By Jake Thide
Every year, TrainSMART Personal Fitness takes on a group of exercise science students from the University at Buffalo. They are all Certified Functional Strength Coaches and will be joining our team until they graduate in May. Get to know them in their bios below!
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Anthony Conti
My name is Anthony Conti and I am currently a senior at the University at Buffalo and will be graduating this May.
I decided to go into exercise science because exercise and being active is very important to me and I want to have a way to share that with other people. I ultimately want to become a Physical Therapist and I felt exercise science would be a great foundation to start on. From a young age I played hockey and baseball. One thing I really enjoyed was being able to coach younger teams and share my love of the sports. I ultimately had to stop once I had a few injuries that caused me to end my career but showed me the field of PT. It ignited a new passion to be able to help people just like me.
I decided to complete my internship at TrainSMART because I strongly relate to their goal of helping clients live a pain free life with no limitations. I heard Mr. Fox talk about what they are all about on a zoom panel and I knew it was the place for me. I knew I could learn a lot first hand how to help the everyday person be healthier and happier. I believe PT should not just be about helping people recover from an injury or surgery, but bringing them to a quality of life that exceeds the one they had before. That is exactly what Mr. Fox and his team do here at TrainSMART. I couldn’t be more excited to learn from them.
My goal here during my time at TrainSMART is to learn as much as possible about the ins and outs of training and helping people become stronger and healthier. I want to expand on my previous experiences of coaching and teaching. I also want to learn how to give first class services to create an environment where clients look forward to coming in to train.
Once I graduate I am going to High Point University in North Carolina to continue onto my DPT degree. After that I hope to open my own business where I can help people rehab and increase their quality of life beyond a rehab setting so they can live without limitations just like they do here at TrainSMART.
Julia Kachianos
My name is Julia Kachianos, and I am a senior at the University at Buffalo studying Exercise Science. I will be graduating this May and beginning my Doctorate of Physical Therapy at CUNY Hunter this summer.
I had begun my college career in Nursing, but found it was not the right match for me. I switched into exercise science my junior year, as I love learning about the human body and all that it is capable of. I see physical therapy as a profession that combines the science of healing and the art of caring for others. With my own passion for fitness and nutrition, I wanted to be able to help others achieve their healthiest and happiest potential by creating a safe space in order for them to do so.
When I met Mr. Fox on a Zoom panel of potential internship sites, TrainSmart immediately stood out to me. He spoke so passionately about creating safe and customized programs to meet the needs of his clients, and he showed such dedication to helping others. These values are ones that I aim to uphold throughout my own career, and knew I had the potential to accomplish a lot as an intern here. By providing us with opportunities to continue our education, build our networks, and gain real experience with coaching, I knew I would be gaining unique experiences here.
During my time at TrainSMART, I’m most looking forward to further developing my interpersonal skills and learning what it means to be a good coach. Physical therapy goes so much farther than just knowing anatomy, exercises, and treatments. As crucial as those things are, it also means valuing the interactions we have with patients, and leaving them better than how we found them. You can only learn so much through a textbook or lecture – the real education comes through lived experience. The staff here has so much expertise in this field, and their readiness to teach students makes me confident that I made the best investment in my career by choosing TrainSMART.
After graduation from DPT school, I would love to seek experiences in different PT specialties, and eventually open my own clinic!
Kieran Neville
Hello, my name is Kieran Neville and I’m one of the interns at TrainSMART Personal Fitness. I’m currently an undergraduate at the University at Buffalo and I will graduate in the spring of 2025 with a bachelors in Exercise Science.
My love for exercise started from a very young age playing multiple sports and traveling the country for tournaments and games. Choosing Exercise Science as my major was a very easy decision because it blends my love for sports and my curiosity to learn more about the human body very well.
Upon choosing an internship, TrainSMART offers many resources to excel my learning and produces many opportunities to engage with very smart individuals in my field that most internships do not provide. In my time at TrainSMART, I hope to master the deep intricacies of functional strength training and apply them to my own life. My goal is to practice this realm of training and incorporate its principles into my career path which is physical therapy.
After graduation, I plan to go on to graduate school for physical therapy, travel with a team and then settle down to start my own business.
Manny Willins
My name is Manny Willins and I am a senior at University at Buffalo. I will be graduating with my Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science in May of 2025.
I chose to pursue a degree in exercise science to further understand the body and with my athletic background there were so many questions I needed to be answered and so many concepts I wanted to understand! This major has set the building blocks for learning more about health and will guide me to helping many people.
For my internship I decided to join the wonderful team at TrainSMART to set a backbone for information about the importance of spine health and gain experience with the older population, with current experience with kids and young adults it was important to me to learn how to prescribe exercise to the population and delivering information.
With the variety of backgrounds and goals the patients have its important to me that I learn more about the prescribed exercises and when to give a patient a certain exercise. What are the goals as the coach, to help the patient reach their goal? Prevention Strategies and overall Social Traits to gain for someone going into a profession that requires you to constantly be in communication with the patient! All these things combined with learning more about myself is what will make this Internship worthwhile.
After graduation it was always a goal for me to attend Graduate School for my Doctors of Physical Therapy (DPT). However I currently plan on learning how to combine my passion for Sports and Fitness while also being able to grow my knowledge on all things health related in a working environment!
Noah LoChiatto
I am Noah LoChiatto. I am enrolled at University at Buffalo. I am currently on my last semester of my undergraduate school for Exercise Science Degree (BS).
When choosing a major, I had to make sure it involved something I was passionate about. This is why I was drawn to Exercise Science. Since I was about five years old, I have participated in sports such as soccer, basketball, and baseball. My love for sports fueled my passion for exercise. Later in life, (during college) I didn’t participate in many sports aside from intramurals. However, I became drawn to bodybuilding and fitness, which sparked my curiosity about the science behind it and the Why?
When choosing an internship for my last semester. I wanted something that would be valuable to me or an opportunity that could prepare me for a future in Physical Therapy while promoting well-being within the community. This is what led me to TrainSMART. They go beyond personal training, focusing on functional strength training tailored to the individual. This approach enhances longevity and improves quality of life, which is a crucial aspect to consider after completing physical therapy.
I hope that by the end of my time here, I will have a strong understanding of functional strength training and be able to coach others to the best of my ability. My goal is not only to help people regain confidence and strength after an injury but also to empower them to maintain their overall well-being and long-term health.
After graduation, I am currently planning on attending the Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree (DPT) and graduating in 2028.
Olivia Kim
My name is Olivia Kim, and I will be graduating from University at Buffalo in May 2025, with a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science.
I chose to go into exercise science because I knew that I wanted to make a positive change in people’s lives. I started as a fine arts major wanting to make a change in the world through art, however after finding an appreciation for science and math, I decided to route towards biomedical engineering where I quickly realized that I need human interaction, communication, and connections with the clients I would be working with. Finally, I found a passion for movement as medicine. This is one concept that stuck with me for the longest time. Exercise, and overall lifestyle changes, made a lasting impact in my life. Being an exercise science major allowed me to learn about the human body and to find a passion for how incredibly it functions. I believe that we can do hard things and become the best and healthiest version, both physically and mentally, of ourselves. After I graduate, I hope to continue to learn constantly about the role of movement as a tool for healing.
After meeting with Joe Fox, I found an appreciation for the work he does for his clients here at TrainSMART. The core values of TrainSMART are what makes a difference in every client’s life. Not only does TrainSMART promote this concept, but they also value building trust and a strong relationship with clients to form a comfortable environment.
I decided to do my internship here because of the way we prioritize safety, while efficiently optimizing the client’s desired goals. I also strongly agreed with the concept of functional and intentional exercise to reduce risk of future injuries and overall live a healthy lifestyle to improve quality of life.
I’m hoping to learn as much as I can with my time here. The main thing I would like to build knowledge on is the role that the core, spine, joint, and tissue health play on building the foundation to make a positive impact in people’s lives
After graduation, I plan to continue my education in exercise science through experience in functional strength training and building relationships with clients.
Reed Lasker
My name is Reed Lasker and I am a junior at the University at Buffalo. I am studying exercise science with a concentration in physical therapy and I plan to graduate from UB’s DPT program in 2028.
I chose the exercise science program because I love exercising, playing sports, such as hockey, and being active, as well helping other people. Exercise science was the perfect opportunity for me to combine all these interests together, and after going through physical therapy myself, I really began to enjoy the field and gaining a better understanding of how the body works to aid in rehabilitation.
I chose TrainSMART because their practice spoke to all the things I was looking for in a place to complete my internship. TrainSMART offers a wide variety of training including physical therapy, strength training, core training and breathing work, which allows me to expand my horizons and learn more in the field of exercise science. Their dedication to personalized programs for each of their clients really speaks to the professionalism and expertise at TrainSMART.
During my time at TrainSMART I hope to learn more about different exercises, teaching styles and ways to effectively build relationships and rapport with patients. By doing so I can transfer these skills I learned to my own professional work to become a better physical therapist.
After graduation, I plan on becoming a physical therapist in a sports and orthopedic rehab setting or in an acute setting like a hospital.
Tae Kim
My name is Tae Kim. I am a current Senior who will be graduating in 2025 at the University at Buffalo with an Exercise Science degree.
I used to be very overweight in highschool and lost a lot of weight. I liked to help fellow students and friends also lose weight. I then really got into weightlifting/bodybuilding. So once I graduated HS I wanted to learn about the intricacies of this field so I majored in Exercise Science at UB.
I chose TrainSMART because to be honest I have no idea what I want to do after graduating and I felt TrainSMART was the perfect place to explore my options in this field. Joe Fox was also very genuine and seemed to be a guy with a lot of integrity which is very important to my beliefs and values.
I have always been focused on lifting for bodybuilding but never focused on core training and functional movement. I feel that has been a big gap in my training that I am very excited to move towards. I’m also looking forward to coaching and motivating clients while building personal relationships because that is where I have the most fun.
I used to hate Buffalo when I first started going to UB, but as the years went on I started to explore the city more, making friends, mentors, and other connections. I love this city now and am ready to call it my home. So after graduation I plan on staying here while continuing to further my experience in this field.
