Hello everyone! My name is Roberto Scimonelli. I was born in Hartford, Connecticut into a Sicilian family. I have always been physically active from a very young age as I played different team sports, especially Baksetball, and used to follow along with old Aerobics and body sculpting tapes even when I was a small child (approximately 3-5 years old). By the time I was eleven years old I started training Martial Arts intensively as I took up Wushu/Kung Fu (Chinese Martial Arts). By the time I was in my middle teenage years, I made the decision to pursue a career in the realm of Health/Fitness, Sport Performance, Coaching and Martial Arts. the choice was not easy, as I had other areas of interest as well but it made the most sense because Martial Arts and Fitness had been my main passion in life and my family's own poor health history inspired me to make a difference in the world the way I knew best. I later graduated with a degree in Sport and Exercise Science from Barry University and explored various other forms of Combat Sports training such as Boxing, Wrestling, Muay Thai, Brazilian Ju Jitsu and MMA to blend with my Kung Fu techniques. Along the way I experimented with many different styles of training including weight lifting, calisthenics, Yoga,  Qi Gong, speed and agility training, plyometrics, animal flow movements, swimming, biking, rowing and walk/jog programs. I currently reside in Hialeah, Florida and look forward to sharing my knowledge and experience with you all during this trying and uncertain time. 

My favorite exercise

I do not have a favorite exercise as their are so many great ones to choose from that serve different, yet equally important purposes. My favorite strength exercise is the deadlift because it is so important to build the body's foundational strength and stability within the core and lower body. For cardio I love sparring and hitting the heavy bag as I am a Martial Artist. My favorite exercise for flexibility and mobility is Yoga as it effectively stretches all connective tissues in the body and promotes alignment, traction and decompression in the spine when done correctly.

My training philosophy

I believe that all training should suit a purpose. There needs to be a reason for what you are doing when you exercise that is guided by specific goals, abilities and limitations. I am a huge advocate of functional training that is based on our body's primal movement patterns and thus generally prefer full-body training which focuses on multiple joints and muscle groups rather than targeting only one or a pair of muscle groups in one day. Additionally, I strongly urge that training is designed to have a "carry-over" effect to an individual's daily life or sports they participate in. Lastly, training should become something that is fun and enjoyable for a person. This can be done by viewing one's endeavors in fitness as an exciting journey where they are constantly trying and learning new things and using multiple disciplines to keep their efforts sustainable.