Boulder County Personal Trainers for Every Fitness Level

 

Whatever your reason for wanting to start a fitness routine, a personal trainer can help. Trainers can help keep you accountable, as well as reduce the risk of injury. Another big plus? They can help curb boredom, which can be a death knell for any workout. Even if you’re an experienced lifter or athlete, a trainer can push you further than you’d go on your own. 

 

Luckily, Boulder—the “fittest town in America”—and the surrounding cities have more than their fair share of qualified personal trainers. Here’s a look at some of Boulder County’s top personal trainers, including what distinguishes their approach to health and fitness to help you sort through the options to pick the best partner for your goals.

Ross Meyer

[email protected], 720-588-8189, PersonalReTraining.com

 

 

Ross Meyer says he was a “skinny nerd” as a kid, but he ended up in a martial arts studio in college that changed his life. He fell in love with body movement. But a sports injury while training for his black belt landed him in surgery and physical therapy.

 

“I experienced firsthand the need for better integration between skillful body movement, rehab and conventional strength and fitness training,” Meyer says.

 

That brought him to where he is today. He’s been working in the fitness industry since 2000 and has logged more than 18,000 client hours. His primary education includes training in Functional Movement Systems. He is a Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization exercise trainer from the Prague School of Rehabilitation; a StrongFirst and a Russian Kettlebell Challenge kettlebell instructor; and an Exercise Coach and Holistic Lifestyle Coach 3 via the Chek Institute. Add to that 22 years of continuing education as an enthusiastic learner.

 

He runs Personal Re-Training, 6395 Gunpark Drive, unit A, in Boulder. This business was designed to identify your poor body movement patterns and correct them using exercises that are ultimately linked together to scaffold into complex and challenging exercises. Some clients simply want to live their daily lives without pain, whereas others want to continue their gains into elite sport and physical performance.

 

“Most injuries, aches and performance leaks have sloppy body movement and compensations as a causal factor,” he says. “I specialize in helping people eliminate nagging aches and pains before they turn into big problems, and then uploading those improvements into holistic, versatile strength and fitness.”

 

He says he also works with people who have had dissatisfying experiences with conventional fitness and rehab in the past.

 

Joe Roseberry

[email protected], 720-556-6154, theanswermovement.com

 

 

Joe Roseberry is a personal trainer at Just Results Personal Training, 10835 Dover St., Suite 1300, in Westminster and the founder of The Answer. He is a former civil engineer and graduate from the Colorado School of Mines, where he played football. He began personal training to get out of debt. That changed the course of his life. He began training in 2007 and now has trained thousands of people of all ages and abilities.

 

“I have also read thousands of books on mental, physical, spiritual and emotional wellness that have empowered me to help my clients grow, expand and evolve with a holistic approach to health and wellness,” he says.

 

Roseberry combines his engineering background with his fitness experience for a unique approach he calls the “physics of fitness,” and he applied those principles to develop a piece of equipment called The Answer. The Answer was designed to increase your power, mobility and strength, while increasing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and improving the circulation of blood flow, all while lengthening the spine and strengthening the core.

 

With his holistic approach, Roseberry says he tailors workouts to address all aspects of the client.

 

“This creates space for traditional exercise movements complemented with breathwork to lower cortisol levels, hand-eye exercises to improve cognitive function, as well as intention-setting and gratitude and appreciation reps,” he says. “I love what I do at an ineffable level.”

 

Eryn diZerega

[email protected], 720-372-4653, goldsgym.com/longmont

 

 

Eryn diZerega is a competitive bodybuilder and personal trainer at Gold’s Gym Longmont, 1240 S. Hover St., Suite 200, in Longmont. She danced ballet for 17 years, where she says she was surrounded by an unattainable body image standard, which led her to develop unhealthy eating patterns. A foot injury at the same time as the pandemic lockdowns led her to pause her dancing, and that’s when she began studying weightlifting.

 

“I fell in love with working out and nutrition, and I got certified to be a personal trainer,” she says.

 

She got her certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is currently studying kinesiology and exercise science at the University of Colorado

 

While diZerega is new to the scene—she’s been a personal trainer at Gold’s for one year—she understands freshly and firsthand the challenges many people face with going to the gym. That’s why her goal is to get clients to do exercise that’s going to be sustainable for them and their lifestyle long term. She wants to switch the narrative from thinking of fitness as restrictive and miserable to finding ways to make fitness enjoyable.

 

“Because I had such amazing results and have been feeling the best I ever felt training this way, I wanted to share my knowledge with others in hopes that they could turn their lives around similarly to how I did,” diZerega says.

 

Jason Busch

[email protected], 720-838-4009, bodybalanceboulder.com

 

 

Jason Busch is a personal trainer and owner of Body Balance, 4735 Walnut St., Suite E, in Boulder. He graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in kinesiology in 1995. He started working as a personal trainer at a local gym while taking a break from college, before then attending physical therapy school.

 

“I found out that I am too much of a gym rat to go back to PT school,” he says. “I decided personal training was a better career for me, and I am still here in the same town working with clients.”

 

Busch opened his first gym in 1998. He has various certifications, but he says he realized that he wanted to help clients achieve goals that were outside of the scope of what was considered “allowed” by a personal trainer. So he changed directions with his education.

 

“I started focusing on things that I wanted to help people with, such as corrective exercise, addressing poor movement patterns and helping people who are in pain get out of it,” Busch says.

 

Everyone he works with starts with a 10-movement assessment. It’s simple but provides a lot of information about what’s going on with their body, joint by joint. He combines that assessment (your needs) with what you want so you can achieve both.

 

“We do more than just pick stuff up and put it down,” Busch says. “Our definition of a good workout is one that is safe and effective, not leaving you in a sweat-stained puddle on the ground. Fitness is a journey not a destination and should be adopted for life.”

 

This means being pain-free. That’s what builds a positive relationship with exercise, he says.

 

Brenna Backe

[email protected], 720-428-8863, KoaFitUSA.com

 

 

Brenna Backe got her degree in exercise science, following her lifelong interest in how things work—including how the body functions and how to best take care of it. Backe began coaching at age 18 and training at age 21, so she’s been at it for 22 years. She is also a certified Functional Range Conditioning Movement Specialist.

 

Today, she’s a trainer and the owner of Koa Fit Studio, 2100 Pearl St., Suite C, in Boulder. There, she works mostly with people who do not move well—people with chronic pain or tweaks, people who have stopped doing what they love due to pain and/or people recovering from injury or surgery.

 

“I meet people where they are at. I don’t have standardized programs I hand out. I evaluate the person and train them for their specific needs,” Backe says. “Some people feel hopeless after an injury or as they age, like they can’t do the things that they love anymore. My passion is to give those people hope. Teach them about their body and what it is capable of so they can feel inspired to tackle physical challenges and feel like themselves.”

 

Nicholas Hopper

[email protected], 303-960-5284, Hoppertraining.com

 

 

Nick Hopper has been a personal trainer for 19 years, since 2003. Hopper has been involved with athletics all his life. He has a degree in human physiology from CU and 14 years of experience working at a corporate fitness gym. After that, he decided to start his own training and rehabilitation business, Universal Performance.

 

In addition to his degree, his education is extensive, including being certified as a corrective exercise specialist, personal trainer, sports fitness specialist and performance enhancement specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and a two-time weightlifting coach through USA Weightlifting. He also has training in fascial tissue release/injury treatment, did a 15-week independent study in biomechanics at CU and serviced more than 7,000 training sessions when employed at 24 Hour Fitness.

 

His business, Universal Performance, was inspired by his ability to work with anyone, regardless of age or ability level, he says. That, and an “all-in” mindset (he has no interest in pursuing any other type of career), really distinguishes his services, he adds.

 

“Additionally, I am quick to research and/or discuss topics with others when I am presented with questions that I lack answers to,” he says.

 

Wendy McClure

[email protected],  303-440-5776, bodydynamics.net

 

 

Wendy McClure has been a personal trainer for more than 30 years, but one of the most unique things she offers is helping people get ready for and go on “active trips.” She has brought people kayaking, hiking, snorkeling, paddling, biking and exploring the world, including in the Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Portugal, Croatia. Being fit for a trip can be a great catalyst and motivator for bigger, lifelong changes, she says.

 

Beyond blending fitness and travel, McCLure has co-owned Body Dynamics, 2760 29th St., Suite 1B, in Boulder, for more than 25 years. She’s been active most of her life through dance and sports, and her dad was a coach and physical educator, so she grew up in a fitness-focused environment.

 

McClure also has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and an advanced degree in exercise physiology. Her list of certifications is long, including from the American College of Sports Medicine and IDEA Health and Fitness Association and for TRX suspension training, post-rehab, senior fitness, gait analysis, Foot to Core and others. 

 

“My current specialty is discovering the imbalances in a client’s movement patterns and optimizing the movement to mitigate pain,” she says.

 

Glenn Hattem

[email protected], 720-514-9665, GlennHattem.com

 

 

Glenn Hattem has been a “Breakthrough Health and Life Coach,” consultant, mentor, educator and motivational speaker for three decades. He’s also a best-selling author. Hattem has worked with thousands of people around the world to help them improve their lives using holistic coaching programs that teach a work-life balance.

 

Hattem has multiple certifications, including from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Precision Nutrition and the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). But what really makes him stand out is his coaching method called Amplify. His 90-day program is designed to help you boost your immunity with daily fitness and health habits, but he also incorporates practices to help people build fulfilling relationships, confidence, a deeper purpose and more.

 

The program walks you through the whole process, from setting goals to creating an action plan. Mindset, daily habits, metrics for monitoring progress—it’s all personalized and all part of the unique system that Hattem teaches. His new book, “Amplify,” is set to publish this fall.

 

Heidi Grayce Goodrich

[email protected], 720-470-1868

 

 

Heidi Grayce Goodrich began first as a student trainer in college. She says she loved problem-solving and helping athletes return to their sport, so it was a logical next step to become a strength coach. That was in 1997.

 

Today, Goodrich is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and has received special training in massage, energy healing, athletic performance, nutrition, injury prevention and post-rehab. She specializes in sports performance, injury prevention and post rehab.

 

But what distinguishes her services, she says, is her holistic approach to movement.

 

“I use a fusion of massage, energy work, intuition and science to guide me in creating the best, most effective programs for each person. My goal for each person is freedom—freedom to say ‘yes’ to any activity they are inspired by, whether hiking, soccer, aerial dance or being able to pick up their grandkids,” Goodrich says. “I want people to trust that their bodies can support the activities they want to do.”

 

Judd Nesmith

[email protected], seriousfitnessboulder.com

 

 

Judd Nesmith has been a gym rat since age 15. He says he fell in love with strength-training at a young age because it helped him overcome a body image complex. Plus, it paid off in a big way while playing football and baseball.

 

“Adhering to an exercise program taught me discipline and consistency. Both of these habits helped me gain some financial freedom as an entrepreneur in my late 20s,” he says.

 

Today, at age 52, he has been a personal trainer since 2001 and has certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a Certified Personal Trainer and Performance Enhancement Specialist and The Online Training Academy as a certified Online Personal Trainer. He runs Serious Fitness out of Judd’s Gym in Gunbarrel at 6285 Lookout Road.

 

He also has an online personal training business that focuses on people ages 50 and older to help them “rebuild a stronger and more youthful-looking physique.”

 

Jason McQueen

[email protected], 303-882-6375, mcfitpt.com

 

 

Jason McQueen has always enjoyed sports, especially the competitive nature of them. He has played it all: soccer, football, track, multiple disciplines of martial arts, rock climbing, volleyball, tennis, snowboarding. He fell in love with the gym as a teenager and it just stuck.

 

Today, he’s been a trainer for more than 25 years, with certifications in sports nutrition, strength coaching and Kinetix Fascial Integration. He is a certified master trainer and has also studied plyometrics, TRX, kettlebell, pre- and post-natal exercising, heart-rate training, injury prevention and recovery and exercising for special populations. McQueen’s home base is Mountain’s Edge Fitness, 555 30th St. in Boulder, but he also offers virtual training and sometimes brings clients to parks around town.

 

Over the past decade, he has grown his experience and knowledge around injury recovery and acute/chronic pain.

 

“I have decades of experience working with many different types of people. I work with professional athletes, weekend warriors and individuals trying to be a better version of themselves,” he says.

 

But above all, to succeed, you should be having fun, McQueen says.

 

“My expertise will create a goal-based program that motivates you every step of the way, making exercise fun and exciting,” he says.

 

Matt Hoskins

[email protected], 303-475-4578, cheetahfit.com

 

 

Matt Hoskins is the owner and head trainer at the Cheetahfit Personal Training Center at 5603 Arapahoe Ave., Unit 5, in Boulder. He’s been a trainer for 25 years, with certifications from ACE, NASM and APEX.

 

His background in sports led him into a career in personal training. He earned three high-school track and field state championships, broke the Colorado State University high-jump record (still unbroken after 33 years) and played Division 1 basketball on a full scholarship. Today, he uses his experience and knowledge to help other athletes improve their sports, as well as help non-athletes improve their general health and fitness.

 

“I encourage people to sit down with me for a one-hour assessment session so they can see for themselves how completely different, thoughtful and effective a personal training experience can and should be,” Hoskins says.

 

Deanna Carlson

[email protected], 303-539-9334, ironworksfitness.net  

 

Deanna Carlson is a personal fitness trainer at Iron Works Fitness, 4660 Broadway in Boulder, and the YMCA of Boulder, 2850 Mapleton Ave., Boulder. Carlson has been interested in health and fitness her whole life and says she is driven by her passion for helping people.

 

“I focus on the mind-body connection and can train any fitness level,” she says.

 

Carlson has a degree in health science and is also certified in fitness training, yoga, aquatics and nutrition coaching. She has been in the health and fitness field for 16 years and says she is always continuing to learn and grow.

 

“Movement is medicine,” Carlson says. “I believe in focusing on the whole person. Well-being, fitness, nutrition and stress management all work together to build a functional, healthy and happy person.”