Allie Andrews

Ballston

Allie is a certified personal trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Years of long distance cross country and track running in high school and college sparked her initial interest in the health and wellness field. She graduated from James Madison University with a degree in Kinesiology and minor in coaching education. But it wasn’t until she began working in the weight room with all types of athletes and started resistance training more, that she found a passion for helping others. She loves motivating people to put in the work at the gym, to then watch that hard work transfer onto the field in their performances.

Allie believes that fitness is ever-changing- there should be no end goal! It’s a journey, not a destination. We should be constantly pushing the envelope and exceeding our goals. A healthy balance of exercise and nutrition will allow you to reach and maintain any goal, without sacrificing life’s best moments!

Blake Jones

Ballston

Blake is a Father, Marine Corps Veteran, and NPC Men’s Physique Competitor. He has worked in the fitness industry for 7 years and began work as a Personal Trainer in 2019. Blake’s goal for his clients is for them to feel confident, educated, and in control of every fitness environment they step into. At his core, Blake is a nerd who enjoys video games and “Batman” as much as he enjoys fitness!

Qualifications:
– Certified Personal Trainer (NCSF)
– Pain Free Performance Specialist (PPSC)
– Nationally Qualified NPC Men’s Physique Competitor

Cristina Pietrowicz

Ballston

Cristina is originally from Moldova, a small country located in Eastern Europe. She is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer.

Cristina’s background is in Freestyle Wrestling. She spent her youth training and competing for the Moldovan National Wrestling Team. Cristina believes fitness enhances nearly every aspect of life and can improve both mental and physical health. Cristina enjoys hiking, traveling, and spending time with her two energetic children.

Jessica Abboud

Ballston

Jessica is an American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) certified Personal Trainer. She grew up as a swimmer and has a background in strength and conditioning and is DV8 Kettlebell Teaching Certified. She focuses her training on endurance and functional fitness as well. She has experience training clients of different ages and experience levels.

Jessica enjoys hiking and running in her free time. A future certification she will be receiving is the ACSM CIFT (Certified Inclusive Fitness Trainer) Certification because she believes that inclusivity is non-negotiable in her training practices.

Jonas Price

Ballston

Jonas Price is a certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). He has been an athlete all his life, having played football, basketball, and lacrosse. Most recently, Jonas played collegiate football at the University of South Carolina, where his interest in athletic performance training and body building intensified. He believes in using a variety of training methods to help his clients achieve their personal fitness goals. Jonas’s goal is not only to improve his clients physical health, but also educate them so that their progress in the gym translates into their everyday movements.”

Jovon Mallard

Ballston

Jovon is a certified personal trainer with National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF), Functional Movement Screen Professional level 1, and certified in TRX suspension training. He has 25 years in athletic training in addition to his fitness training and earned a B.S in Sports Management with a minor in Psychology from Coppin State University in Baltimore MD. His passion for mental and physical health derives from years of playing competitive sports such as D2 Tennis, Boxing, Football, basketball, and baseball. As a Personal Trainer, he is passionate about his client’s overall success. He believes in the benefits of building a solid foundation with effective and efficient movement, increasing overall functional performance, core stability, flexibility, and stress management. His training style is challenging people to step out of their comfort zone and increasing their mind & body connection for more improved results. He likes to create a safe, motivating, and accountable training environment with S.M.A.R.T goals.

Lisa Ling

Gallery Place/City Vista

Lisa joined the Vida team in 2010 with 4 year of previous personal training experience. Lisa is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and hold a corrective exercise specialization through them as well as an undergraduate degree in Health Science from Marymount University and a masters degree in Forensic Science from the UK. She is certified in TRX, Kinesiology taping, FMS (Functional Movement Screen), Real Ryder and MadDogg. You can find her on the fitness floor or in the spinning studio or TRX studio teaching a class. She is originally from Sweden so if you ever hear a Swedish song in her class, or she references a saying that does not make any sense that is why.

Lisa struggled with her weight while she was younger and got into teaching classes first but it was not until she combined correct weight lifting and spinning, along with healthy eating that she started seeing results. She loves making people laugh and feel good about themselves while having fun. When Lisa is not in the gym she is either seeing friends or family, traveling, selling houses or doing something outdoorsy.

Mark Guzman

VIDA Ballston

Mark is a National Council on Strength and Fitness certified personal trainer. Growing up local in Alexandria, he spent his time playing lacrosse and golf.

Mark brings a high level of energy to the gym and is able to connect with anyone. He helps clients achieve their goals by helping them raise their gym IQ and their levels of self efficacy.

He helps his clients articulate their inner motivators and use them to push them to initiate change, expend their energy in a healthy environment, and to sustain the changes they make to live a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Mark likes to influence how high people set their health goal. You can find him around the gym, hiking or biking. Say what’s up if you see him around.

Natalie Farinas

Ballston

Natalie is a certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). She graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Kinesiology. In addition, Natalie has extensive experience working in the physical therapy setting and through that gained rehabilitation knowledge. She developed her passion for health and wellness at a young age. She started weightlifting in high school which grew her confidence tenfold. Whether your goal is building muscle mass, losing unwanted body fat, or building confidence in the gym, her approach is science-based and focused on you and your goals. Through her rehabilitation experiences, a priority for her will always be reinforcing healthy movement patterns as well as addressing poor posture and muscular imbalances. She helps people get past feeling “stuck” and back on a path of sustainable progress, resulting in small improvements that will turn into large outcomes over time. There’s no one-size fits all approach and her goal is to educate, empower, and support you throughout the process.

Robert Davis

Ballston

Robert is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Federation of Personal Trainers. Robert is originally from Texas and has been an athlete his entire life. After building a foundation rooted in soccer, running, and his military background, he shifted his passion from veterans advocacy to personal training using barbells to build strength, confidence, and teaching people to love their bodies. Robert emphasize a strong focus on coaching and improving healthy movement patterns so his clients will have a foundation wherever their fitness journey takes them.

When Robert isn’t training clients or himself, he spends his time volunteering at an equine therapy and rescue organization in Herndon, traveling, swing dancing, and trying to convince people that building computers and playing Dungeons and Dragons really isn’t that nerdy.

David Cole

City Vista

David Cole is NASM Personal Training Certified with a specialization in strength, conditioning, speed and agility. David is a state champion in Powerlifting, class of 2008, and he is also a former collegiate athlete at East Central University in Oklahoma. At Oklahoma State, David focused his studies in physical therapy. He has a true passion for helping people develop not only their bodies, but their overall quality of life through exercise.
In contrast to his success in weightlifting, his favorite style of fitness is calisthenics training, utilizing body weight.

Derrick Martin

City Vista

Derrick Martin is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist. The personal experience of battling back from obesity and injury has birthed an insatiable curiosity about all things related to sports and nutrition- particularly in the areas of weight loss and injury prevention and recovery. Derrick also excels in training for muscle hypertrophy and strength gains, having trained elite high school football players. One of Derrick’s core principles is, a balanced body acting in concert with a balanced mind can achieve greatness. His training philosophy reflects this by taking a very thoughtful approach to training balancing intuition, common sense along with the latest training research.

Edward Goins

City Vista

Eddie is from San Jose, CA where he spent all his free time in athletic pursuits from organized sports to martial arts, surfing, and BMX trials training. He took up weightlifting as a teenager to get stronger and improve his performance in football and rugby. In college, his love of weight training turned into bodybuilding as his physique developed. His excitement about health and fitness, results in a contagious enthusiasm during every training session. Eddie is an athlete, trainer and vegan, and is passionate about healthy living. He believes a holistic approach to health is the only approach that will guarantee phenomenal and lifelong results.

Erica Ridlon

City Vista

Erica is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, and joined the VIDA team in 2018. Health and fitness have always been central to her life, and she is always looking for new and improved techniques to both challenge herself and incorporate with her clients. She grew up playing various sports and dancing, and over time learned a variety of different training styles and how to blend them to reach her own personal goals. She now uses this knowledge to help her clients achieve their own fitness goals, while always maintaining a focus on correct form and fundamentals.

Erica believes that training should be challenging as well as enjoyable, and is always striving to create dynamic and innovative programs tailored to each client to help them reach their goals. She believes that fitness is a pillar of overall health and helps inspire healthier lifestyle choices. She has a specific focus in core stability and strength training, as well as muscle toning and lean muscle development.

Fernanda Rivera

City Vista

Fernanda was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, where she studied and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Law before moving to Washington, DC. Fernanda has always been athletic, participating in a variety of sports growing up, but ultimately fell in love with rock climbing. For her, climbing has had a great impact on her personal life and professional career, influencing her workouts and proving to her that with enough dedication, anyone is capable of a pull up.

Fernanda is a certified personal trainer with the NSCA, and holds certifications in Spinning, Pink Gloves Boxing, Pilates Reformer, RIP and TRX. Additionally, Fernanda received a Master’s degree in Sports Management from George Washington University, allowing her to develop strategic and innovative thinking around the business side of fitness, along with continuing to develop her knowledge and experience base. She believes in functional training and making sure that the body works properly before loading it with an intense training program. While Fernanda believes mobility is important, she believes that diversity and variety are the spice of life (and training!), and incorporates a diverse range of exercises in her daily sessions. You can expect to see Kettle Bells, rowing, handstands, plyometrics and more in her training and her clients’ training!

Gigi Gupte

City Vista

Gigi is a personal trainer with a background as a mental health professional. As someone who has always had a passion for fitness, from playing tennis and dancing as a child to weightlifting currently, she has been able to tune in to not only the physical benefits of an active lifestyle, but also the mental gains. Her background allows her to emphasize individuality and holism when it comes to her personal training clients. She creates plans that are unique for each client depending on their diverse goals and lifestyles. Gigi incorporates a combination of strength training and HIIT into each session to enhance her client’s fitness level from all angles while helping them reach their goals. Gigi believes in working with the client to create lifelong healthy habits and increased confidence. She loves to make each session fun and empowering! In her free time, Gigi loves socializing and being out with her friends, visiting new restaurants, cooking, and fashion!

Jacqui Beard

Logan Circle

Jacqui has her BS from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She is a Certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise and a Certified Aerobics Instructor from the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. Jacqui first found her love of fitness through belly dancing, she loved it so much that she decided to make fitness and dance her career. She has experienced firsthand the positive effects of a healthy lifestyle and understands the challenges that come with balancing the time for home, work, and fitness. She listens and creates a well balanced workout specifically to fit your needs. With her knowledge, experience, and love of dance she is ready to share her passion and success strategies with you. In addition to personal training Jacqueline teaches both dance and weight based classes such as Zumba(r), VIDA RX, RIP 45, and BARRE.

Kelsey Kuebler

City Vista

Kelsey is from Milltown, New Jersey where she trained competitively in track and field and ballet dance. She took up weight training when she moved to DC and earned a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Personal Training Certification with NSCA. Kelsey takes her background in ballet to focus on form and background in track and field to incorporate HIIT into each session. She provides an educational and fun environment for her private clients as well as partner training and even small groups. Kelsey finds joy in seeing the progress her clients make and the happiness it brings them.
In Kelsey’s spare time, she loves to cook, go to the beach, and travel as often as possible.

Luciane Guilmard

City Vista

Luciane Guilmard has worked at VIDA since January of 2009. Originally from Brazil, she earned her Bachelor’s in Physical Education from the University of South Fatima. She has been working since 1993 in physical education and personal training, both in the U.S. and in Brazil. Luciane became a Les Mills certified RPM and Body Balance instructor in 2002, but her teaching repertoire includes strength training, conditioning, cycling, yoga, aqua-aerobics, pre and post-pregnancy, stretching, and TRX suspension training. She continuously strives to stay current with, and incorporate the newest trends and innovations in fitness.

She is extremely knowledgeable about different body types; whatever your ambitions, fitness level, or age, she will customize a workout to meet your personal goals. She adjusts the training to the needs and desires of each person, from intense to low impact. As someone who loves to push herself to the limit, Luciane knows firsthand what it takes to train to the lifestyle of her dreams. Her workouts can be so intense that you will feel muscles you didn’t even know existed! And make sure you ask about her post-workout stretching; her clients rave about it.

Mike Jones

City Vista

Mike Jones is a results-oriented Personal Trainer who focuses on his clients’ quality of life. He fully embraces a whole-hearted approach to your general well-bing that includes innovative exercise, specific nutritional guidelines, and proper sleep habits.

Mike takes a functional approach to exercise that revolves around the movements you use in your daily life. There are no gimmicks with Mike as he continuously finds fun and innovative ways to increase your overall level of fitness.

In fact, Mike is more than just a personal trainer, he is a life coach. He focuses on the full body during each and every workout with a full array of plyometric exercises including kettlebells and the TRX.

Mike’s clients also do their fair share of traveling, so he also provides full-body workout routines for his clients to do within the privacy of their hotel room while they’re away on the road.

Alexandra Green

Alex is an American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer. Growing up she played soccer and ran track and field, but she didn’t find a true passion for fitness until a little later in her life. She graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in Exercise Science. After college, Alex started weight training more and found a true love for the fitness industry. She loved the new challenges that weight lifting brought and how empowering being strong felt. Now she wants to help others find ways to challenge themselves, stay motivated and feel empowered through their own fitness journeys.

Alex has trained a variety of clients, including: clients transitioning from physical therapy, pre/post natal women, high school athletes and weight loss clients. She loves using a wide variety of movements and exercises to keep her training fun and interesting. Her philosophy is that we aren’t just training for that one event or competition, we are training for life – to live happier and healthier. No matter what your goals are they can be achieved with hard work, motivation and the right guidance.

Alyssa Gonzalez

Gallery Place

While completing her bachelors in Psychology at Florida International University, Alyssa discovered her passion in life through exercise and nutrition. She decided to turn her passion into a career and became a certified personal trainer through NASM and is currently working towards a Masters degree in Nutrition in pursuit to become a Registered Dietician. Alyssa preaches adherence, sustainability, and balance. She believes although there may be optimal routes to achieving a goal, if it isn’t something you can stick with, it isn’t optimal for you. She is truly fascinated by not just the physical changes, but more importantly the mental improvements a life of fitness brings. She has had the opportunity to work with a diverse clientele and is committed to helping others achieve a happier and healthier life.

Amanda Schmidt

Gallery Place

Amanda is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer and VIDA Master Trainer with over a decade of experience. Several years ago, Amanda rebuilt her own life and reclaimed her physical and mental health through a commitment to fitness and movement. After experiencing her own transformation, she decided to dedicate her life to helping others do the same. She believes that working out should be a fun and joyful expression of self-love. Depending on a client’s needs, Amanda brings a wide variety of specialties to her sessions including Strength Training, Women’s Fitness, HIIT, Barre and Yoga. Amanda is also a devoted long-distance runner. When she’s not in the gym, you can find her meditating, hanging out with her rescue dog Gordon and dancing as much as possible.

Brian Kolb

Gallery Place

Brian strives to help clients achieve overall well-being in addition to meeting their individual physical goals. That means every session is focused on strengthening a sound body and mind. He actively listens to clients’ needs, restrictions, and aspirations to ensure they are always getting the attention they deserve and never “just going through the motions.”

Brian received his Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology from Sonoma State University in 2008. He has been a fitness trainer for nine wonderful years. Running through Rock Creek and spending time with his son are his two favorite things to do when he is not training Washingtonians.

Christopher Bryson

Gallery Place

Christopher is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and a lifetime fitness enthusiast. One of Christopher’s main goals is to accelerate your physical fitness transformation so that you do not waste your precious time. To do this, you and Christopher will construct time-efficient programs that are guaranteed to change the composition of your body, increase your cardiovascular health, and affect positive change in your mental energy. While your long-term strategy will be determined by your particular goals and unique history, you and Christopher will train with an emphasis on challenging programming, proper technique, and the incremental progression of your lifts to ensure that you never stagnate. With Christopher, VIDA Fitness will become your new playground where you will encourage your body to adapt to new challenges while turning yourself into a tasty treat in the process. Training with Christopher is self-love at its best.

After working at several clubs in the DMV, Christopher chose VIDA Fitness as his new home because he recognized the unique community that exists here and the highest standards of VIDA’s staff. Prior to pivoting his career towards the fitness industry, Christopher promoted civil society within Iran and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia. In his free time, you can find him making a noble attempt to learn Farsi, nerding out on current events, pursuing additional certifications, and, of course, lifting. Feel free to introduce yourself to him!

Danielle Cunningham

Gallery Place

Danielle is a certified personal trainer with National Academy of Sports Medicine. Helping others has always been a passion of hers since grade school. From ballet rehearsals to gymnastic practices to softball huddles, she was fascinated with physical ability. Suffering from her own injuries, she became extremely interested with anatomy and physiology. Today, Danielle shares the same interest with her clients. Her goal is not only to train herself, but others for longevity. Danielle believes you need a strong work ethic and determination in order to overcome and/or prevent physical limitations. Danielle’s training style is designed to promote strength and conditioning techniques, along-side enjoyment. She loves seeing her clients not only improve but smile while doing it.

Gene Sun

Gallery Place

Gene believes that the cultivation of a strong, capable body is fundamental to a high quality of life. While “strong & capable” varies depending on the individual, the learning journey that takes place builds energy, confidence, and appreciation of one’s own body. Gene employs a blend of strength & conditioning techniques, proportioned specifically to help his clients meet their fitness goals. He has worked with clients from all walks of life, across a broad range of ages, athletic interests, and health backgrounds.

Gene is a certified personal trainer under the National Academy of Sports Medicine, with secondary expertise in Olympic weightlifting, corrective exercise, and habit-oriented general lifestyle change. Formerly a student and practitioner of architecture, he has translated his passion for creative problem-solving into the realm of health & fitness. Gene has also worked previously as a Spinning instructor as well as a swim coach.

George Cruz

Gallery Place

George is born and raised in the Philippines. He has been in the health and fitness industry since 2008 and has come to realize the importance of approaching health and fitness by addressing the mind and spirit as well as the body. Specialized in functional-custom training routines and group fitness. He likes to challenge and encourage his clients to surpass their physical and mental boundaries by using high intensity and function exercises. His motto is if you invest time and energy and you are willing to do the work you will achieve your goals.George is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer, TRX certified as well as a group fitness and boot camp instructor. He also loves to dance and is a Zumba B1 and B2 License Instructor.

Medina Roberts

Gallery Place

Medina has been working as a Certified Personal Trainer since 2004. She uses these years of experience to design personalized fitness programs to achieve the best results for each individual client. Medina uses a wide variety of different training styles based on the goals and needs of each client, but specializes in weight loss and endurance training as well as post- and pre- pregnancy training. She has worked with a broad clientele including athletes and body builders and well as clients with shoulder, knee, ankle, back and hip injuries and surgeries. Medina is very active in the body building world being a prep and posing coach for bikini, figure, women and men’s physique and body building.

Medina is certified by NASM-National Academy of Sports Medicine, WITS-World Instructor Training Schools and AAAI/ISMA-American Aerobics Association International/International Sports Medicine Association as a personal trainer and is also certified as a spinning instructor, Dynamex trainer, Trigger Point specialist and Stretching specialist

Morgan Vaca

Gallery Place

Morgan, originally from Charlotte, NC, graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Kinesiology. She is a National Academy of Sports Medicine personal trainer and has a passion for health and fitness due to her many years as a competitive gymnast and runner. In addition, Morgan possesses rehabilitation knowledge due to her experience working in a physical therapy setting and is fascinated by human anatomy and physiology. She believes that while training should be challenging, it should be just as enjoyable. Morgan enjoys using creativity when training and is always searching for new and unique exercises to introduce to her clients. She believes in implementing both strength and conditioning practices into training in order to optimize results.

Ahmed Zalat

Logan Circle

Ahmed is a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE), known by his clients as “Z-beast”.

After practicing law for 10 years Ahmed decided to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a personal trainer. Ahmed has been active since he was a child, playing competitive soccer and handball in high school, and now enjoys swimming, running outdoors, tennis, horseback riding, and kickboxing.

Ahmed has a client-centered approach to fitness, and believes that no matter what your goal is, it is achievable. All human bodies are different, and Ahmed focuses on tailoring his coaching based on the individual needs and limits of his clients. He focuses on helping clients become the best version of themselves, providing the knowledge, motivation and support.

Ali Umar

Logan Circle

Ali is a fitness professional with over 10 years of experience dedicated to helping people reach their health and fitness goals. He is certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and is well-versed in a variety of training methodologies. Ali’s other certifications include Corrective Exercise Specialist, Fitness Nutrition Specialist, and TRX Suspension Training Level 1. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts from Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey and a Master’s in business from Coventry University in the UK. Ali is an expert in creating customized, intelligent and motivational programs for all levels. He loves educating people while training, whether you’re a professional athlete trying to perform better, a sedentary office employee who wants to have a beach body, a mom-to-be wants to prepare for a healthier pregnancy or an active individual that needs post-surgery rehab. Regardless of your goals, you’ll be in good hands!

Catherine Doyle

Logan Circle

Cat began her fitness career as a personal trainer at VIDA Gallery Place in 2013. In 2016, she took on the role of Personal Training Manager at VIDA Logan Circle before being promoted to General Manager in 2019. Cat holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science from Boston University. During her time at BU, she spent two years as an athletic training student, working with various athletic teams at BU and MIT. After graduation, she spent five years in the health policy world.

An avid golfer, she is a Level 3 Titleist Performance Institute Fitness Professional and is currently working with several clients to improve their golf swing. In her free time, Cat competes in local and regional weightlifting competitions as a part of CHFP Weightlifting Club, where she is coached by former US Olympian, Cara Heads Slaughter. Cat’s additional certifications include American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer (ACE), USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach, Functional Movement Screen (FMS), and TRX. During her time at VIDA she has also taught VIDA Barre, boot camp, TRX, and continues to teach Pilates Reformer.

Chance Hohneke

Logan Circle

Chance is an ACE certified personal trainer. He grew up in the mountains of Utah and is an avid outdoorsman and hiker. Chance is fluent in ASL and is proud to serve his community as a trainer. With over a decade of coaching competitive sports (volleyball and track) and competing himself, he finds happiness in helping people find joy in success and hard work. Chance is mindful of the growing importance of exercise and it’s positive effects on mental health. His approach implements mindful lifting to any style of training. Chance excels in plyometrics, HIIT, endurance training, hypertrophy training and flexibility training. Each session, he strives to create a space for his clients to feel focused, stronger, and more motivated to tackle their own personal goals and life outside the gym.

Craig Davenport

Craig has been feeding his love for personal training and assisting clients in their fitness regimens for over 10 years. He earned a degree from Howard University in Nutrition. His personal training certificates include National Academy of Sports Medicine, as well as certificates in Kettle Bell Training, TRX Suspension Training, and Functional Movement Screen. His love for activity and fitness has included years of track and field, basketball, and baseball while growing up, and has continued into adulthood with his participation in several local D.C. tennis clubs. While he has trained every type of client available, his specialty is the senior population. His belief is that while you may be in your golden years, and you may not be as fast or strong as the younger person, you are definitely still in the fitness game!

His philosophy and approach towards training is, as cliché as it may sound, in all endeavors including training, all goals can be achieved with hard work and dedication. It starts in the mind and works its way down. Sacrifices and smalls steps are needed to reach your goal, but each step should be taken one at a time. Put in the hard work, gradually progress and reap the benefits and the rewards that come with it!

Dave Rice

Logan Circle

David Rice is a certified personal trainer with the Natioanal Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). He has an avid interest in athletic activities, playing baseball and football while attending school. It was during his conditioning phase to prepare for football that he was introduced to the weight room. It was love at first lift. With over 35 years experience with weight training, cardiovascular fitness and more recently yoga, his job as a personal trainer is to share the experience and knowledge he has acquired over the years to help his clients build a healthy and strong body. Sessions are tailor made to each individual’s fitness level and goals. He believes that a healthy body means a better quality of life.

Dave Roberts

Logan Circle

Dave Roberts specializes in coaching functional movements that provide real life adaptations. Beyond the basic squat, pull and pressing mechanics, he also has 7 years experience teaching Olympic Weightlifting and Gymnastics skills. Current certifications include Crossfit Level 1, Crossfit Olympic Weightlifting, Crossfit Powerlifting and Crossfit Gymnastics. A former D-1 soccer player, Dave has also competed several Crossfit competitions including qualification for the Central East Regionals in 2011. He graduated with a B.S. in economics from the University of Delaware and earned his Master’s in economics from Boston University.

Embry Collins

Logan Circle

Embry’s road to fitness began in college when he would hit up the campus gym with his best friend as a stress reliever. That developed into a passion for a more active lifestyle that involves hiking, running, backpacking, and traveling. Embry believes in combining fitness and nutrition to live a healthier, more robust life. After spending most of his work background in sales management, he decided to take his passion for fitness and nutrition and turn it into a career by becoming a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Embry enjoys learning and absorbing new information and this is how he approaches his training sessions. He wants to make sure that his clients understand the mechanics behind their movements so that they can implement this knowledge in their daily lives. Embry focuses on slowing down movements to concentrate on form and all the muscle actions taking place during the movement. Making fitness easy to understand makes his sessions fun and educational. Embry is here to guide you towards achieving all your personal fitness goals.

Isaac Way

Logan Circle

Isaac Way is a certified personal trainer with the NSCA and NCCPT, a NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist and Corrective Exercise Specialist, and an American Bicycling League Cycling Instructor. Isaac has a B.A. in International Studies and a graduate certificate in International Disaster and Emergency Management from Hawai’i Pacific University. Growing up with a mountain as his backyard and pursuing outdoor sports, Isaac believes in functional movement and exercises that enable you to not only become stronger, but also feel and move better. Overcoming and rehabilitating from a hindering amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome, Isaac understands that pain comes in a variety of forms and for many different reasons, which are reducible and even resolvable with the proper application of exercise science. Isaac applies his expertise to meet clients where they are at, and he empowers them with individualized programs and an all-encompassing approach to exercise and fitness.

Jordan Graye

Logan Circle

As a Washington DC native Jordan Graye spent most of his youth being involved in highly competitive sport. He received a scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he played Division 1 soccer for 4 years while pursuing his degree. Upon the completion of his collegiate career Jordan was drafted by DC United of Major League Soccer and spent the better part of a decade playing for teams all over the United States.

Jordan specializes in High Intensity Interval Training as well as Calisthenics Strength Training. He is a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer and holds certifications in Functional Movement Screen (FMS), Corrective Exercise Specialist (CES), and TRX Suspension Training. When Jordan isn’t training he can be caught playing soccer in recreational leagues around DC

Alie Farrand

U Street

Alie is a certified personal trainer with NASM and has a passion for the transformative power of fitness. While she has her degree in International Studies from Dickinson College, she has been learning about and spreading the joy of exercise to those around her for years. Her interest began when she decided to sign up for the Tough Mudder. She soon got into powerlifting and HIIT-style workouts. Throughout college, she encouraged her friends to step outside of their comfort zone and showed them the ropes in the weight room. Their results – both mentally and physically – inspired her. She is a huge proponent of the holistic effects of exercise and believes that working out strengthens not just the body, but also the mind. She approaches training with intention, truly listening and helping each individual reach his or her goals.

Ari Davis

U Street

In 2010 Ari relocated to the DC area from Virginia Beach to persue a career in fitness, along that journey he has continued to grow and learn with every client. His passion has developed a unique mind, and skill set amongst the training staff here at Vida, focusing on proper muscle unit recruitment, strengthening limb support structures, and developing a fully functional core. With a background in sustained weight loss, and post physical therapy training programs; Ari enjoys the challenge of helping clients come to terms with physical limitations, while simultaneously exceeding their expectations. Don’t be scared though, Ari is great at reading people, and will change a workout on the fly to generate stress relief, or even laughter.

Ashley Delosh

Ashley is a certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. As a health care policy professional by day, Ashley can relate to the desires of many of the people working in DC who are eager to incorporate fitness into an already very busy lifestyle, in an effort to improve overall quality of life. She believes that a successful trainer-client relationship begins and is determined by taking an individual holistic approach. Her overall objective is to help clients hone in on the specifics that are the most meaningful to them in relation to training in order to help them truly achieve the best version of themselves.

Bill Thompson

U Street

Bill has been a personal trainer with VIDA Fitness for four years. Bill strongly believes that the body should be trained as a complete unit and thus performs many total body workouts with his clients. Regardless of the exercise type or intensity Bill believes that proper posture, alignment and body mechanics should always be adhered to. Bill challenges his clients to continually improve upon their flexibility, strength and overall body condition. You will be hard pressed to train with anyone who will provide you with the depth and quality of personal attention as Bill offers.

Chris Chu

To Chris, fitness to him is everything. With a long history of being overweight and obese, exercise actually saved his life. Around 2010 he was his heaviest being around 250 lbs. However, with a strong epiphany and developing self discipline while staying committed to the grind, it gave him confidence to learn to push himself into a mindset where he created a lifestyle about sacrificing the comfort zone and turning it into growth. He has learned that there is no true strength without struggle and that is what shaped him into the man he is today. As a fat loss specialist, and with a background of group bootcamp training, he is a lover of calisthenics, HIIT, and core circuit training as well. He is a firm believer in leading by example and after being certified through NASM in March, he has been blessed to now make an impact on other people’s lives in to making them the best version of themselves. Some of his recent fitness accomplishments over the years have been 2 marine corps marathons (2017, 2019) and a Spartan beast obstacle course (2018). The act of change does not happen overnight, but it does happen when you put effort in front of excuses. So no matter what, keep moving and keep improving.

Christine Reynolds

U Street

Christine Reynolds is a NFPT certified trainer, and a fitness nutrition specialist. She has 8 years of experience and a degree in English literature with a minor in Educational studies and Dance. Her love for fitness starter from a young age when she started with ballet and gymnastics. Since then she has become an avid runner and triathlete and has run the New York, Boston and Chicago marathons a long with about a dozen half marathons. She believes that strength training is an extremely important aspect for endurance athletes and loves to teach them how it can benefit their performance. She loves working with clients of all abilities, from beginners to experienced athletes.

Devin Conway

U Street

Devin attended Towson University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. After his college career, he became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Devin pursued a career in coaching individual athletes and teams before partnering with local Physical Therapists to create a “Return to Play” program for athletes rehabilitating from an injury. Since then he has expanded to working with all populations to bridge the gap between physical therapy and fitness. Devin enjoys leading his clients through their journeys of transformation, whether that is weight loss, athletic ability, or living injury free, and finds that to be the most rewarding aspect of his work. Devin’s personal fitness accomplishments includes climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, competing in American Ninja Warrior, Worlds Toughest Mudder and a 24-hour obstacle course race. In his free time, Devin also enjoys trail running, hiking, and going on adventures with his Corgi puppy Theo.

Emma Krieger

U Street

I am a functional strength trainer. I mainly focus sessions on posterior chain strength. There is no one standard way on how to do a movement. Our bodies will always find the path of least resistance. I’m here to help you figure out the best way your body moves. One of the best tools I teach is the mind-muscle connection.
I like to encourage movement. We are made to move! It should be something enjoyable. The more enjoyable it is the more likely you will be consistent.

Erik Faden

U Street

Washington, DC and practiced martial arts for 20 years, including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kung Fu, and Karate. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. Erik likes to focus on strength training and its influence on physique, sports, and rehabilitation. He believes that any goal can be reached with a strong mindset, patience, and discipline.

Ian Zuidema

U Street

Ian is a certified personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He has a background in visual and preforming art, and worked in graphic design and marketing before pursuing a career in fitness. Training is another creative endeavor in Ian’s life, and he strives to bring variety to his clients fitness routines tailored around their needs and goals. His personal fitness journey had humble beginnings, but his desire to push his body further and harder led to a quick progression in his skills and knowledge. Whether it’s CrossFit, Cycling, or a HIIT style class, Ian’s inquisitive nature helps him get the most out of any workout, and his drive to constantly improve guides his journey. He believes that emotional and physical fitness are tightly intertwined, and that taking command of our inner dialogue is a key to long term fitness success. He feels that fitness is best achieved when we explore the edges of our comfort zone, and in living on that edge we find new possibilities and ultimately achieve great results. Fitness should be inspiring; one workout should leave you wanting more. It should also be full of ‘ah-hah’ moments where clients recognize their new found strengths and cherish milestones both big and small.
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Alexa Disch

Alexa focuses on encouraging her clients to push their limits and discover abilities that they may not have thought they had. Whether their goal is to reach a new deadlift record, increase flexibility, or train for a marathon, every day will be an opportunity to become more confident and appreciative of what the human body can accomplish when trained properly and safely.

Allen Blanks

The Yards

Allen is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Trainer. His journey in fitness began in High School where he participated, in football, wrestling, and track and field. He enjoys competing and pushing his body to its limits. Allen attended Morgan State University where he studied Physical Therapy and ran Division 1 Track and Field. Upon completion of school he worked in sports medicine for one year and then transitioned into personal training. Allen enjoys helping his clients reach their fitness goals and live a healthier lifestyles. In his free time he enjoys coaching high school track and field for Maret in NW DC.

Bakari Taylor

The Yards

As a former Division-1 athlete playing basketball at Hampton University, Bakari developed a passion for strength and conditioning. Following graduation, he went on to earn a Master’s degree in Kinesiology & Fitness Management from Indiana University – Bloomington. Bakari brings over 7 years of experience in personal training and group fitness instruction, including boot camps, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, high intensity interval training, and CrossFit. He believes that a fit and healthy lifestyle starts with a strong foundation of consistency, hard work and discipline. Bakari often tells himself and his clients to “Do what you have to do, so you can do what you want to do!”

Chris Parkison

The Yards

Chris is Group Program Manager at VIDA Yards, City Vista and Gallery Place where he teaches Yoga, Pilates, Group Fitness, and Cycling classes. He is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and Lead Trainer of VIDA’s Yoga Teacher Training School. Chris trains his clients for the long term to promote stability, range of motion, conditioning, strength and power focusing on the core muscles that make all the other ones stronger and more efficient. Chris helps his clients design a sustainable fitness program with a weekly rhythm that leaves them focused and fresh on Saturday instead of distracted and exhausted.

Diana Chalikova

Logan Circle

Russian born and raised, Diana is a certified master trainer with NASM and former Tennis Pro with the WTA World Tour. She began playing tennis at the age of 5. After finishing her pro career, she went on to coaching top juniors at Bollettieri Tennis Academy, and then on to becoming the Head Tennis Professional at Barry Buss Tennis Academy. Many of her juniors went on to get their pro card with the WTA and ATP. Her love for fitness and athletics carried over into personal training, and she takes her role of helping clients achieve their goals seriously. Her skills include, strength training, overcoming injuries, fat loss, Olympic Weightlifting and sports specific training. Diana enjoys helping all her clients achieve their fitness goals through individualized, customized programs.

Enrique Perez

The Yards

Enrique is an American Council on Exercise (ACE) certified personal trainer and a VIDA Expert trainer. He helps his clients define their goals; then assess their abilities to perform a range of exercises and create a pathway for his clients to achieve their goals. As a Corrective Exercise Specialist, he emphasizes the correct form, movements and techniques to reduce risk of injuries, avoid muscle imbalances, and to increase muscle strength and endurance. Enrique has over 8 years’ experience in personal training and group fitness instruction including all forms of conditioning, small group training, TRX and Pilates Reformer. As a Cancer Exercise Specialist, Enrique is qualified to assess, design, and implement individual and group exercise programs for individuals diagnosed with cancer. He is skilled in evaluating heath behaviors and risk factors, conducting comprehensive fitness assessments, writing appropriate exercise recommendations, and motivating individuals to modify negative health habits and maintaining positive lifestyle behaviors for health promotion. As an Orthopedic Exercise Specialist, Enrique has the expertise to help those who report to be affected by knee, hip, lower back or shoulder pain, as well as those hindered by muscle imbalances or musculoskeletal disorder, or simply want help restoring function following orthopedic rehabilitation. As a Sports Conditioning Specialist, his strength and conditioning workouts combine intensity and creativity to make the program effective and enjoyable.

Javier Mata

The Yards

Javier studied Exercise Science at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and is a certified Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise (ACE). He assists clients in identifying needs and achieving their goals through structured programming. Javier specializes in strength and performance training with an emphasis on the use of proper form to reduce the risk of injury. Javier has experience with a wide range of clients which allows him to present programs that are as unique as the clients he works with.

Jennifer Dameika

The Yards

Jennifer is a certified personal trainer with National Academy of Sports Medicine, NASM. Along with being a former professional cheerleader, she is a lifelong fitness enthusiast. She earned her undergraduate degree in Business Administration from American Military University, and her graduate degree in Strategic Communication from American University in Washington, DC. Her passion for physical fitness was found in both the physical and mental benefits a great workout brings. Being physically active not only improves one’s outward appearance but benefits overall well-being. Helping others find confidence in their strength and abilities is what Jennifer thrives on.

Kalil Zaky

The Yards

Kalil Zaky is an experienced trainer as well as a professional powerlifter. His approach to training his clients is a progressive process of identifying weaknesses in the body and turning them into strengths. He has trained athletes for National level competition as well as individuals to walk down a set of steps pain free. As a results driven trainer, Zaky focuses on quantitative data to assure that you are making progress and every day, getting to a happier, healthier version of you.

Michael Amoateng

The Yards

Michael is an ACTION certified personal trainer. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Exercise Science and has over 5 years of personal training experience. Michael believes in maximizing people’s potential through strategic exercise planning and hard work. He loves helping all his clients understand the science behind different methods of training and exercise. Michael loves working with all types of clients attacking their weaknesses and perfecting their strengths. Michael believes that if a person has a good bill of health, it is more valuable than any amount of money. Michael is a DMV native and an athlete that played collegiate football at Wesley College. When Michael isn’t in the gym, he loves cooking and playing the drums.