After years of the same old gym routine, Jason discovered Functional Fitness in 2013 and immediately fell in love—not just with the workout style, but with the friendships and sense of community that came with it. This newfound passion inspired him to build a non-profit aimed at providing a healthy, active social outlet for LGBTQ individuals by providing bootcamps, a run club, and fitness instruction. Combined with his decade of running a successful business, Jason brings his passion for fitness and business experience to fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment to RVAPT. Outside of the gym, Jason is often on his bike, playing sports, or enjoying time outside in any way possible.

Eli is a long-time member of the gym and has enjoyed the ability to ebb and flow between competitive training and “just here to move and sweat” throughout the years. Eli passionately believes that exercise is for everyone and wants to help all people find a way to move, feel healthier, and more confident in their bodies. Eli has helped grow and manage an outpatient mental health therapy practice, and is always continuing to learn about accessibility, barriers, and motivation for all types of health on the macro and micro levels. Outside of work, you can find Eli with their partner and many animals around Richmond. Eli enjoys home renovation projects, a good thriller, and any excuse to be outside.

• Bachelor of Arts from VCU
• NASM Certified Personal Trainer
• NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist
• NASM Behavior Change Specialist
• USAW Level 1
• CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Holder

Heather found fitness at VCU while earning her degree in Art History. She started out with Strength Training, Zumba, and Cycling, and eventually obtained her PT Certification in 2014 before diving into Kickbox Fitness for a few years. Heather found RVA Performance Training in May of 2019 and has loved experiencing the supportive community and personal growth ever since. Fitness is a passion that she uses to connect with and help people - she strives to support others in being healthy, strong, and living their lives as fully as possible!

• MPH in Nutrition
• Bachelors in Kinesiology/Health Sciences
• CrossFit Level 1 Certificate
• Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certification

Kathryn began CrossFit in 2014 to gain a competitive edge as a swimmer. She immediately fell in love with the sport and the community it provided. She received her degree in Kinesiology and Health Sciences from William & Mary. While a student she earned her CrossFit Level 1 Certificate and began coaching in Williamsburg, VA. She holds a Precision Nutrition-L1 certification. As a coach, Kathryn loves working with every person that walks through the door. She strives to keep our members safe and strong so that they can live healthy and fulfilling lives. Kathryn also has her Masters in Public Health in Nutrition from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

• Bachelor’s in Business & Human Resources Management
• Human Resources Certified Professional
• NASM Certified Personal Trainer
• NASM Certified Nutrition Coach
• NASM Integrated Balance Specialist
• ISSA Strength & Conditioning Coach
• PWR!Moves® Instructor

Lauran Martyn is our Personalized Coaching Director and Coach at RVAPT. She brings a wealth of experience, guiding both personal trainers and clients toward their fitness & professional goals. In her previous roles, Lauran managed, developed and expanded Personal Training programs. Prior to becoming a fitness professional, Lauran also excelled in Human Resources, Recruiting, and Retail business management. As the Executive Director of LiftPD, she also champions accessible fitness for those with Parkinson’s disease.

Lauran began her fitness journey in 2013 because she wanted to build healthy habits as an adult. She discovered weight training shortly after and received her personal training certification in 2015.

Hannah found CrossFit in 2017 when she and a couple friends decided to branch out from the group classes offered at the Virginia Tech campus gym. Hannah fell in love with the community at her gym in Blacksburg and got hooked by the challenge that weightlifting offered her. She continued to pursue CrossFit and weightlifting at various gyms throughout the state as she moved around for work since graduating in 2019. Hannah is a new Richmond resident, excited to be starting her Masters in Social Work from VCU. Outside of the gym, Hannah enjoys rock climbing, spending time in nature, practicing photography, and playing pickleball with friends. She's excited to be an active member of the RVAPT community and hopes to help make this place feel more like home for its members!

Angelica reignited her love for self-improvement and community by joining RVAPT in 2018. She trains with the morning barbell crew and is an active RVAWL competitor. She is passionate about event planning, connecting people, and building relationships. Outside of the gym, Angelica is the head of sales at Na Nin, a lifestyle brand based in Richmond. She also enjoys hiking, traveling, and untracked macro days.

• CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Holder
• USAW National Level Coach
• NAS National Competitor 2010 and 2011

Jake started training while he was still a student at VCU looking for new and more effective methods of training. Along with a couple of friends, he started RVA Performance Training out of the backyard of his Fan house in 2007. Jake quickly became enamored with all things strength. He competed in the Strongman from 2008 to 2013, including two appearances at the NAS Nationals (‘10 and ‘11).

Jake started the RVA Weightlifting team and RVA Barbell program to further develop strength athletes and coaches, working with everyone from beginners to national champions.

• CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Holder

Kat has played a variety of sports throughout her life, but started actively training in 2007 while pursuing a Masters of Social Work degree at VCU. Since then she has trained and competed in strongman, olympic weightlifting and CrossFit Regionals in 2010 in the team division. She also has experience training during pregnancy.

Her passion at RVA Performance Training is our female members - encouraging them to push themselves, try new movements and overcome their fears in the gym. She loves watching our members’ confidence grow over time as they become healthier and stronger.

• CrossFit Level 1 and 2 Certificate Holder
• USAW Masters Champion and American Record Holder

Sarah, her husband, and three boys recently moved to RVA from California where Sarah coached weightlifting, CrossFit and group fitness. She is CrossFit L2, USAW L1 certified and a competitive Olympic Weightlifter herself.

Since moving to the east coast, Sarah continues to compete in the sport under her home team SoCal Weightlifting. Sarah enjoys coffee and donuts and is passionate about nutrition and barbells. In fact, she’s so passionate about barbells that she ranked #3 worldwide in the 2018 IWF World Championships and recently took gold at the 2021 Master’s Pan American championships.

• CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Holder

After growing up and playing soccer all his life, fitness has always been in Alex’s blood. After college, Alex joined Boise Crossfit in 2016 and immediately fell in love with the sport. Having tried big box gyms with all sorts of machines and equipment, having the structure and low barrier to entry allowed him to grow and appreciate the sport even more. After moving back to the east coast in 2017 and joining a gym in Northern Virginia, he acquired is L1 and has enjoyed coaching ever since.

Alex works hard to acknowledge and understand what drives each individual member, so you will often see him socializing with people around the gym, always with a smile on his face. His passion to see individual growth and development in everyone who walks in is what keeps him coming back to coach each class!

• NASM Certified Personal Trainer

Heather joined RVAPT in 2021 to supplement her marathon training with strength training and was inspired by the endless support and motivation from the gym’s community. Recognizing the impact RVA coaches and members had on her own fitness journey, she became determined to extend that same level of motivation and encouragement to others by becoming an instructor. She is passionate about the impact exercise has beyond physical fitness. She believes it can be a powerful catalyst for mental and emotional health. Outside of the gym, she’s on a run, crocheting, or hanging with her bulldog, Hank.

• CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Holder

Megan grew up as an athlete and always wanted to try CrossFit but was intimidated by the space. After an ACL reconstruction in 2020, she finally started her CrossFit journey at Solidarity Crossfit in Charlottesville. She immediately fell in love with the sport and particularly enjoyed the inclusivity and feeling of community. Feeling strong and fit is important to Megan’s mental (and physical) health and she loves encouraging others to find what makes them feel most capable too. Megan moved to Richmond and joined RVAPT in the summer of 2023 and recently got her L1 to start coaching.

• CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Holder

  Eli joined the gym in 2016 and after 7 years of being a community member, took the leap into coaching. Eli loves participating in Performance Training, RVAFit, Barbell, and local competitions throughout the years, and is excited to have transitioned to the coaching side and to be connecting with members in a new way. You can find Eli coaching Fit, Performance, and LiftPD. Outside of the gym, Eli is an outpatient mental health therapist. Eli shares that they are excited to be able to focus on complete and holistic health between their two jobs.

• NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
• B.S. Exercise Science: Strength & Conditioning from Ithaca College (2019)
• USAW Level 1 Certified

Maddie started lifting in high school to improve their performance in cross country and track. They fell in love with it and competed in their first powerlifting meet at 18 years old. Maddie has been coaching since 2017. Their expertise draws from a formal education in exercise science, as well as experience competing in and coaching powerlifting, olympic weightlifting, and strongman.

They split their time coaching at The Weight Room and RVA Performance Training. You’ll find them at RVAPT weightlifting, coaching Barbell and Barbell Basics, or working 1-on-1 with clients. When they’re not at the gym, Maddie is at home with their partner and 5 cats. They spend most of their free time outside biking, going on walks, or birdwatching.

• CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Holder

Anj has been dabbling in CrossFit since 2009.  In 2021, Anj joined RVA Performance Training and enjoys the variety of classes offered and the lighthearted atmosphere. She likes to supplement her training with long bike rides when it is warm, trail runs when it is cold, and to keep it constantly varied, an occasional paddleboard adventure. Anj decided to become a coach because she enjoys helping others move more efficiently…and also so she can pick the playlist.

• Masters in Exercise Physiology
• NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
• Pain Free Performance Specialist
• Certified Prenatal and Postpartum Coach
• Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist

Karli has always been active in sports and played softball for the University of Virginia. After her
softball career, she explored many different forms of fitness, including 5 years at CrossFit
Charlottesville. Karli began working as an Exercise Physiologist in Cardiopulmonary Rehab and
moved into personal training full time in 2021.
In 2017, she was injured in a car accident and fitness helped her find her way back both physically
and mentally. As a coach, she is passionate about helping others find resilience through fitness to
improve their lives both in and out of the gym. Karli loves guiding clients through exercise limitations
in order to achieve their goals and increase their overall capacity and performance. When she is
not in the gym, she enjoys cycling and hiking with her husband and two Australian shepherds,
Murphy and Penny.

• USAW Level 1 Coach
  
• Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
  
• Board-Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy (OCS)

Chad is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, Weightlifting Coach, and active Weightlifter and is able to bring all of those perspectives to his work with clients. He understands the context of competing in strength sports and the demands of training, which enables him to provide quality coaching and care to his coaching and rehab clients.Outside of coaching weightlifting at RVAPT, Chad owns and operates Darksteel Strength, a Physical Therapy practice offering rehab primarily within the niches of Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit.He currently contributes a quarterly “Doctor’s Office” column for the newsletter titled “The Program” produced by the Virginia Weightlifting organization.Chad, his wife Jen, their son Henry, and their daughter Ruby currently reside in the city of Richmond and enjoy all of the benefits of urban life. Outside of family time, Chad spends much of his time training, reading, and continuing to strive for the longest beard his genetics will allow.

• Bachelors in Business VCU
• NASM CPT
• Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified

Marques’ has been a personal trainer for five years in the Richmond area since he decided to pursue fitness full time after he graduated from VCU. It was during his time at school that he immersed himself into what fitness had to truly offer by learning how to turn it into a lifestyle by improving personal development not only within the gym, but most of all, outside of it. Marques’ focuses primarily on weight loss, functional strength training and improving self confidence. It’s his belief that the general population that seek fitness professionals for guidance towards their goals, simply want to have the ability to move efficiently, have the energy to socialize with their families and overall feel better about themselves. He prides himself on having the ability to simplify complex training theories in ways that clients can learn at their pace and understand how to think for themselves so that they can feel confident about what they are going to accomplish.

• ACE Certified Personal Trainer
• ACE Certified Functional Training Specialist

• NASM Certified Personal Trainer
• NASM Certified Nutrition Coach
• NASM Integrated Balance Specialist
• ISSA Strength & Conditioning Coach
• PWR!Moves® Instructor
• USAPL Powerlifting Coach

Lauran began her fitness journey in 2013 because she wanted to build healthy habits as an adult. She discovered weight training shortly after and received her personal training certification in 2015.
Lauran was a competitive bodybuilder for 4 years but was really burnt out by all of the extreme measures in the sport & in the fitness industry. In 2019 she started working with the barbell & strength training & worked on improving her relationship with food & her body. She is now a competitive Olympic Weightlifter and Powerlifter.
Lauran is passionate about helping women gain confidence in and out of the gym through education based guidance and support. She believes in being your compass throughout your fitness journey while you steer your ship.
Lauran is also the Executive Director of LiftPD, a Non-profit providing Free Exercise classes for those with Parkinson’s disease.

• ISSA Certified Personal Trainer

Will found his passion for fitness while serving in the Army. After leaving the military, Will wanted to continue to develop his strengths and skills in the gym. After working out at RVAPT and being inspired by the environment, he decided to pursue personal training and coaching. Will gained his ISSA certification through the University of Health and Performance in the Fall of 2023.

• Bachelors of Science in Business Administration
• Masters of Science in Sport Admin
• NASM Certified Personal Trainer
• USAFH Level 2 Coaching Certification

Katherine has been involved in sports since the beginning. Once she graduated from being a two sport athlete in college, she found her way to CrossFit while completing her studies for her Masters in Sport Administration.

She recently moved from Massachusetts to RVA to coach at VCU with the field hockey team. Katherine enjoys coaching to help people acknowledge their physical & mental strengths as well as journey to becoming the human they want to be. Outside of coaching, Katherine balances the time outdoors with family, friends, and moving her own body while finding the time to rest & get to know the community around RVA.