My journey into the fitness industry began in 1982 after realizing my love for health & fitness and my desire to help others to look and feel their best. At the same time, I also began competitive bodybuilding, winning several local, state and regional contests, including 1985 Mr. Collegiate Nebraska, 1986 Mr. Novice Nebraska, the Heavyweight & Overall Champion at the 1987 Mr. Nebraska, and the 1989 Gateway Open in St. Louis, MO. The last contest was at the 1991 Nationals where I placed out of the top 10. It was at this point I retired from Bodybuilding to focus on my family the first of now 3 wonderful kids.
I have worked in health club facilities since 1982, beginning at the recreation department at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, the old Cotton Wood Club and from there moving to Gold’s Gym in Venice, CA, Bally’s in Overland Park, KS, and Workout America. I have enjoyed teaching people of all walks of life the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle through consistent exercise and proper nutrition.
I am a 12-year veteran of the Army National Guard. During this time I became certified as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and Flight Medic from the Academy of Health Sciences in 1986 as my second MOS (Military Occupation Specialty). In 1989, while managing the Bally’s in Kansas City, I obtained my first Personal Training certification from the Coopers Aerobics Institute of Texas. In 1996, I earned my HFI (Health Fitness Instructor) certification from the American College of Sports Medicine and continue to keep up on continuing education courses.
In 1993, Body Basics, a fitness equipment company, recruited me back to Omaha as their sales manager. I soon realized that I better served the public as a personal trainer rather than someone who sold equipment to people who would not use it properly or with the consistency necessary to provide the desired results. In 1995, I followed my heart and resigned from the sales world making personal training my career of choice. I trained clients both in their homes and in facilities like Gold’s Gym and the Westroads Club until 1999. At that time, I opened my own personal training facility featuring Cross Training in small groups. At this time we were the first personal training studio in all of Omaha. Our Crosstraining program was the first of its kind training people in small groups to the cost of the session was shared among the participants! Now there is a fitness studio of some sort on nearly evey corner in town trying to emulate what we do. Good Luck! J Since that time, I have expanded twice to accommodate the high demand for small group personal training services at a fraction of the cost of traditional 1on 1 personal training.
I love the health and fitness industry, and have been fortunate to be able to help so many people achieve their dreams and goals for their own better health. But mixed in with all the professional success of this business is the personal blessing of my three children. They make my life a joy and privilege to be a parent. As many of you know parenting is not easy and especially for those of us who are full-time single parents, but I have been blessed with healthy happy and whole children! |
Personalized Fitness & Nutrition has been recognized in the fitness industry as a leader for many years with personal and professional achievements. I believe it is an easy choice why you should choose to work with Personalized Fitness. When looking for a trainer or a system that works there are a few things to look at: Formal Education, Personal Experience, the ability to practice what you preach and of course a track record of success with a variety of clients. When you factor all these things it seems clear Personalized Fitness and Nutrition should be your choice. I look forward to helping not only the community but helping other trainers grow their business. We are ALWAYS looking for hungry, passionate, professional, team-oriented trainers that are eager to immerse themselves in a great learning environment. If you believe you ready to grow your business and learn contact Mark through the 
