience. Especially since I started working at CheetahFit Personal Training and Massage Center.
I love this gym because everyone who works out there knows what they are doing all the way from master trainers to the newest clients who are just getting into lifting weights and getting in shape. Most gyms in town, and around the world, simply open a space, fill it with equipment and start to sell memberships. At CheetahFit we offer personalized training, which means that you have a personal trainer who you can work with one on one who also draws workouts for you to do on your own. We always make sure you are doing the right exercises and we make sure that you are doing them correctly.
THE TYPE OF PERSONAL TRAINING I OFFER
The work that I do is somewhat special. I focus on Foundation Based Personal Training, which helps people correct their posture and movement patterns while they also increase their strength, flexibility and physical abilities. As far as I know, most personal trainers today are still following the old approach to personal training which is based on having people do a bunch of exercises without paying much attention to proper form and alignment. This is what eventually leads people to plateau on their training, or even worse, get injured and be forced to stop training completely.
Today’s fitness world is heavily influenced by fitness magazines and pop trainers who give a deceiving image of what health and fitness is really about. Their focus is on outer image and not on systemic health and proper function. Hand to hand with that, we find personal trainers who focus on weight and reps, to the detriment of proper form and body-mind connections across the muscular system. I know this because I went through it. I trained for many years with unsuitable approaches and for the longest time I did my body more harm than good.
Eventually, my body began to break down. I started to feel pain through my body, especially on my back but also on my knees, hips, neck and shoulders. I tried getting help from Chiropractors and Physical Therapists but they didn’t do much more than having me come in for adjustments and simplistic exercises that could not be applied to my daily life. It really felt like I was wasting my time, money and health. That is when I decided to take a different approach and give yoga a chance. I bought a couple of cheap monthly packages and went to as many classes as I could and guess what… I SUCKED! My body was a wreck, I couldn’t fold forward, I couldn’t arch back, and forget about touching my toes, I was lucky to reach my knees.
I will brag by saying that I was smart enough to take the safe route into yoga and instead of going to the super-fast heated classes at CorePower Yoga I opted for the more restorative and therapeutic options, and some gentle flows with strong emphasis in proper alignment. The benefits of practicing yoga, and my love for the practice lead me to sign up for a yoga teacher training, and then another one, and another one…
I also chose to study Foundation Training, an exercises program that focuses on teaching and practicing proper spinal alignment, hip and core stability, proper movement patterns and integration of muscle chains. I loved Foundation Training so much (because it benefited me immediately and in amazing ways) that I ended up attending a dozen certifications and working with the Foundation Training family for three years… All this education allowed me to understand the intricate workings of the human muscular-skeletal system and how to properly train the body with breath and movement without causing injuries over the long run.
A few years later I delved myself into the world of massage and bodywork, completing 1,000 hours of education in more than 15 different disciplines that support health and wellness including most types of massage (Swedish, deep tissue, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, etc), bodywork, nutrition, emotional healing techniques and medical qigong. I ended up graduating in record time with degrees in Holistic Health Practice and Medical QiGong Therapy.
All this experience and education gave me the preparation, skills and confidence to train people across the scale, from professional athletes to post-surgery patients. It is my multi-disciplinary approach that sets me apart from most personal trainers. My programs do not focus solely on lifting weights and sweating but understanding the workings of each client’s body, correcting imbalances and strengthening weak points in their chains while building strength and flexibility systemically across the body. The training I have receive to understand the human system also allows me to coach clients through the ups and downs of the training process, weather it is nutritional, emotional or mental, I am able to support them so that they can stay healthy, happy and in good shape.
I moved to Boulder because I wanted to live closer to my family and live in a place that resembles my home town (Bariloche, Argentina). This decision has proved to be exactly what I wanted and I will never regret it. Boulder is the perfect place for me, beautiful weather all year long, beautiful people, healthy businesses, high-tech and startup companies, tons of hikes, bike routes, skying and snowboarding and professional athletes that are eager to trainer and get better at what they do. I hope I will stay in Boulder for many more years, offering my personal training and massage therapy services to all those who want to feel better.