Ben is a certified personal trainer through American Council on Exercise. He holds a Bachelors degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in business where he also competed on the Track and Cross Country teams.

Ben loves to share his passion for fitness with clients and help them increase their energy, become more fit, and reach their personal goals. He enjoys the variety of working with a diverse group of clients. He challenges them with balance, coordination, and strength exercises that meet their specific fitness needs. His philosophy is to work smarter, not harder; maximizing the valuable time exercising and staying balanced through appropriate rest.

Ben has over 10 years of experience coaching high school and collegiate athletes in Cross Country and Track & Field. He is an avid runner and cyclist, competing in a variety of competitive events since he was a youngster and holds personal records of 4:29 for the mile, 16:00 for the 5K and 2:50 for the marathon. He personally enjoys anything active and outdoors, especially yoga, kayaking, snowboarding, fishing and travel.

Q&A with Ben Van Male

Q. How long have you been a personal trainer?
A. Just over one year.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I have an extremely varied clientele, from mid 20s to mid 70s and very athletic to just starting out in a fitness program. I enjoy the challenges of it all, from training someone to run a marathon, to taking their first steps into living an active lifestyle.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I have coached cross country and track & field for 13 years and have always been a book nerd that wanted to study what all the great coaches and athletes are doing to become better both physically and mentally. My style is based on that background, my ACE training and continued thirst for knowledge about what great trainers are doing.

Q. What can a new client expect?
A. Every client is different, but I use some variety of resistance training, cardio, plyometric, and balance work to some degree with everyone. I am attentive and use progress and regress exercises throughout the workout to create a challenging, yet fun and varied workout.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. Natural running and the advantages of getting out of these big chunky shoes that have been marketed to people for way too long!

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. I want to avoid lower back pain after having some overuse injuries a few months ago that have kept my running moderated and more appreciative of the powers of yoga and stretching. I want to run some track races and break a 16 year old personal record of mine in the 800 meter (half mile). I’d like to work on more speedwork, getting stronger and staying healthy.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. The lakefront and Lake Drive all the way up to Port Washington, running and biking is beautiful and there are so many active people along the way. Also, a hidden gem is the Milwaukee River, especially between Hampton and North Ave, where there are awesome biking, hiking and running trails that are convenient to exercise in a very quiet space.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. Nessun Dorma is a low key restaurant with terrific food and friendly staff.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. Running, biking and fishing. Running and biking keep me healthy and are a big part of who I am. I don’t get out fishing that often, but it’s a great way to slow down and get away from my hectic life.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. Yoga or reading a book at a coffee shop.

Elina has a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from UW-Parkside and is an ACSM certified personal trainer. She has always had a passion for health and wellness and believes that joy, energy and overall health starts with fitness. Elina successfully completed the Lakefront Marathon and has a goal to complete a Half-Ironman in Madison, WI.

Elina is excited about sharing her passion with others to help them live fulfilling and healthy lives. She develops individualized training sessions for her clients and brings positive energy, fun and joy to each session. Whether your goal is to lose weight, gain muscle or just for overall well-being, Elina will listen and support you throughout your journey. We all start somewhere, so take the step to leading a brighter and healthier life!

Q&A with Elina Maki
Q. How long have you been a Personal Trainer?
A. I have been a personal trainer since September 2016.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I specialize in functional strength training and interval training.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. Many of the activities in our everyday lives such as carrying groceries, getting out of the car and bending down to get laundry require us to have the strength to perform these basic core movements. Many of us may have a weak area of our body that limits these everyday tasks and makes them feel difficult. Incorporating interval training with strength training movements helps us to get an effective exercise in a short amount of time. Through my own practice I have adopted the belief that by performing exercises that mimic daily tasks at a higher intensity we can lead healthy, strong and happy lives.

Q. What can a new client expect?
A. New clients can expect to have an individualized session based around their specific goals. Each workout will include strength training, interval training as well as core and mobility work. Clients can also expect to sweat and have fun! It is my hope that they will leave the gym feeling stronger, more confident and with knowledge that they can use for a lifetime.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. Primal movements and functional training.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. My goal always is to challenge myself to be the strongest that I can be both physically and mentally. To be the strongest physically, I incorporate a lot of high-intensity strength training by including functional and multi-joint exercises. On the other hand, it is hard to accomplish this goal when I am not mentally strong. I try to dedicate myself to a couple minutes of silence each morning and a gentle yoga class two times per week.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. Atwater Park

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. Simple Cafe. l love it because the ingredients are local and the dishes are simple, yet delicious!

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. Run, experiment with healthy recipes and make homemade beauty products.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. Take a walk by the lake, meditate, read, drink hot tea or write in my journal!

Garrett is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and is also an American Council on Exercise certified personal trainer. He holds a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology-exercise science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master of science degree in kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Garrett has been a personal trainer and CSCS since 2003. His work experience includes an internship with the Milwaukee Brewers as assistant to the strength and conditioning coordinator, group exercise leader at the University of Wisconsin Health Sports Medicine Fitness Center and recreational sports supervisor for the University of Wisconsin Intramural Department.

Q&A with Garrett Van Auken

Q. How long have you been a personal trainer and certified strength & conditioning specialist?
A. Since 2003.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I specialize in functional strength, core work and multi-joint exercises.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I realized quickly that functional and multi-joint exercises allowed me to get more “bang for my buck” while working out. I was able to hit many more muscle groups in the same amount of time as standard, single joint exercises. Plus, knowing that a majority of my clients would NOT be professional athletes, functional training allowed me to impact their everyday lives.

Q. What can a new client expect?
A. Obviously to work hard. I typically hit a lot more exercises with more variety than a lot of other personal trainers out there.

Q. What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. More people and trainers are continuing to focus more on functional training. Also combining modalities, such as yogalates and cardio kickboxing, is becoming a hot trend.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. I have always had a hard time putting on weight. People are probably going to get mad at me for saying this, but I’m pretty much the same weight since high school. So my goals are putting on 5-10 healthy pounds by continuing to lift weights and eating well.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. For me personally, you can’t beat Bradford Beach on a perfect summer day.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. I’m a fan of food, so I have a favorite Italian place, sushi place, etc. So way too many restaurants to name here.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. I’m big into sports. HUGE Badgers and Brewers fan so I’ll go to a lot and watch a lot of their games. As for me participating, I play volleyball, kickball, and softball. I’m also a runner so I’ll enter a lot of 5k and 10k races. Also in the past couple of years I’ve added miscellaneous races such as the Navy SEAL challenge, the Tough Mudder, the Warrior Dash, etc.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. Nothing seems to work better than exercise and some good music while I’m working out. If it’s after a long day, I just like to go home and take off my shoes.

Katie is an ACSM Personal Trainer and TRX Level II Trainer. With each client, she has learned that a quality fitness routine carves the path to everything people want in life. More joy? Begin with fitness. More energy? Begin with fitness. Less pain? Begin with fitness. Focus at work? You get the idea! Her philosophy is that improving total wellness will open each client’s life to new opportunities and unimagined successes.

Katie’s energetic, thoughtful and creative approach to designing individual programs comes from an understanding of what it’s like to feel unhealthy. While taking care of others comes naturally, taking care of herself used to settle low on the priority list. Over time, her weight increased as her mind to body connection decreased. It was group fitness classes, yoga and massage that reconnected her to energy, strength and joy! In the five years Katie has been training, her knowledge and connection to fitness has allowed her to move clients toward goals in a way that is specific to their needs.

Katie works with each client to determine individual goals, abilities, experience, available time, budget and desires. She’ll provide positive, creative, focused sessions and integrate ideas for complete wellness into individual training programs. Start today and get to know the joy that movement brings into your life!

Q&A with Katie Hunt
Q. How long have you been a personal trainer?
A. Five incredible years.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I specialize in making fitness fun. My specialties include bodyweight training and TRX suspension training.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. I believe in challenging myself to do things I’m afraid of. Believe it or not, it used to be the gym! Thankfully, when I began taking group fitness and yoga classes, I was welcomed, challenged and pushed in a supportive environment where I made countless new friends and built a better life! I’m here to bring that same experience to each person I cross paths with.

Q. What can a new client expect?
A. New clients can expect a carefully crafted session, an introduction to tools they can use for a lifetime and the satisfaction that comes from feeling strong and successful. Clients can also expect me to hold myself to high standards and be a constant source of up-to-date wellness information.

Q.What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. It is incredible to see the fitness industry gearing up to teach people the importance of a mind and body experience. While I can teach anyone to squat, it is in connecting the brain to the muscle that makes the magic happen!

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. My top three goals are to balance high intensity workouts with a restorative practice, be able to do a freestanding handstand and spend seven minutes a day in silence. I attend a minimum of one restorative or yin yoga session per week, practice one or more of my handstand progressions daily and simply unplug my devices and set a timer for seven unplugged minutes in the morning. My planner has a chart to track each goal!

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. I love Atwater Park! The view of our lake, the amazing set of stairs, the quiet beach in the morning and the fun playground all make this my go-to spot for outdoor workouts and relaxing.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. Beans N Barley is my spot! Variety, local, great people, healthy choices, smart portion sizes and reasonable prices all make this my favorite for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. Cartwheels, Aerial Yoga and creating simple five ingredient recipes.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. Inversions, reading, acupuncture and thai massage are my top ways to de-stress.

Robert’s fascination with fitness started in the summer before freshman year in high school. That year Robert experienced a rapid growth spurt of six inches. The coaches wanted him to play sports because he was tall but because of his growth spurt he was very uncoordinated. His training started with weight-lifting, running cross country and training with the wrestling team. These activities helped him build movement awareness and increase his size, speed and strength. His training was so successful he went on to be a walk-on player for the University of Illinois football team!

With his degree in Industrial Design, Robert worked for a company designing fitness equipment. He was there for 11 years and came to appreciate that our bodies are the best designed pieces of fitness equipment. He left to attend the National Personal Training Institute. While there, he developed his philosophy, ‘Choose to move well, move often and challenge your body everyday’. His primary training approach uses full body, primal movements with resistance as well as other other unique methods, to help his clients move and feel better.

Q&A with Robert McDonial

Q. How long have you been a personal trainer?
A. I have been a personal trainer/fitness coach for five years. Before becoming a personal trainer, I designed fitness equipment.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I specialize in body weight and non-machine based training. You can accomplish strength, endurance and hypertrophy goals with your own body weight. I prefer to use kettlebells, sandbags, superbands, the TRX Suspension Trainer and the Rip Trainer when I do use equipment.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. Having designed fitness equipment for 10+ years, I saw how people routinely discarded the equipment shortly after buying it. I also so how people became frustrated waiting for occupied gym equipment and being unable to take the equipment with them while traveling. I quickly realized that there was one piece of equipment, that everyone had: their own body. They just did not know how to use it. I began to learn and teach myself various types of body weight training, so I could show others how to use the ultimate training machine, their own body.

Q. What can a new client expect?
A. A new client can expect to receive a full assessment with an explanation of the findings and a road map for the fulfillment of their needs and goals. Clients will also be challenged to safely step out of there comfort zone.

Q.What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. I like that primal/natural movement is catching on. If you can control your body, then you can control external loads and reduce your chance of injury. I also like that tools such a as kettlebells and sand bags, are starting to get programmed into training regimens.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. My current personal wellness goals are to bulletproof my body from injury and to improve my handstands. I practice primal movement patterns to activate my entire body so I can move well and with intention. I also practice my inversions a little bit everyday.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. I love being in and around water, so any place along the lakefront is perfect for me. If I had to choose one place, then it would be Atwater park in Shorewood. Not only is it a beautiful view of Lake Michigan and the beach below, but the stairs and the walkway are ideal for training.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. Having lived in Florida, I love seafood, so I like Screaming Tuna for their sushi. I have heard that the Harbor House has excellent seafood, so I’m going to have to try them out sometime. Occasionally, I will go to Kopps for a burger and custard. You can’t eat perfectly all the time, haha!

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. My three favorite things to do are going to auto shows, visiting unique architecture-both residential and commercial, and watching movies at the theater.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
To de-stress, I love to listen to music while taking long walks with my dog.

For as long as he can remember, health, fitness and wellness have been a key component of Zack’s life and personal mission. He has been involved for several years in sports including basketball and volleyball, and is passionate about triathlons and mud run/obstacle course races such as the Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash. Zack believes a lifelong wellness and fitness journey should be fun, varied and never boring. In his personal training programming, he utilizes a combination of strength and cardiovascular training, spin, yoga, TRX and core to create a unique, engaging workout to keep the body and mind challenged and continuing to grow.

Zack’s training philosophy is that of balancing a 4-legged table that is comprised of mind, body, emotion and soul, each component helping to keep the table of health in balance. If one of these legs becomes unstable or is missing, our health becomes unstable.

Zack focuses on having clients open up their hearts, minds and souls to the amazing thing their bodies can do. After a session, the client is recharged, refreshed and revitalized and ready to go out into the world with confidence in their growing and evolving health and wellness.

Zack is an AFAA certified personal trainer and group exercise instructor, Mad Dogg Athletics certified spin instructor, and is Yoga Fit certified. He enjoys the variety of several forms of exercise and encourages his clients (no matter what chapter of their lives or fitness journeys they find themselves in) to branch out and try something new; creating balance and breathing passion into their lives.

Q&A with Zack Ferguson
Q. How long have you been a personal trainer?
A. Since 2015, but I have been working with clients in group exercise classes and small group formats since 2011.

Q. What areas do you specialize in?
A. I specialize in interval training, alternating between cardio, strength and core exercises as well as yoga based alignment, flexibility and balance exercises.

Q. What brought you to your current style of practice?
A. My current style of practice, interval training, has developed from our society’s need to get an effective, efficient and complete workout in a limited amount of time.

Q. What can a new client expect?
A. A new client can expect a customized workout designed to meet the goals and needs of the client. Based on my background in spin, yoga, TRX, strength, kickboxing, interval training and core the workouts will continue to be fresh, innovative and challenging but always a good time with my unique personality blend of humor mixed into your session.

Q.What recent industry trends have you found most noteworthy?
A. Making workouts fun, engaging and social. Gone are the days when the only way to get fit were to go for a walk/run or lift free weights or just use machines. Individuals are now more apt to break out of their comfort zones and try new things to stay active: yoga, TRX, fitness interval training and mud runs/fun runs. Challenging the body and mind with new innovating workouts keeps the individual engaged and growing in their fitness.

Q. What are your current personal wellness goals and how are you addressing them?
A. Taking time for my workouts, yoga and mindfulness apart from teaching. Being a personal trainer/group exercise instructor can consume you and leave you feeling empty if you are not careful. For me, taking classes as a student is important so I can refill and pour into my clients when I am teaching and training.

Q. What is your favorite beautiful spot in Milwaukee?
A. The lighthouse just south of the Marcus Amphitheater looking back towards downtown.

Q. What is your favorite place to eat in Milwaukee?
A. Screaming Tuna

Q. What are your top three favorite things to do/hobbies?
A. Playing guitar and writing music, any form of exercise and spending time with friends and family.

Q. What do you do to de-stress?
A. Unplug from the world and technology and get out into nature!