Anand is one of the OG KPers. Mario and him have been working together before Kinetic Playground opened its doors. He had incredible things to say about Mario and the process he's undergone leading up to his shoot just last month.
Summer: It's been 7 years, what made you want to go for personal training in the first place and how did you find Mario?
Anand: Few reasons. I had played club sports in college and that entailed lifting but I didn't know anything about form. And I had grown up seeing family friends get hurt from lifting with improper technique. That was really important to me was to make sure I was lifting with correct form. And I didn't feel like watching YouTube videos was going to be good enough. The other reason I wanted to work with a personal trainer is because I was underweight. Different story for most folks. I wanted to gain weight. That's when I initially thought about a personal trainer. I thought about Crossfit and quickly realized that was a surefire way to get injured because it doesn't focus on your form.
What really helped sell Mario to me was his personal story. Hearing how he'd been injured a ton in college and he managed to work himself out of that. To go from having a 20 percent chance of walking ever again to inspire others is exciting and inspiring to me. Seeing his experience both from understanding how to lift and his background in kinesiology and then also his own story really sold me.
He had this vibe that just fit. I still joke about it now, where it's KP vibes right. It's staying loose and having fun but pushing me to get stronger. And it's the right balance of fun and push. So you can go to places where it's push push push till you vomit or place where you don't get pushed and it's all talk. Mario is that perfect balance.
Summer: So fast forward, lets say like a year in how did you feel about personal training?
Anand: I felt great! I put on 15lbs of muscle and that's pretty much what I wanted and so since then it's been maintenance.
Knowing that I have Mario on my team. He's part of my support team to help make me feel my best and push me and inspire me to be my best. There's a reason I've been here for 7 years.
Thank you Anand for taking the time to share your story and to smile for the camera!! We appreciate your dedication not only to us, but it's so inspiring to see your commitment to yourself and your future.