Where are you from and what brought you to San Diego?
I was originally born and raised in Rochester, New York, and went to school in Pittsburgh. After school, Qualcomm brought me out to the west coast to interview. I wasn’t really intending to move here until I landed and walked across that skywalk at the San Diego airport and saw the palm trees and harbor in January.

What are you most looking forward to about coaching at Performance360?
There’s no doubt that it’s being part of the community and being in a position in which I can influence people’s relationship with health and fitness. Coaching technique is great and I truly enjoy it, but none of it matters unless you’re having fun in the gym.

What do you hope to accomplish with your coaching?
My fitness journey has been so long and has had so many ups and and downs, but I literally get excited every single time I walk into the gym, whether I’m coaching, working out, or just dropping in to chat with someone. I want everyone in my classes to feel that excitement, to share it, and to leave thinking that their hour at the gym was the best hour of their day.

What should people expect with your coaching style?
I’m probably going to be loud, talkative, and tell a lot of jokes that fall flat. I’ll probably try to high five you when you don’t want a high five. I want people to smile and laugh in class, even if it’s at my expense. My dream is to be a bunch of friends just hanging out and exercising. It’s way more fun that way and I truly believe that having fun with your friends is when you put in the most focused, hard, and productive work. It’s when all the good stuff happens!

I’ve been doing Olympic Weightlifting since seventh grade and coaching for 9+ years, so I’m a bit of a technician. I’m definitely not scared to tell you to take weight off the bar, and don’t take it personally if it happens to you. I’m kind of a stickler for movement standards and quality over quantity.

What are your personal philosophies with fitness and nutrition?
Oh boy, this has changed a lot over time. Right now, I’m a big believer in picking a “perceived exertion level” and sticking with that through an entire class. What does that mean? I really like to go about 80-85% effort level and stay there. My long term goal is to increase my output at 85% exertion.

Moving with a barbell has and always will be an essential part of my life. At 32, I’m realizing that in order to lift for a long time I need to have top notch movement patterns. This means focusing a lot more on the minutiae of the exercises as opposed to load.

Nutrition wise, it’s pretty basic. Meat, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds. Sound familiar?

What local food are you crushing and what are you ordering?
Pizza port. Are there any other places to eat around here?

What’s a fun fact about yourself people would be surprised to learn?
I have a B.S. in Computer Science and a Masters Degree in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. I’m a total computer nerd and an introvert at heart.