America's 100 best Trainers
Our second annual guide to the most accomplished, innovative, and effective certified trainers in the country -- every one them currently accepting new clients
EAST
BEST OF THE BEST
Scott Berlinger
One of NYC's hottest trainers, he's used to guys coming to him with fitness goals like "look good in new $3,000 suit" and "impress model girlfriend." Funny how quickly that changes to "win age group in upcoming triathlon," but the cross-training guru and coach of numerous Ironmen has that effect on people. Berlinger's Swimmer's Lat Pull on page 97 is a perfect example. Although it'll help anyone strengthen his abs and back, you may find it gives you the itch to aim a little higher. (Full Throttle Fitness, 646-996-5593)
BOSTON
Michael Boyle Elite Conditioning (Winchester, MA) His sport-specific drills have quickened the likes of the world's No. 2ranked racquetball player. 781-729-1333
Keith Colby The Sports Club/LA Known as an information hound who's always up on the latest and best.
617-375-3560 x8939
Anthony DiLuglio Punch! Gym (Providence, RI) Founder of this U.S. home base for kettle bells, the original Russian functional training tool. 401-996-7474
John Furey Fitcorp 2:25 marathoner mentors all of this respected Boston chain's new trainers. 617-262-2050
Roberta Lenard Lenard Fitness (Cambridge, MA)
Masters physiologist focuses on strengthening the muscles around the joints. 617-666-1196
Michael Wood Apres Health & Fitness (Norwell, MA) Known as Beantown's speed professor. 508-369-5430
NEW YORK CITY
Clay Burwell Crunch Former 82nd Airborne paratrooper will zero in on your weakness and hammer at it until it's a strength. 212-475-2018
Mike Gostigian Olympian Fitness Olympic
pentathlete trains all the big stars when they're filming in NY; get him to show you his cool Central Park workout. 212-560-7114
Gary Guerriero U.S. Athletic Training Center His state-of-the-art facility draws nearly every major sports team in the Big Apple. 212-355-8440
David Kirsch Madison Square Club Runs a serious gym that just happens to attract supermodels. 212-683-1836
Pat Manocchia La Palestra Doctors, a shrink, PT, and nutritionist all help him craft your plan. 212-799-8900
PHILADELPHIA
Jim Hart 12th Street Gym So serious about syncing your diet and fitness he goes grocery shopping with you. 215-546-1854
Steve Maxwell Steve Maxwell Strength & Conditioning Moscow on the Schuykill's kettle bell czar. 215-928-1374
Roger Schwab Main Line Health & Fitness (Bryn Mawr, PA) An icon who was a strength coach under Joe Paterno. 610-527-2200
PITTSBURGH
Ellie Calgaro Island Sports Center Former assistant Georgia Tech strength coach is known as someone who "goes the extra mile" with rehab patients. 412-391-5227
Robert Fitzpatrick The Rivers Club Splits time
between recreational marathoners, triathletes, and the Steelers. 412-609-1069
Tammy Lowrey-Ridgley Three Rivers Fitness & Sports Medicine Center Puts her injury-prevention smarts to the test as a linebacker in the National Women's Football Association. 412-621-8380
Gary Wateska Independent Is happy to bring his innovative strength and speed/agility workouts right to your house. 412-799-0508
WASHINGTON, DC
Yaz Boyum Definitions Her ripped bodybuilder physique belies a weakness
for balls and bands in addition to iron. 202-424-1050
Jason Hadeed Elite Athlete Training Systems (Rockville, MD) Former strength coach for the Ravens, Redskins, and the U.S. Olympic bobsled team. 301-972-0558
John Philbin Philbin's Family Fitness & Athletic Training Center (Gaithersburg, MD) Ex-'Skins strength coach now helps spreadsheet tacklers make weight. 301-527-0500
Jonathan Ross Aion Fitness/Sport Fit (Bowie, MD) Ross IDs your goal and gets big results, fast, with his hyperpersonalized functional plans. 301-367-6843
Roger Yasin Independent (Arlington, VA) Superb posture, rehab, and endurance training -- and you get his sleek home studio all to yourself. 703-200-3600
SOUTH
ATLANTA
Scott Hilburn The Forum Specializes in functional strength and endurance with an emphasis on triathlons. 678-904-1940
Andrew Johnston Independent Former competitive cyclist and Ironman is great for sport-specific endurance training. 404-431-2287
Erica Miller Independent Volleyball coach offers
good mix of traditional and dynamic balance work. 404-454-8373
Paul Rodgers IQ Fitness Intense assessments kick off sophisticated muscular balance work.
404-869-8003
Brett Stanley Concourse Athletic Club Uses a
holistic approach that treats all clients like jocks.
770-698-2076
Todd Townes Core Golf Fitness His core
work can take many strokes off your handicap.
678-467-0540
MIAMI
John Hanrahan Equinox Fitness Club Former top NCAA wrestler creates custom plans for Everest ascents -- or the beach. 305-673-1172
Dodd Romero Bod by Dodd Miami cool meets cutting-edge workouts in this trainer of A-Rod and Lenny Kravitz. 305-740-7772
Paul Ray Island Fitness (Surfside/Bal Harbour, FL) Strict attention to form is a carry-over from his noted rehab work. 305-993-4111
SOUTHWEST
BEST OF THE BEST
Mark Verstegen
There are abs, and then there are the abs that pros like Marshall Faulk pay megabucks for and even average guys spend $2,110 to whip into shape. Those are the kind of abs produced at his spectacular facility -- and the kind you'll build with the funky Pillar Bridge. "When you build pillar strength," he says, " you're building strength, agility, speed in everything you do." You're also getting a pretty sweet set of abs. (Athletes' Performance, Tempe, Arizona, 480-449-9000)
DALLAS
Everett Aaberg Telos Performance Center Knowledgeable founder of this swanky gym with an outdoor pool still finds plenty of time for clients. 972-386-2582
Kurt Chacon The Studio An expert on holistic wellness, weight loss, and golfers. 214-533-2634
Michael Dawdy Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center Splits time between private clients and Baylor's marathon team. 469-441-2311
Jason Harnden Larry North Fitness Among the satisfied customers of his 8-10 week resistance cycles are a number of NHL and PGA pros. 214-526-6784
Cecil Hightower Telos Performance Center The director of training at Aaberg's gym is what you'd call a biomechanical savant. 972-386-2582
Corbin A. Lawson Premier Athletic Club Starts off clients with a novel "movement test" that greatly speeds
results. 972-6648-2836
Kurt Pitman Power Play Fitness, Performance Playground This ex-kickboxer will knock you out with his multiplane
supersets. 469-585-0621
HOUSTON
Dinah Anderson DinahOMite Training Draws on both her bodybuilding past and masters track-and-field-champ present. 713-621-9411
Roger Applewhite Fit Athletic Club A fitness vet who's as avid about nutrition as he is about functional training. 832-654-9481.
Bob Talamin i The Houstonian Designs dead-on drills for adventure athletes. 281-279-5144.
David Taylor The Fitness Company However long your supposed DL stint, he can likely shorten it. 713-784-4032
Eric Vaughn The Houstonian Works with all levels of athletes, including the Astros' Craig Biggio. 713-318-9236
PHOENIX
Eric Bell NewBody Personal Training Molds new-
school exercises out of weights and old-school calisthenics. 602-703-9007
Cliff Bosley One-on-One Fitness (Scottsdale, AZ) Armed services veteran offers brutal you're-in-the-army-now rope-pull and bear-crawl supersets. 480-993-4163
J.R. Rosania Healthplex Ex-Suns strength coach -- and a finisher of 12 Ironmans in his own right -- runs the sports-specific gamut. 602-295-0652
Dean Shallberg Sports Club at City Square Uses sports-specific drills on everyone from prep athletes to a 92-year-old. 602-321-8984
MIDWEST
CHICAGO
Mark Cibrario Trainers Club (Northbrook, IL) Chicago's balls and bands guru. 847-562-1611
Christine "CC" Cunningham PerformEnhance (Evanston, IL) Designs custom programs for your next kayaking, climbing, or heliskiing trip. 847-733-9066
Tim Day Independent Starts with "corrective strategy" to get neuromuscular connections down before adding brawn. 312-377-4170
Clint Phillips FitChicago.com This fitness drill sergeant keeps you sweating bullets with balls, boxing, and traditional weights. 312-371-6107
Michael Sena Fitness One on One Excellent at crafting doable programs for busy guys that they can take with them on the road. 312-965-4506
Michael Sokol One-on-One Fitness Former tax attorney really knows the fitness and diet needs of the 60-hour-workweek set 312-642-4235
CLEVELAND
John Black Black's Health World An ordained
minister whose specialty, oddly enough, is powerlifting. 216-252-1695
John Henry Creel Mind & Body Fitness (Beachwood, OH) His motto (and the name of his upcoming video) is "Muscle Rules," but he also does yoga and Pilates. 216-464-6117
Ed and Frank King Kings Gym (Bedford Heights, OH) The brothers known as Cleveland's muscle Kings reign over one of the country's last true great iron pits.
440-439-5464
Matt Terlop Kings Gym Ed and Frank's disciple holds brutal eight-week boot camps at said pit. 440-439-5464
DENVER
Dave Fujii Independent (Greenwood Village, CO) Certified sports nutritionist/ex-bodybuilder is also a winner at getting you ready for your sports season. 303-548-5670
Ray Khan Kickfit Athletics Center Mixes weights, boxing, fencing, spinning and jeet kune oo and Indonesian silat.
720-363-2379
Wendy McClure Body Dynamics (Boulder, CO) Uses functional training to tune up skiers and snowboarders. 303-944-8463
Heath Perry Athletic Club at Denver Place An adventure racer great at twinning your fitness and diet needs. 720-274-4357
Peter Seamans 1 Boulder Fitness (Boulder, CO) A bodybuilder who pairs the typical iron with his own high-octane "Turbo Vinyasa" yoga 303-819-1792
DETROIT
Edwin "Skip" Bunton Body Specs (Wyandotte, MI) A good sports-specific man with a strong background in PT. 734-260-3561
Kirk Vickers Triad Health & Fitness (Farmington Hills, MI) The former Red Wings trainer is Motown's go-to post-injury guy. 248-615-1652
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
Joe Angelina Minneapolis Life Time Athletic Club Among those pushing the ball- and board-based envelope. 612-752-7000
Nyantu Bolo Essentials4Fitness Specializes in that lean, cut look. 612-623-4440
Lonna Mosow Lonna Mosow's Center for Mind Body Fitness (Eden Prairie, MN) The Twin Cities' first lady of fitness uses a tough cardio- and Pilates-
centric approach. 952-941-9448
Snype Myers The Firm/Los Campeones This
results-oriented guru runs his boot camplike sessions with stopwatch in hand. 651-253-2039
Jim Yungner The Gym (Plymouth, MN) He and his gym are classic chalk-dusted throwbacks. 763-553-0171
ST. LOUIS
Forrest Boston 8300exercise.com Fitness brainiac
focuses on building exactly the right ratio of slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers. 314-432-2639
Michael Jaudes The Fitness Edge Known for his attention to diet as well as highly motivating sports performance camps. 314-993-3343
Tom Nuzum TheraPlus About as highly trained an
injury-prevention expert as you'll find. 314-821-8304
Joe Olivastro 8300 Exercise 25-year training
vet takes on the hardest medically supervised cases.
314-432-2639
Reiko Sherman Reiko One-on-One Fitness Administers one-on-one Pilates sessions to augment his aggressive strength work. 314-725-6748
WEST
BEST OF THE BEST
Gunnar Peterson
He's got plenty of clients (Ben Affleck, Scott Foley, just to name two who have married Jennifer Garner) used to the L.A. star treatment, but before he takes them on, "I've got to feel they're going to be into it," Peterson says. Because he most definitely is. He's so into it, in fact, that, specially for you, he devised the core-, chest-, and triceps-whacking Fly/Dynamite Press that fits seamlessly into the homestretch of our circuit. Eat your heart out, Ben. (310-888-0009)
BEST OF THE BEST
Paul Chek
There's one advantage to working out with Paul Chek -- the famously thorough guru to Laird Hamilton and X Games phenom Shaun White -- through our pages as opposed to in person: four fewer hours of assessment tests. But you aren't completely off the hook. Note how closely he has you monitoring your form on the Dumbbell Lunge-Press as your body gets the hang of the exercise -- and has you adjusting as required. (C.H.E.K Institute, Vista, California, 800-552-8789)
LOS ANGELES
Teddy Bass Independent Hits you with free weights, balls, boards, Pilates -- anything to fight the dreaded gym blahs. 323-449-0445
Tanja Djelevic Loud Fitness A top sports psychologist/trainer who mixes Pilates, kickboxing, weights, and stress management. 310-995-2150
Greg Isaacs Fit for Films This triathlete and the trainer of Pierce Brosnan is famed for his killer hybrid weights/cardio/yoga workout. 310-476-9200
Gregory Joujon-Roche Holistic Fitness Founder of the company that trained Brad Pitt for Troy and Tobey Maguire for Spider-Man. 323-969-8135
Yumi Lee Independent A Reebok University master trainer who blasted gold-medal swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg's core. 323-864-4041
Ron Mathews Independent Developed his own highly regarded system of intense functional circuits.
310-963-1481
SAN DIEGO
Todd Durkin Fitness Quest 10 The American Council on Exercise's trainer of the year. 858-271-1171
Pete Koutrouba Frog's Club One Specializes in making functional tweaks to exercises from his bodybuilding days. 858-674-4480
Chris Maund The C.H.E.K Studio (Encinitas, CA) This ex-British National triathlete is one of Paul Chek's (see above) sports and rehab right-hand men. 760-753-2334
SAN FRANCISCO
Jim Karanas Club One Known for his high-performance 10-week cross-training program. 415-477-3000
Callum Keith-King Independent Years of working with battered and bloodied NHL stars led to a specialty in post-rehab. 415-724-0867
Kim Ligman PacWest Athletics This Xterra off-road triathlete gets Bay Area bods ripped with her brutal eight-week outdoor boot camps. 650-333-2694
Ron Martin The Sports Club/LA Just completely dedicated to making fitness a permanent part of your life. 415-633-3900
Billy Polson Diakadi Body Boils Olympic lifting, endurance, and stretching into fun, varied routines. 415-863-4922
Ashley Selman Evolution Trainers NCAA javelin champ who later trained Jackie Joyner-Kersee. 650-533-5088
SEATTLE
Jason Anderson Seattle Athletic Club Leads popular and productive training campstyle classes. 206-443-1111
Joe DeShaw Zum His "Hard Core" class uses a mix of low- and high-intensity to get you strong and aligned. 206-443-3933
Christy Peterson Pro Sports Club An exhaustively trained and gifted post-rehab specialist. 206-332-1873
Tim Sinnett MYDHARMA Fitness Blends philosophical attitude with martial arts, cardio, and hard-core strength. 206-618-7867
Debbie Smith Bellevue Club (Bellevue, WA) This Ironman [sic] mixes in yoga to prep you for your next event. 425-688-3163
