Team
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Margaret Sohm
Role: Personal trainer
Education:
Bachelor of Arts, California State University, East Bay
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, California State University, East Bay
Certifications:
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Self-Myofascial Release, Body Mechanix University
Corrective Exercise Specialist, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Certified Functional Strength Coach, Level 1, Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning
Qualified Group Trainer, TRX
Senior Fitness Specialist, NASM
Women’s Fitness Specialist, NASM
Specialties:
Functional strength training
Injury rehabilitation
Group training
Experience: I have served as a personal trainer and group instructor at Body Mechanix since 2013.
Why Personal Training: Like many people, I struggled with being overweight for my entire life despite trying various diets and workout programs. Although I was able to lose weight, I always regained it because I fell into my old, unhealthy habits.
After I gained an excessive amount of weight, my son, who was a high school varsity athlete, dragged me to the gym. It was time to make major lifestyle changes to improve my health. By consistently exercising and making healthy nutritional choices, I was able to lose over 75 pounds, to build lean muscle mass, and to become a well-conditioned athlete. Now I am in the best shape of my life and continue to embrace and to practice a healthy lifestyle.
During this transformation, I also discovered my passion: fitness. I decided to become a personal trainer to share my passion and knowledge with others so that they could achieve their fitness goals and could improve their quality of life. I am excited to be in a position in which I can help others to learn how to be healthy and to enjoy life to its fullest.
Why Body Mechanix: I choose to train at Body Mechanix because I love the supportive community atmosphere created by and for the trainers, clients and members. Body Mechanix values continuing education, and the collaborative learning environment helps me to improve my training and coaching skills constantly in order to provide an excellent program tailored to my clients’ individual needs.
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Robert Gomez
Role: Personal trainer
Education:
National Personal Training Institute
National Academy of Sports Medicine
Certifications:
Complete Personal Training, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Corrective Exercise Specialist, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Group Personal Training, National Academy of Sports Medicine
TRX specialist, TRX
Specialties:
Program design
Athletic conditioning
Weight loss
Strength and endurance training
Proper movement patterns
Experience: With 18 years of fitness experience, I have worked my way from manning the front desk at a corporate gym, to running a staff of fitness professionals, to becoming a fun and motivating personal trainer.
The National Personal Training Institute program included 100 hours of basic nutrition, 200 hours of practical application of personal training, and 100 hours of anatomy and physiology.
Why Personal Training: I am a personal trainer because of my passion for helping people. The excitement of seeing clients touch their toes for the first time in years, the drive they display while pushing toward a goal, and the knowledge to help them with injuries make personal training amazing. Overcoming obstacles, creating new goals and constantly pushing forward make personal training fun. If you put in the effort, the results will follow. By learning something new in each workout and progressing properly, we get better.
Why Body Mechanix: I train at Body Mechanix because our fitness community is strong. We work out, learn and grow as a team. Regardless of whether we work with members or clients directly, we still know everyone’s names in the community. That is what makes Body Mechanix special.
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Marlon Gomez-Abarca
Role: Personal trainer, Co-owner
Education: National Academy of Sports Medicine
Certifications:
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Nutrition Specialist, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Corrective Exercise Specialist, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Coach, Level I, USA Weightlifting
Coach, Level I and II, Spartan Training
Certified Functional Strength Coach, Level I, Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning
Qualified Group Trainer, TRX
International Fitness Professionals Association
Specialties:
Weight loss
Muscle gain
Injury prevention
Mobility
Post-rehabilitation
Flexibility
Functional training
Kettlebells
Bulgarian bags
Human movement
Experience: I have an extensive background in the fitness industry, which includes formal training in the U.S. Marine Corps. For over 17 years, I have helped others with their fitness goals, including injury rehabilitation and pre-habilitation.
Why Personal Training: I am a personal trainer because I love to inspire people. Everyone deserves the best in life. One of the ways to accomplish this is by getting the best out of your body. My job is to get the most out of all my clients, to paint a vision for their bodies, and to help them to achieve that vision. Everyone has a glass ceiling. My job is to break it.
Why Body Mechanix: I train at Body Mechanix because it is the place where I can concentrate on serving my clients. Education is a driver in our work culture, which trainer bio template makes everyone around me better. If you want to be the best, you have to play with the best.
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Awa Thiam
Role: Personal trainer, Fascial Stretch Therapist, Group Instructor
Education: Bachelor of Science, Management, Finance Concentration, Cum LaudeColumbia University Executive Education Program, Black Leaders in Finance
Certifications:Fascial Stretch Therapist, Level II
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Madd Dogg Spin Instructor
Certified Functional Strength Coach, Level I, Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning
Qualified Group Trainer, TRX
Specialties:
Lifestyle Change
Self-Myofascial Release
Assisted / Non-Assisted Stretch
Weight loss
Muscle gain
Functional training
Kettlebells
Bulgarian bags
Experience: I have spent 20+ years coaching, developing and leading individuals and teams to reach their highest capabilities in the corporate sector. In 2014, I I embarked on my personal fitness journey which eventually led me to learning all I could in fitness and health and wanting to share that knowledge with others. I have served in various capacities at Body Mechanix for the last decade including Location Owner – Uptown Oakland location, Events Coordinator, and Hip Hop Spin Instructor.
Why Personal Training: I love to inspire people and am grateful to have been given the opportunity to combine my natural gift of connecting with people and spreading positive energy vibrations in the forms of health and wellness and laughter. I enjoy working to help people live brighter, positive, pain free lives. It is very fulfilling to inspire even the smallest change in food choices, meal planning, workout consistency, breathing patterns. It is most inspirational when the people you work with evolve so much that they themselves start to change others.
Why Body Mechanix: I train at Body Mechanix because I am able to impact my community and inspiring, developing, and creating a positive space for people is what I was put on this earth to do. Within the last three years, this has evolved the include the work I do with the fascia which I am even more passionate about each day. These are the fulfilling reasons why I personal train at Body Mechanix. It is a culture I wish to carry, and hope everyone can experience it. -
Armando Fonseca
Role:Personal Trainer/Fitness Coach
Education: Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology: Exercise and Movement science, San Francisco State University
Certification: NASM CPT
Specialties: weight loss, conditioning, mobility and therapeutic/rehab exercise
Experience: I grew up around a training great named Marlon Gomez my entire life, so fitness and exercise in my blood. The Fitness/Kinesiology field is my passion I played baseball and basketball in middle school and high school, developing a fascination with how the body operates. I had the goal to become a physical therapist, but through internships and experience at the university I worked with all kinds of patients and clients. One of my fondest memories was working with children with disabilities in the city furthering my knowledge of how the body works and how to help it.
Why Personal Training: There’s no better satisfaction than when someone comes up to you and says you made a difference in their life, while studying for my degree the most gratifying experiences were working with individuals whether injured, disabled,etc and helping make their day. Fitness has been great to me and I hope to reach people, to show them how great fitness is.
Throughout various points in my teens especially from 16-20 I was lifting but it didn’t become a passion until I was 22 coming back after a break started from injury. Working out is a necessity in life and a celebration of what the body can do, it took me years to break the belief of physical activity as punishment because working out is the greatest feeling in the world.
Why Body Mechanix: I grew up going to the gym, mostly the kids club in the younger years but I’ve been around this gym be it in San Leandro or Castro Valley for 7 years. Body Mechanix is family the crew in Castro Valley is family, it was here I found the passion for fitness. I was here when we struggled and was here when we rose the camaraderie never changed, glad to be part of the Body Mechanix family
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Neil de Quant
Dr. Neil de Quant received his Doctorate of Chiropractic from Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward, CA where he graduated with Magna Cum Laude Honors. Dr Neil was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. For his undergraduate degree he attended The University of San Francisco where he received his Bachelors of Science degree in Kinesiology with Cum Laude Honors. Being an athlete growing up he experienced the physical tolls that lifestyle can have on you. Thankfully he was always under chiropractic care since he was a young boy and absolutely marveled at how his body responded to such care. Dr. Neil soon realized that the key to chiropractic care was getting to the root cause and addressing the issues from there. Not simply masking the symptoms and moving on from there. Since then, Dr. Neil has always had a fascination with the human body and what it is capable of. Dr. Neil believes that there is an untapped potential we all have inside of us and he believes with the proper care and work we all can tap into this God given innate ability of ours. Addressing the root cause of a given issue is what makes chiropractic a powerful option on the road to health and wellness.
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Olivia Martin.
Hi, I’m Olivia Martin! I’m a strength and conditioning coach at the Castro Valley location of Body Mechanics. My journey here started as a client—I absolutely fell in love with the process, got inspired by my personal trainer, and decided to become a trainer myself.
What I love most is getting stronger and helping others do the same. My specialties are strength training, with a strong focus on balancing mobility and flexibility. I’ve helped clients rehab from runner’s injuries and work hard to prevent new ones, whether they’re strength-related or running-related.
I’m also a Built Well for Birth certified trainer, so if you have any prenatal or postnatal needs, I’ve got you covered. Not so fun fact: a lot of people don’t realize that pelvic floor issues can show up even years after giving birth, which can lead to lower back pain. So, ladies—if you’ve had a baby and feel like you’ve never fully regained control of your abs, and it’s affecting your back, I’d love to help you get back on track.
My goal is to support people at all stages of their fitness journey, making sure they feel safe and confident as they work toward their goals. If you’re interested in a free introductory personal training or group session, feel free to reach out! You can text me or call me at 707-499-7532.
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Ronda Heath.
Role: Personal Trainer, Small Group, & Class Instructor
Education:
Bachelor of Liberal Art, California State University, East Bay
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, California State University, East Bay
Masters Degree in Leadership, Saint Mary's College of California
Certification:
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
Specialties:
Strength training
Endurance training
Group training
Proper form & movement for injury prevention
Mobility
Experience:
I have been living the fitness lifestyle since 2000.
I have been a personal trainer at Body Mechanix since 2021.
Why Personal Training:
I chose to become a personal trainer because I know from my personal experiences with exercise and healthy living that it has direct effect on my mental and physical health. Exercise is a positive way to release stress from your mind and body. As people age, they need to continue strength training and conditioning of their bodies for bone strength and mobility.
Why Body Mechanix:
Before becoming a personal trainer, I was a client at Body Mechanix for 3 years. I chose to be trainer at Body Mechanix because of the since of community it brings. All the trainers are dedicated to encouraging each other to become better so that our members receive the best program we can provide.
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