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
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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Alicia Alvarenga
Role: Chiropractor
Education: Doctor of Chiropractic, Life Chiropractic College West
Certifications:
Precision Nutrition, Level 1
YogaFit, Level 2
Specialties: My specialty is restoring functional movement and brain-body integration via chiropractic care for improved health and performance outcomes. I specialize in diversified and Thompson drop-table adjusting techniques, as well as light or no-force adjusting via Activator Methods and sacro-occipital technique.
Experience: I trained as a competitive ballroom dancer in New York City for 15 years and worked as a personal trainer at Equinox Fitness in New York for seven years before moving to California to pursue chiropractic. I graduated from Life Chiropractic College West in 2016 as the valedictorian of my class and the recipient of the Clinical Excellence Award.
Why Chiropractic: I am a chiropractor because I believe in the body’s innate ability to heal and to grow into its optimal performance capacity. The body is designed to perceive, to integrate and to adapt to every force in its environment – be it physical, chemical or mental. Subluxations are stuck forces in the body that limit its ability to adapt, which restricts its potential for optimal health and performance. Chiropractic care applies corrective forces to the body to disrupt subluxations and to restore movement. As we say in the health and fitness industry, movement is life.
Why Body Mechanix: I work at Body Mechanix because, within its walls, I found a family of professionals dedicated to their craft, their clients and their community. Body Mechanix coaches us not only to strive to learn and to share the best information available, but also to have a heart for serving and giving to the people who walk in the door and inevitably join the family. -
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Brandon Cordova.
Role: Personal trainer
Certifications:
Certified Personal Trainer, National Academy of Sports Medicine
CPR
Specialties:
Street Dance (Breaking)
Tae Kwon Do
Experience: 3 years on break dancing, 5 years on Tae Kwon Do and 1 year as personal trainer
Why Personal Training: I am a personal trainer because I like to help my clients to achieve their goals weather is front loosing weight, gaining weight or even just to feel better, I believe that your body is able to do more than you can think, all you need is to be consistent and have the right people to help you trough the process
Why Body Mechanix: if you are looking for a nice, clean and friendly place to workout and achieve your goals, then you are in the right place, everyone in here is really friendly and treats everyone else as family
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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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Alexis Rivera.
Role: Fitness Coach
Education: NASM
Certifications: NASM Certified Personal Trainer, CPR/AED.
Specialties: Strength, Hypertrophy, Corrective
Experience: Trainer at Body Mechanix since 2021. Training since 2017.
Why Personal Training: Personal Training allows me to focus on your specific needs and get you to your goals in a fast and safe way.
Why Body Mechanix: We are more than just a gym, the moment you walk in you are treated like you’ve been here for years. Everyone is always happy to help with whatever you need.
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Dom Gomez
Meet Dom Gomez, the CEO and owner of Elevate Mobile Physical Therapy. A recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh's Doctor of Physical Therapy program, Dom is a skilled physical therapist with a passion for helping others.
With a special interest in treating Olympic weightlifters, Dom is dedicated to improving the lives of his patients through personalized care and treatment plans. As a specialist in this area, he is uniquely qualified to help his patients not only recover from injuries, but also reach the next level of performance. Using his strong background in anatomy and functional movement, he is skilled at identifying areas for improvement and developing targeted strategies to help his patients achieve their goals.
In addition to his clinical expertise, Dom is committed to staying up to date on the latest research and techniques in the field. This ensures that his patients receive the most effective care possible and allows him to provide valuable guidance to help his patients reach their full potential.
In his spare time, Dom enjoys staying active and participating in Olympic weightlifting himself. He is excited to bring his knowledge and experience to his patients at Body Mechanix Fitness and help them achieve their goals.
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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.