Meet Mike
Before becoming a fitness professional I learned the tough lesson that living an unbalanced life can wreak havoc on the body, mind and spirit. My journey into exercise started as a personal quest for health and evolved into a passion for coaching others. Playing a part in their personal fitness journeys provides me a great sense of purpose and satisfaction.
With years of experience in New York City's vibrant fitness scene, I have led workshops, participated in competitions, and trained hundreds of clients across diverse backgrounds. I’ve worked everywhere from underground studios to luxury high-rises, guiding clients with goals from powerlifting, to marathons to improving body composition and achieving their first pull-up.
Over the years I have noticed that even high-end establishments often lack the most current knowledge about exercise and nutrition, and many trainers don’t possess the foundational expertise to meet the needs of a sophisticated clientele.
This realization led me to establish Strength Effect, where we deliver science-based, field-tested personal training with the vision of elevating our client experience and making a positive contribution to the broader fitness community. Our guiding principles are education, professionalism and communication.
Our mission is to help people change their lives by facilitating a world-class, truly personalized training experience.
Quick stats
Born in New York, raised in Rhode Island
BA in Cultural Anthropology from Connecticut College
Second language: Spanish
Loves lifting weights and training combat sports
Interested in the mental health benefits of exercise
Passionate about Self-Defense training
Proud Bulldog owner
Credentials and Certifications:
National Strength and Conditioning Association: Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer 2016- present
StrongFirst- School of Strength: Certified Level I Kettlbell Instructor 2022-present
StrongFirst- School of Strength: Certified Level I Barbell Instructor 2025
Precision Nutrition: Certified Level I Coach 2017- Present
Functional Movement Screen: Certified Level I 2017 Present
EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION
Trained under Mac McFarland at Westside Barbell 2024-Present
Nutrition Coaching under Adrianne Ortiz at Nuhuman 2024 - present
USA Boxing Metro - Amateur boxing - 1 bout 2022
Pavel Tsatsouline’s Strong Endurance Seminar 2022
Tier 3+ Personal Trainer - Equinox 2016-2021
Master Instructor for the Equinox Fitness Training Institute 2020-2021
USAPL Powerlifting - 7 competitions 2015-2020
Russian Kettlebell Challenge Certified 2019
Kettlebell Athletics I and II Certified 2016-2018
Tom Myers’ Anatomy Trains for Movement Professionals Seminar 2018
Trained powerlifting under Boris Shieko 2017
Eric Cressey’s Shoulder Assessment, Corrective Exercise and Progressions Seminar 2017
