Equinox members share how partnering with a coach helped them reach health and fitness goals amid setbacks.
Forged at Equinox is a series highlighting an Equinox member’s foray into a new workout regimen, with help from an expert coach. The following conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Despite popular belief, partnering with an Equinox COACH isn’t just for fitness beginners who need hands-on instruction. While these members can certainly benefit from a coach, so can high-performing individuals who want personalized programming to progress toward lofty goals, people requiring external accountability to stay on track, and members looking for exercise guidance after an injury.
But a coach isn’t just a built-in workout partner — they can be a mentor, confidant, and, over time, even a close friend. Ahead, three Equinox members share their experiences working with Club coaches, from goal setting and programming workouts to building lasting relationships.
Photo Credit: Katelyn Kopenhaver
Arianne and Su
Arianne was never much of a fitness enthusiast. The 24-year-old felt the local gyms were intimidating, and she didn’t jibe well with the middle-aged, male personal trainer she worked with on occasion. But after witnessing other women lift heavy weights over the last few years, she decided to take her well-being and exercise routine more seriously, she says.
“I wanted to start living a healthier lifestyle, change my day-to-day habits, and grow as a person,” Arianne recalls. “That involves going to the gym, but I just didn't know how to implement that in my own life.”
Her top priority: Finding a coach to whom she could relate — a young woman with the strength she dreamed of having herself, she says. And Su Hninyi, Su Hninyi, a COACH + whom she met at Equinox Brickell in Miami, fit the bill. Two years ago, Arianne couldn’t deadlift an unloaded barbell. Now, she’s banging out eight reps of 225 pounds, says Su.
Just as importantly, Su’s training program has helped minimize Arianne’s joint pain. “I used to have knee pain and hip pain, and with Su, I've been able to work up to the point where I'm squatting and deadlifting heavy,” Arianne says. “[Before Su,] if I went to the gym with anyone else, I would have to stop because it hurt so much. Su knew specifically how to train my body.”
Seeing this growth first-hand has also kept Su motivated as a coach. “Two years ago, when Ari couldn't even pick up a weight, and now she’s just going super heavy and feeling so empowered and strong — that pushes me and really makes me remember why I love being a trainer,” she says.
Here, Arianne and Su share what it’s like starting a fitness routine from scratch, how they push each other to continue progressing, and the powerful relationship they have in and out of the Club.
When you first began training together, what did your fitness program look like?
Su: Ari’s goals were just to be stronger, look better aesthetically, and just be fitter. She mentioned her knee and hip pain — a lot of things were bothering her — so I knew I needed to program some rehab. With the initial FMS [Functional Movement Screen], I saw some ways that she wasn't really able to move well, but she was young. I always told her, “You're so young. You don't want to be in any pain because it's only going to get worse when you get older. So let's try to be able to get to where you want to be without having to feel like you're falling apart.”
Su: I programmed corrective exercises for her but also strength training, trying to get her to do the basics — learning how to do a basic squat with proper core [engagement], proper mobility, and without feeling the knee pain. The beginning was very, very basic and very simple so she could learn how to use her body in the way that she wanted to use it. From there, we've been going up and progressing over the last two years.
Arianne: I was never a huge fitness person, so the first month, Su would have me doing step-ups and I would just get impatient. I was like, “I want to start heavy lifting right now.” I thought I was going to see results immediately because of social media. Building momentum took a while, but it's just been smooth sailing from there. Su programmed me with some mobility days and some conditioning days just to get my body moving better.
What’s your approach to personal training, and how did that play out with Arianne?
Su: I have clients who are 15 years old, in the middle of their 20s, and in their 70s and 80s. My approach is, no matter how old you are, you should always do some kind of strength training. I really believe that strength training is the overall best way to just keep yourself strong, support your bones and your joints, help with weight loss, and just make you feel overall better about yourself. If you want to go heavier, then I push you a little bit more. Everybody gets some kind of strength training — it may be a bit different depending on your injuries, how your body moves, and how old you are.
Su: If somebody comes with an injury or some kind of rehab that they need, I try to make that a priority. With Ari, it was knee pain. For months, we were trying to make sure that we didn't feel the knee ever. We warmed it up properly and we did exercises to help strengthen it. After a few months went by, she was like, “I don't feel it anymore and I feel great.” That's the goal: having pain-free training.
Ari: [When I told my previous trainer,] “Hey, this hurts when I try to squat this certain way,” instead of like fixing it, he would say, “Okay, then just avoid it” or “Do something else.” That's why I needed someone that was going to help me. Su started teaching me mobility work and doing certain things before and after a workout to warm up. I would get impatient, but having her walk me through everything — and not just telling me to do something, but also telling me the reason behind it — helped me understand how it’s all part of the process. We do at least one session a week, and I still ask her to check my form and [confirm] I’m doing the exercise correctly. Her method of training suits me perfectly.
What personal growth have you seen throughout your time together?
Ari: When I started working with Su, I was on a plane at least once a month, and I wasn't trying to find gyms or keep my eating clean. We both went through some life-changing experiences not too long ago, and they forced us to both put our heads down and grind it out. All the PRs have happened within the past four to six months. I feel like I'm looking and feeling the best that I've ever been.
Su: I met Ari when she was 22, and she's growing right in front of my eyes, not only in the gym, where she's getting super strong physically, but also in the mental aspects. She's so much more focused on herself, but before she was really focused on other people. We both tend to give ourselves to other people a lot, and we don't get the same back. Or we focus our priorities on other people but then we forget to prioritize ourselves. Now, she's finally able to focus on herself, focus on where she wants to be in the gym, how she wants to look, and how she wants to feel mentally.
How would you describe your relationship, both in and out of the Club?
Su: I had a traumatic car accident last October that left me with third-degree burns, and I couldn't walk for months. I was out of work for months — I was in the hospital, getting surgery for my skin and my burns — and I had to start from scratch. But I didn't know how to deal with it because my whole life was lifting weights and moving. When I finally started to get back to work, Ari had also come back, and we were both starting again. We were able to motivate each other and be there for each other, like, you can push through and do this, let's stay consistent, let's keep helping each other. We're able to motivate each other and help each other out during our traumatic experiences.
Ari: She's my trainer, but I tell Su everything, and I consider her one of my friends. We're always DMing each other on Instagram, either videos of food or different gyms. She knows my motivations and my aspirations, and not just in fitness. Training with Su — and I'm not even saying this to exaggerate — actually changed my life in so many ways. The gym is now the place that I like to go to to clear my mind, and I wouldn't have been able to get there without her.
Photo Credit: Marissa Morris
Billy and Matt
An on-again, off-again Equinox member, Billy didn’t start taking his wellness seriously until January 2021.
At that point, the Tysons Corner Club member had hit what he calls a “mental health rock bottom.” He was unhappy with his weight of 296 pounds and was suffering from high blood pressure, so he decided to kick his health journey into high gear. Over the course of six weeks, Billy exercised consistently, ate nutritious meals, and made healthy lifestyle choices — all while dealing with a painful case of chronic peroneal tendonitis — and lost nearly 42 pounds. “No matter how much my foot hurt, I pushed through, woke up, and got to the gym,” he says.
But soon enough, Billy’s inflammation became unbearable, making it difficult to get out of bed some days, he says. Instead of calling his new fitness routine quits, he connected with Matt Savoia, CSCS, a COACH X trainer at Equinox Tysons Corner who specializes in corrective exercise. From their first meeting, Matt made sure to create a personalized program centered around Billy’s goals. “At the end of the day, I'm not here to get them to my goal, whatever I think is right for them,” Matt says. “In Billy's case, body composition was the initial success, [but I also focused on] the deeper layer of feeling better, being able to meditate, performing better at work, having more energy…and really to maintain this high quality of life for a very long time.”
Though the duo trained aggressively, recovery was never overlooked. “I've been in places where I've worked very hard and [became] laser-focused, and I felt like he was there,” Matt says of Billy during their early training days. “You can lose 20 pounds [in] a month or two, but you can't keep that same road [or] something's gonna break.”
Thanks to Matt’s balanced approach to fitness, Billy is now feeling — and performing at — his best. His resting heart rate has dropped from about 80 to 45 beats per minute, and his body fat percentage is now in the single digits, down from 30.5 percent when he first began training with Matt.
Here, Billy and Matt talk more about the transformative power of a coach.
How did you feel when you first signed up for Equinox personal training?
Billy: At the beginning, it felt like I was standing at the bottom of a mountain at Yosemite. It was like I was staring straight up at it, and someone said, “Alright, you have to climb that, but you don't have any resources and you're injured.”
But having Equifit, Tier X Training, and measurements like my VO₂ max, body fat percentage, and basal metabolic rate gave me a roadmap. All that data helped me make more informed decisions moving forward.
What has your training program been like, and what progress have you seen?
Matt: Initially, I had Billy go to physical therapy for his injury, and during our sessions, we trained according to his goals and made sure we did not aggravate it. We started with bodyweight exercises, machines, and aerobic conditioning. Over time, as Billy became able to handle his body weight and understood his body more, we progressed to free weights and barbell bench presses; front, back, and safety bar squats; hex bar deadlifts; and pull-ups. Every six weeks, we reassess an element of his training based on his goals and have a conversation to make sure he understands what he needs to do out of the Club, such as maintaining a healthy diet, sleeping well, recovering properly, and performing any structured homework.
Billy: During our workouts, I keep an open mind and avoid telling Matt which exercises I do and don’t want to do, as I have seen some friends do with their trainers. That approach defeats the purpose of hiring an expert and impedes growth. While not every exercise Matt and I do is necessarily fun or easy — and I may look silly doing some of them — my trust in Matt's expertise helps me push past my ego and discomfort.
Billy: Two exercises in particular have been instrumental in my fitness journey. First, in strength training, it's the hex bar deadlift. Initially, I didn't enjoy this exercise, and sometimes I even dreaded doing it. However, with Matt's guidance, I have made tremendous progress in the last two years, and I can now lift 505 pounds. The progression I have seen with this exercise is a testament to the power of consistency and hard work.
Billy: Second, in cardio, it's the Woodway treadmill. As someone who has always enjoyed cardio, running was one of my primary goals when I started training with Matt. However, due to my chronic peroneal tendonitis, I hadn't run in years. After extensive physical therapy and leg strengthening exercises, I was able to run around the National Mall in DC at 10 p.m. for the first time. The experience was so emotional that I cried afterward.
Billy: Out of all the exercises that I've done, I believe the single-leg work has been the most challenging, particularly the weighted walking lunges. I distinctly remember a session with Matt during which he handed me two dumbbells, and I had to do four sets of fifteen reps. Let's just say that during those sixty reps, I didn't view Matt as my friend. In fact, I'm pretty sure my legs filed a formal complaint with Equinox after that workout.
How has your health improved since working with an Equinox COACH?
Billy: Within the first six months of training with Matt four days a week, I lost another 65 pounds, and my pants size decreased from 40” to 33”. My blood pressure had stabilized, my resting heart rate went down, and my doctor characterized my physical health as "remarkable." Outside of our sessions, I made an effort to meditate an hour each day, and my mental health has never been better.
Billy: From January 2021 to February 2022, I was consistent with my exercise routine and nutrition, but I knew I needed to transition back to a less-rigid lifestyle. At first, I would push myself in the gym to “make up” for eating not-so-nutritious foods. After I opened up to Matt about this, we worked together to help me establish a healthier relationship with food. Now, I have a much better, well-rounded diet, carbs and bagels included
Matt: Before Billy even told me he wanted to have a healthy relationship with food, I knew that's what I ultimately wanted for him. He was down to the single-digit body fat percentage, and I thought to myself, “How can we maintain this and create a lifestyle where he can go out to eat and not feel bad if he has a piece of pizza?” I really try to push that carbs aren't bad, protein isn't the only good thing, and fats are okay.
Billy: All of these changes have really shown me what peak life feels like, what it feels like to be totally healthy and perform close to your best. Matt has played a huge role in helping me get there.
What has surprised you most about working with an Equinox COACH?
Billy: Oftentimes, you'll see trainers who don't follow their teachings. Some people who are helping you work out or eat healthily don’t actually implement the same practices in their own lives. It’s always been important for me to trust people who are experts in the field and who practice what they preach, and Matt does that.
Matt: I’ve always worked out and been very committed to sports, and I’m pretty type A — I have a trainer myself. I'm very organized and strategic when it comes to my own training, and I need to have a goal. I don’t want to work out if it’s not working toward anything. I think it's definitely important to lead by example.
What would you tell others who are interested in partnering with an Equinox COACH?
Billy: If you want to get value out of this, it’s important to turn your trainer into your older sibling for that hour. Obviously, you shouldn’t overload them, but put trust in them and be transparent with your input. At the end of the day, Matt's there to help me — he's not there to judge or shame me. He's purely there to just look out for my physical health and help me reach my goals. That’s the key to it: Be transparent so your trainer can do their job and hold you accountable.
Photo Credit: Wrenne Evans
Gregg and Elias
An extreme skier, weightlifting enthusiast, mountain biker, and golfer, 57-year-old Gregg has been a serious athlete for most of his life. “I've been a fitness person since I was a kid,” he says. “I always had a kind of Napoleon mentality. [Back then,] I was the small, 150-pound guy that was playing football with 250-pound individuals and competing well.”
But his approach to fitness took a sharp turn in 2020. That February, Gregg contracted COVID-19 while on a ski trip in Italy and, when he returned home to California, became “patient zero” at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank. During his 64-day stay in the hospital, Gregg spent 31 days on a ventilator, suffered multiple organ failure, and had a one percent chance of survival, he says. He would need to learn how to walk again.
Thanks to his optimistic mindset and the level of fitness he had before his infection, Gregg survived — and thrived, he says. “I made a commitment that I was going to walk out of the hospital and not be rolled out, which I did on May 8, 2020,” he says. “I wanted to be back on skis by the end of 2020. The doctors thought I was batshit nuts because I wasn't able to walk and I couldn't retract my foot. But I was able to get back on skis in December of 2020.”
After he recovered, Gregg picked his fitness routine back up in his home gym, but he was working with limited equipment and wasn’t feeling all that motivated. He knew if he wanted to ski three or four days a week again, he needed to get serious about his workouts, he says.
In January 2023, Gregg began personal training with Elias Mateo, a COACH + at Equinox Studio City. “I really wanted to be at Equinox and train with somebody that has a different understanding of and is incredibly educated with fitness,” says Gregg. “Elias was the quintessential poster child of that.”
The two had the same direct communication style, were both committed to the process, and weren’t afraid to face challenges head-on. “After hearing his story, I was like, ‘Holy shit, I need to help him.’ I really wanted to help him with his health after the journey that he’d been through,” says Elias. “It was almost like a competition for me. When I see things as a competition, then I get hyped, and that is what I saw in Gregg.”
Here, Gregg and Elias talk more about their relationship and how working with an Equinox COACH can take your fitness to the next level and improve your daily functioning — no matter your experience level or abilities.
What’s your approach to personal training, and how did that play out with Gregg?
Elias: Nowadays, people don't even know what their own goal is, and it can be very intimidating, so I like to focus on living a healthy life overall. What I preach here at Equinox is exercising to make yourself better outside of the gym. I want Gregg to feel that he is coming in here so he can do his best outside of the Club.
Elias: With personal training, the person comes first. My position is that it’s important to have flexibility and mobility, then the strength comes. Gregg has been lifting all this time — he is strong. So my mentality going in with him was to practice flexibility and mobility, and that was not something that he was used to. Soon enough, he was starting to notice it was actually helping him with injury prevention.
Gregg: I’m a proponent of turning my weaknesses into strengths and having the support of somebody like Elias — whom I believe in and have a tremendous amount of respect for — has made me empowered in my skin. It's empowered every day of my existence. Every time I surprise him with excelling in an area, he humbles me even more and challenges me to get even better — and that part's actually fun for me. We joke with each other all the way through the workout, but we both have a certain level of respect and commitment to what we're trying to achieve at the end of the day. We have a lot of fun with it, but we're serious about it as well.
What progress have you made since you first began training together?
Gregg: Elias has an understanding of what I'm doing well with, which he embraces and empowers me on, but he also challenges me to get to the next level of fitness. We worked this week on mobility. We weren't lifting — we were just moving. I'm that guy that wants that pump when I walk out of the gym, but at the same time, I'm seeing so much advancement in my physical existence. My movement and flexibility are so much better than they’ve ever been. I feel so much better in my skin, which is amazing. The power that I have when I'm skiing, it's truly effortless. The pains in my back and my glutes aren't there anymore. And that's a testament to what Elias brings to the table. It’s not always something that I'm thrilled about going in, but I am when I walk out.
How are you using your training to improve performance in other aspects of your life?
Elias: Gregg is always teaching me when it comes to skiing, and I can teach him from the Club how we can improve our skiing. We've been doing exercises that [mimic] carving and test his balance. One time, he came back from a ski trip and he said, “I just skied the best that I've done in my entire life.” It was truly inspiring.
Elias: We have seen so much improvement with this flexibility and mobility; we’re doing open books right now and he can touch the hard floor by himself without me even aiding him. So going forward with Gregg’s programming, we’re going to start doing more cardio, so he not only has strength with his skiing but also a strong cardiovascular system. When you ski with him, it is constant. There’s no waiting in line.
Gregg: While in the hospital, I had something called foot drop, where I didn’t have reverse flexion in my foot because the peroneal nerve was detached. It took six months of being in a brace when I got out of the hospital to be able to start retracting my foot. Once I got back into skiing, I was able to strengthen my legs enough and have no issue with balance, but where I still fall short is putting weight on my foot and being able to retract it — having that level of strength. We found out today that that was a very big challenge for us. Now, we're focusing on that, as well as everything else, to make those weaknesses my strengths.
Gregg: It's all-encompassing. Beginning of next season, I want my legs and core to be stronger than ever to empower my skiing that much more and also to be just the healthiest I could possibly be.
How have you worked together to create a fitness routine that accommodates your abilities?
Gregg: I lost all of the fingers on my right hand, half of my fingers on my left hand, and three toes in the middle of my right foot from COVID. My big toe and baby toe are perfect, which is great because it creates stability on the balance side of things, but it challenges me a little bit. Elias went and found some adaptive tools — some wrist wraps and hooks that can align with our workouts, which have been an incredible help for me. So I don't have to focus on my grip, I just have to focus on the movement.
Elias: In the beginning, Gregg brought in a wrap so he can grab hold of a bar, but I figured out that would take way too much time to wrap it around the bar with every exercise. And our most valuable resource in life is time. So I ordered these hooks that he could just hook on and off, which saves us a lot of time. I was also struggling for him to do lateral raises with his shoulder and then I figured out another hook that works for that movement. So we have everything working out. It's such a beautiful thing — there's nothing to do that he can't do.
Gregg: I definitely don’t see myself as a disabled individual; I have some challenges and have adaptive situations to work through. But when you find certain able-bodied individuals who do things wrong [for folks like me], it creates injury. With all the injuries I've experienced in my life — from skiing, injuries, lifting, motorcycle accidents — it's great to have somebody that has the knowledge base that Elias has to really make a difference with the platform that Equinox has created for us.