MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS

MARYANNE BLAKE

Maryanne Blake has been a leader in the fitness industry for the past 15 years. Her workouts and fitness advice have been featured in many magazine publications including, Shape Mademoiselle, Gotham Fitness magazine, the Boston Globe, and The Improper Bostonian.  She has trained professional athletes and actors and has earned the reputation as a no-nonsense coach and trainer interested in science and results!

Maryanne earned Instructor of the Year in 2018 for Equinox health clubs and in 2019 Maryanne was ranked in the top three for classes visited most often in the Northeast. Maryanne is a nationally certified trainer with a degree in exercise physiology and remains dedicated to fitness and higher education. Fitness is an industry that continues to evolve and her dedication to her craft resonates in her relationships with clients as well as colleagues as she serves as a mentor to those coming up in fitness.

Maryanne says, “My philosophy is simple: movement should serve a purpose, workouts should have a focus and intention, and wherever you are in your fitness journey acceptance is crucial.

Movement. Intention. Acceptance.”

ALI GREENE

Ali Greene is a nationally certified advanced Pilates and fitness instructor, certified Functional Training Specialist & Nutrition coach. She also holds 2 pre-postnatal exercise specialist certifications among others. She has over 10+ years of education and experience in the fitness industry and she's been training & coaching thousands of students in the Boston community working both independently and for several top-ranked health clubs and studios.

At the core of her brand is the importance of offering inspiration, motivation, and empowerment through group fitness classes, private training, special events, and social media. She's well known for her energetic, fun, yet tough and disciplined teaching style as well as her innovative and challenging classes. She’s a PUMA TeamFaster sponsored athlete and in 2019, she was recognized as the top group fitness instructor for Equinox.

Her training philosophy centers around the idea that every movement experience should balance knowledge, connection, effort, and exploration of one’s own body in space. Ali says, “We may not be training for a specific event or sport, but we are always training for our best performance in life —how we show up, move and feel daily both for ourselves and for the ones we love.”

 

BRANDON KOLAR

Brandon Kolar is a personal trainer and studio owner that has excelled at the highest levels in many of the top training facilities in the US. He has trained people for well over 30,000 hours and has been selected as a top US trainer.

Physical coaching has always been a part of Brandon’s life. His father was a trainer during his years in Chiropractic college, before trainers existed. His father’s knowledge of the musculo-skeletal system helped him optimize people’s movement and physique. Brandon has been in the gym since he was 13 and has been helping people live better lives ever since.  Recently he has been working with the  “40isthenew20” club; a group that showcases the fact that age is merely a number and people can still look and perform as if they are in their 20’s, while being near 50.

Brandon has worked with people of all ages, shapes and sizes. His role is to help people to optimize and connect their mental and physical wellness through greater flexibility, mobility, strength, and guidance on proper nutrition.

Brandon says, “People who recognize they may no longer be in peak form seek to equilibrate back to a higher level of health look to me for help. No matter your stage of development, from someone who has not been to a gym in a decade to someone who is a professional gymnast or bodybuilder, the goal is always to raise the bar, safely and enjoyably so that you can take your wellness to the next level!”

ERIC PODDENBURG

Eric Poggenburg is a Performance Coach located in the Boston MA area. He was a four-year college football athlete and received his Bachelor's Degree from St. Cloud State University. He went on to play professional football for about 3 years. Eric has also interned at Harvard University Strength & Conditioning.

Eric is originally from Cedarburg, Wisconsin where he was an only child raised by his “bada$$ single mom.” He is also a self-proclaimed “HUGE nerd” on the inside.

Eric says, “Train Like An Athlete... There's a reason they look the way they do. There's a reason why they can do the things they do. They MOVE the best! So why not train like them!”