A Little Bit About Me

After surviving cancer twice and back surgery, I didn’t just bounce back — I built back. Now I help others do the same.

As a personal trainer in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, my goal is to help individuals of all ages, fitness levels, and medical backgrounds bounce back from their setbacks and achieve life-changing health goals and transformations, just like me.

With over 10 years of varied experience helping people overcome their fears, limitations, and anxiousness of self-doubt, I am here to help you start this journey — safely, confidently, and successfully.

This isn’t just a job—it’s a calling. I’m an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise and Chronic Health Specialist, and I'm equipped with a B.S in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland.

Outside of KB Fit Training, you’ll find me hiking, camping, and traveling all over the world. I’m also a big sci-fi and comic book fan and always up for the latest Marvel movie!

My 10+ years of training experience include:

Injuries (Low Back, Shoulder, Knees, Ankle & Feet, Hypermobility, Ligament/Tendon/Muscle-Tear, Fracture etc.)
Health & Disabilities (Cancer Survivors, MS, Cerebral Palsy, Post-Stroke/Heart Attack, etc.)
Seniors & Retirees (Mobility, Balance, Independence, Joint Replacement etc.)
Health & Wellness (Lifestyle & Habits, Mental Well-being, Weight & Confidence etc.)
Families (Busy Couple Workouts, Trip & Wedding Prep, New Mom & Dad Workouts etc.)
Sport Conditioning (Youth, High-school & UMD athletics, Injury Prevention, Return to sport etc.)
Corporate & Community Fitness (Group Classes, Senior Fitness, Office Wellness, HoA/Apt Partnering)
Health Team Consulting (Communication w/ Drs, PTs, Therapists, across a variety of settings for continued care)

Ready to Try it Out? Schedule Your 2 Free Sessions Here!

Click here to contact me or learn more about my In-Person or Online Training!

This weekend was the 20th anniversary of my Bone Marrow Transplant and being leukemia free.

I still remember everything from Day 1 down at Georgetown to the exact moment I relapsed and left for Duke to get a Bone Marrow Transplant from @kkbills.

I understood everything that was going on and knew I was in good hands with this team in my corner, but it wasn’t until these last few years that I really understood the magnitude of it all and what my family and I endured, not just once, but twice.

20 years later and these pictures make us laugh, smile, and cry, but I hope they serve as reminders to you to make the best of your life and don’t take your health for granted.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to start treating your body right. Whether it’s working out or eating better, I guarantee you it’ll be much easier to start now than it will be taking care of any illness or complications that may arise later on.

And yes… this is why I hang on to my hair. Once you’ve lost it a few times, you tend to want to keep it as long as you can. 😂

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#cancersurvivor #leukemia #fuckcancer #spinalfusion #personaltrainer #motivation
#bonemarrowtransplant #personaltrainer #fitness #workout #functionalfitness #gym #lifestyle #diet #nutrition

Another great summer in the books!
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Thank you Mike, @lilwang615 and @nugogram for a fantastic time in Seattle. That PNW corner is really something special.
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It was great meeting some new friends who wanted to hang out too!
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Next time, just give me a heads up when you’re stopping by, and don’t scare me when I’m napping lol.
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Anyone else as excited and ready to hibernate through the winter as I am? 🤣

After a stop in San Diego, we had one last run in MOAB & Canyonlands before I dumped Collin off and spent a few weeks as a recluse mountain man in the Rockies and Badlands.

The trip came to an end at the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes up north in Michigan, where Momma Bear was thrilled with the return of her shaggy cub.

Trying to balance your workouts and diet while traveling is extremely difficult. It’s one of the toughest parts of this entire process that many people struggle with.

This was a major concern for me during my trip, but these 3 rules really helped me to enjoy my travels and live in the moment, without any of the guilt:

1️⃣ Stretch stretch stretch! The weights and cardio are nice but not required. Stretching is what will keep you fresh and loose and is a huge reason why I was able to go the whole summer without any issues.

2️⃣ Enjoy every bite in moderation. Eat whatever you want without guilt but also try your best when you can. Unless you’re purposely sabotaging yourself, it is really hard to lose all of your progress just from taking a week or two off.

3️⃣ The whole point of a vacation is to take a mental break from all of the rules and routine you hold yourself to. Take the time to mentally reset and treat yourself for your hard work but make sure you’re ready to get back at it when it’s over!

With that being said, it is now time to rejoin society and find my razor…
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#exercise #personaltrainer #gym #workout #fitness #motivation #diet #mobility #correctiveexercise #functionalfitness #lifestyle #health #nutrition #diet #injury #nature #travel #roadtrip #hiking #camping #nationalpark

After 12,000 miles and 3 months of living out of my duffel bag, summer has come to an end and sadly so has my trip.

Despite the numerous hobo baths by campfire and all of the other sacrifices that had to be made, it was an incredible experience that exceeded all of my expectations and I am already planning the next one!

For the first half of the trip, Collin and I met up with @sohrabhoghooghi & @ryangocarroll and together we caravanned through Big Sky Country. The two of us then headed south to explore the desert, parks, and slot canyons in Utah & Arizona.

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#exercise #personaltrainer #gym #workout #fitness #motivation #diet #mobility #lifestyle #health #injury #nature #travel #roadtrip #hiking #camping #nationalpark

Anyone else think life has a funny way of playing things out?

For the last few years I’ve been planning a cross country road trip to answer some personal and business questions that I’ve had for quite a while now.

I moved out of the DMV and left back in June for the rest of the summer. It took only 4 hours before I ran into some issues that left me stranded in Ohio and it immediately put everything on hold for 6 weeks.

Thankfully @kkbills was able to pick me up and I spent some wonderful quality time couch surfing with them, Grandma, and my parents until things were ready to go again.

The good news is that I’m back on the road now and I picked up another homeless man who also has nothing left to lose.😊

First stop, Badlands!
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#exercise #personaltrainer #gym #workout #fitness #motivation #diet #mobility #lifestyle #health #nature #travel #roadtrip #hiking #camping #nationalparks

I think the world would be a better place if everyone changed their clocks to Island time.

I know it’s been a while….again lol…but I’m back with a little bit of a life update.

Last November, one of my worst fears came true when I blew out my back. One morning as I sat up in bed, I tore a muscle in my back which ripped off part of the disc where my spinal fusion is.

For the last 12 years, I managed to keep my back issues at bay, but this really screwed me up. Thankfully I didn’t need another surgery, but over the next 6 months, I couldn’t move, twist, or even sit upright without tremendous pain.

It was extremely tough. I continued working during that time, but my mental health spiraled out of control as I tried to navigate this and what it meant for my life and my job.

In April, I was cleared to workout and I have been using the past 6 months to rebuild my body. Although I am proud with how far I’ve come, I’ve still got more work to do as I refuse to let my injuries stop me from doing the things I love.

To my family, friends, and clients— thank you for being so understanding and accommodating with my crippled, grumpy ass ❤️.

Now it’s time to get back at it!

🚨Cardio! The answer to all of your weight-loss and fat burning questions.🚨

While Resistance Training has its role with weight loss, Cardio is actually where you end up burning off a majority of that fat and extra calories.

Resistance Training is great for building muscle and improving your bone density, but you really don’t burn as many calories during those workouts as you would think.

Cardio is also great for strengthening your heart and makes it more efficient at doing its job of keeping you alive 😜.

Unfortunately, Cardio is hard and no one wants to do it, including myself 😩.

As I started with my new routine though, there were 2 things that made it a whole lot easier for me to get it done.

1️⃣ Keep it short with Interval Training and 15 minutes is all it will take. There’s also no right answer between Treadmills, Resistance Bikes, and Stairclimbers so long as you push yourself accordingly and get it done.

2️⃣ Find a form of cardio that you enjoy and motivates you. I love basketball and would shoot by myself for hours if I could. Even if you don’t play anything anymore, recreate various drills or practice on mechanics at game speed. Not only will the time fly by, but it will make you happy and make you want to do it again.

🚨I know I missed Form Check Friday this week but here it is :P🚨

When using resistance of any kind, the first rule I always emphasize is the idea that “You are the one moving the weight. The weight should not be moving you.”

Eccentrics (slow & controlled returns) and Isometrics (holds) are very helpful with this idea. These phases stimulate incredible muscle growth in an area due to the increased tension being placed upon those muscles over time. This means even more work is being done than normal.

If you’re swinging into the weight or compromising your form to just complete the reps, then lower the resistance and start focusing more on these. Do them on the last few reps and you’ll be left with an incredible burn.

These can be done with literally any exercise like squats, pushups, and lunges, but here are some of the ones I have been enjoying them the most with. Make sure you start out light and work your way up accordingly.

1️⃣ Pull-ups (4 x 12)
2️⃣ T-Bar Rows (4 x 10)
3️⃣ Glute Bridges (4 x 20)
4️⃣ Superband Quad Extensions (4 x 15)
5️⃣ One Arm Alt. DB Presses (4 x 10 each side, alt. after every 5)

🚨Form Check Friday!🚨

Lat Pulldowns. An exercise that is great for building up a healthy back and for all of you work from individuals trying to improve your posture!

1️⃣ Sit tall with your shoulders back and a tight core. Choose a weight that you can control the entire time.
2️⃣ Bring the bar to your mid-chest by pulling through your pinkies and elbows and hold for one second.
3️⃣ Minimize any swinging as you pull the weight down and control the weight as it returns. This is essential and if you can’t the weight is too heavy.

But sometimes that still doesn’t work 😕.

Years later and I still struggle with Pulldowns and could never figure out how to target my Lats with this one. I’ve tried changing the grips, reps, and even when in the workout I do them, but still nothing.

What has worked for me is doing a lot more isolation work to properly hit each side (2) and changing the angles to let the Lats really stretch out (3).

What a difference that has made and I highly recommend trying these alternatives out if Pulldowns don’t work for you either.

Wide Grips Pulldowns 4 x 10-15
One Arm Cable Pulldowns 4 x 10-12
Iso Mid Hammer Rows 4 x 10-12

🚨Form Check Friday!!!🚨

The lunge is the first exercise I’ll be discussing and I know I am calling out several of you and your “terrible knees” excuse that everyone else also seems to have 😉.

What if I told you that the knee pain you feel when lunging is due to weakness and instability in your legs and not your “genetically terrible knees”? Would you be surprised if I told you that one of the best ways to fix this is to actually start lunging?

Lunging is one of the 5 basic movements but is the only one people have convinced themselves they can’t do 😜. They are great for building up your quads and are incredible for strengthening all of the tendons and ligaments in your knees and ankles.

If you who hike a lot, are still active with sports, or struggle with knee/ankle instability like myself, you should really start incorporating these into your workouts. Here are some clips of how you can fix your lunge along with some other variations you can try!

WRONG Lunging vs. SAFE Lunging
1️⃣ DO NOT lean forwards with your front knee! This is a major reason for that pain! Make sure your feet are far enough apart and go straight down to the ground instead.
2️⃣ Stand tall with good posture and your core tight. If you’re bending forwards and your core isn’t tight, your balance will be thrown off and you will hate this exercise even more.
3️⃣ Fight to keep your knee and ankle in line of each other. This is where the stability is created and you can do this by pressing your big toe down into the ground when you feel shaky.

Beginner: TRX Reverse Lunges
- Hinge backwards at the knee and fire back up using the front of your lead leg. Practice using your big toe to fix any issues with your balance.

Advanced: Uneven Distance Lunges
- Hold 1 DB on just one side and maintain good posture and a tight core the entire time. No bending to either side and fight to keep your knees and ankles straight and stable.

With gyms returning back to normal over these last few weeks, I was curious to see how many people were still sweating it up at home vs going to the gym and I was honestly very surprised by the results when I asked you guys.

Out of 163 people, 70% of you said you were still sweatin it up at home which is a lot more than I would’ve expected.

I seriously struggle working out at home, but this last year forced me to get pretty creative with my workouts and try out some new things despite my lack of equipment or weight.

It seems like some of you can relate, but words can’t describe how great it felt getting back into my routine. Driving to the gym with my preworkout tingles, music blaring, and a good pump going really can’t be beat no matter how bad my day has been.

Here are a few of the exercises that I missed the most that you should go and try out if your gym has the equipment.

1.) Hammer Iso Mid Rows 4 x 12 each side
2.) Hammer Iso Lateral High Rows 4 x 12 each side
3.) Staggered Stance Rear Deadlifts 4 x 10
4.) Distance Lunges 3 x set distance
5.) Sled Runs 3 x set distance
6.) Seated Barbell Shoulder Press 4 x 10
- All about using your core! Prevents you from cheating. Start light!
7.) Medial Chest Press ss w/ Incline Flies 3 x 12
- Great exercise for guys looking to fill out the middle and sides of their chest.

Comment below if you have any questions about these exercises or need more help learning them!

Dieting and Meal Prepping.

The hardest part of exercise that everyone struggles with, including myself. As I have struggled balancing my diet with my own fitness goals, I have found little things to curb my cravings for Mike n Ikes, steaks and smoked meats, and delicious fried foods.

As a foodie at heart, I can’t be the one telling you what you should and shouldn’t be eating :P The biggest suggestion I can give you though is to meal prep. Meal prepping taught me that I can continue to eat my guilty foods in MODERATION(!!!!!) while maintaining that proper balance.

As you begin, it is essential that your meals reflect your goals. It may seem overwhelming but it’s very easy to pick up and very satisfying once you begin to see those results.

Here are 3 other tips that helped me really stick with it:

1.) Keep it simple! The more complicated it is, the more likely you won’t eat it or it will spoil faster.

2.) Less is more! Don’t prep for every day if you know you won’t eat those meals. If you know you struggle Monday through Thursday then only prep for those days.

3.) Sometimes food just needs to be food and you have to eat it. Just like my ground turkey bowls, don’t worry about what it looks like or if it’s tenth time you’ve had it that week. Just eat it because you know you have to and be done with it.

If anyone else meal preps, feel free to share some of your own tips in the comments! I’d love to hear what you guys have learned!

Do your knees and lower back hurt when you squat down? Do you avoid doing anything with your lower body for that reason?

Almost every single lower body movement revolves around the ability to “Hip Hinge” or sending your weight back onto your hips and heels. This movement is crucial for not only squats and deadlifts but also daily movements like picking something off the ground.

In the first video I am doing a Barbell Squat to show how this works. The second video shows how you can practice this against a wall. As you try it out be sure to:

1.) Place your feet slightly outside shoulder width and your toes pointed slightly outwards.

2.) Send your hips straight back and stay on your heels as you try to touch the wall with your butt. It will feel funny but everything will follow those hips as you go back.

3.) Keep a slight bend in your knees and go back as far as you can comfortably go. Your shins must remain vertical the entire time and your knees should not go past your toes!

4.) Do not let your hips bob as you go up and down. Try to keep them steady and level by keeping your chest out and core braced the entire time.

5.) Keep good posture with your shoulders down and back and your chest out the entire time. Stand tall when coming back up!

Where people go wrong is not keeping their chest out and core braced as shown in the third video. Not doing this will cause you to round out your spine, shifting all of your weight onto your knees and lower back. Coming back up is where injury frequently occurs as this is where people lift with their back instead of their legs.

This is often one of the first things I fix with my clients. Despite how easy it looks, I guarantee that many of you will struggle with this movement if you don’t already. The more you practice it though, the more you realize just how big of a difference it makes. So go try it out and let me know if you feel the difference!

For 2021, one of my goals is to create more helpful and relevant posts for you guys to use during your own exercise routines. I know there are countless other “Instagram Trainers” you may be following who constantly post the same boring at-home workouts or exercises that you’re never going to try. I’m not going to do that.

Like you, I scroll right on by those pages but hopefully the information I can provide will be new, different, and help you guys take your own routines and health to the next level. Here’s a glimpse of some of the things that you can expect to see:

✅ Addressing common form errors I see and how to fix them
✅ Fun exercises to strengthen weak muscles like your lower back and core
✅ A variety of EASY lifestyle tips to help improve your own accountability and self-discipline.

So stay tuned as these posts might just apply to you!

In the meantime, thank you to everyone who made 2020 such a success for KB Fit Training. I can’t believe how far it has come already and I really appreciate all of those who kept me sane and busy along the way. This is my photo tribute to all of you guys along with some of my happier moments from this past year. Cheers to a healthy and safe 2021!

Hey everyone. I know you might be surprised seeing me post, since I never do, but I have a lot of exciting life updates to share! After years of encouragement and my 15th anniversary of being cancer free just passing, I’m excited to announce that I’ve started my own personal training company called KB Fit Training!

My decision to become a full time private Personal Trainer came after graduating from UMD where I initially had the intention of pursuing Physical Therapy school. It wasn’t until I visited these schools and met PTs across the US that I questioned whether I still wanted to apply. Around that time, I blew out my ankle playing basketball and endured 6 months of rehab that further delayed any plans of PT school. Thankfully, my ankle fully recovered, and the rehab allowed me to determine what I really wanted to do.

Now, I could not be happier as a Personal Trainer! For those of you familiar with my medical history, exercise has been life changing for me, and for those who don’t that really says something since I run like Dirk in his last year but still get buckets like Luka. I am currently doing in-person and online sessions here in the Rockville/DMV area. Luckily, I’ve been able to safely train several clients during COVID but figured now is a good time to bring my knowledge and experience online wherever you may be! I am always available so if you have any questions about your own fitness, current exercise routine, or simply want to learn how to start, feel free to ask!

I am now awaiting the end of the world like many of you during these difficult times and wish whoever is still reading this a brighter and safer future than the one 2020 has given us so far <3. Here are some relatively recent pictures of me that you can enjoy until I start posting some new ones.

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A Little Bit About Me

My 10+ years of training experience include:

Stay Up to Date! Follow Me on Instagram

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A Little Bit About Me

​My 10+ years of training experience include:​

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Stay Up to Date! Follow Me on Instagram

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My 10+ years of training experience include: