Karen M

My name is Karen Marquez. I was born and raised in Mexico where I also grew up playing tennis. After graduating from high school, I moved to Miami to start college in Miami Dade. I came as an international student, and a couple of months after living in Miami, I started running and doing weight training. After Miami Dade College, I transferred to Barry University where I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Applied Sports and Exercise Sciences. At Barry University, I ran for the CrossCountry team one semester and I also did an internship in fitness coaching. After graduating, I also got my Personal Training Certificate from the NCSF. After getting certified, I started working for LA Fitness as a membership sales advisor and then I became a Master trainer. I have been training clients recovering from ACL replacement, herniated disc, and rotator cuff surgeries. I also took a Corrective Exercise and Injury Prevention class at Barry University.

I understood that individuals should prioritize physical and mental health through exercise not for a better appearance, but for a healthy lifestyle and prevention of diseases.

To start with a warm-up which many times are dynamic stretches and mobility work, or activation exercises with resistance bands and body weight. Then, the workout that could be focused on strength, stability, muscle endurance, functional movements, or muscle hypertrophy depending on the goals of the client and what their body needs. At the end there is always a cool down that could include static stretching or foam rolling.

My client who had an ACL replacement 8 months ago, have been training with me for at least one month. She said that she is very satisfied with my training because it was the first time that she worked out after her surgery and did not have any pain in her knee. She started with functional and mobility training with non-impact exercises and bodyweight alone or light weight. After 8 sessions I started to add more weight and machines into her training.

Gym, running, tennis, reading, and watching movies.