Resilient Fitness recently had the pleasure of welcoming Esiah to our personal training staff. He is an electrifying combination of athletic ability and personal training expertise.
Esiah received his Master Trainer Certification from the International Sports Science Association (ISSA) in 2009 and has been working as a professional personal trainer ever since. ISSA’s Master Trainer program equips graduates with a comprehensive foundation of both the science and practice of personal training, fitness nutrition, and fitness programming for special populations.
Esiah also has a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Oklahoma and a year of chiropractic experience. He has worked with a wide variety of clients with many different fitness needs including weight loss, strength and conditioning, injury prevention, wellness coaching, and endurance training.
Athletics are an important part of Esiah’s healthy lifestyle. He has competed in both freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. His training style draws from his extensive background in the martial arts, which includes Jeet Kune Do, Shaolin Ru, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Wing Chun Kung Fu. He credits his ability to adopt multiple training styles to the discipline of the martial arts. Esiah believes that martial arts are a way of living and how to express oneself physically.
In addition to his role as a personal trainer at Resilient Fitness, he works with patients for weight management at Wellington Regional Medical Center.
Talking With Esiah
Q: How does your athletic background and martial arts training influence how you work with your personal training clients?
A: It helps me adapt to what they’re feeling at the time, especially in managing pain and working the muscle. It has also given me an understanding of how capable the body is to respond to stress, and to the different demands of rehabilitation after injury and illnesses such as diabetes. I primarily work with people who have issues due to injuries from sports or accidents.
For example, I volunteer with an organization called Young Stroke Survivors in order to help young stroke victims recover their physical capabilities. I also have a client who has a steel rod in her spine from a car accident. It’s been two years since her accident and she’s now able to do 50 lb. squats. I’m very proud of her.
Q: What is your philosophy of training, health, and wellness?
A: I believe that motivation only gets you through the door. Once you’re there, it’s all about CDS: commitment, discipline, and strong habits. I require my clients and fitness class participants to repeat this in every session.
Q: What do you love most about your work?
A: My clients. I love building a relationship with them where the word “client” becomes “family”. I also love to get very involved in my community, especially at the gym where everyone is willing to help everyone else. I’ve been doing this for 11 years. I have clients who go on to be trainers themselves. The best thing I ever did was to invest in this career.