Here at Stepp Up Fitness we believe you are the key to unlocking your potential, so everything we do is  100% client-focused. Our detailed assessments of your strengths and weaknesses, discussions of your goals, workouts and nutrition programs to follow, and fitness guidance are all based on your individual needs, likes, and lifestyle. Not trends, not bro-science, not flavor-of-the-week workouts.

Where Stepp Up Fitness truly stands out from the pack is our partnership with the Movement Performance Institute, a world-renowned physical therapy and return-to-sport gym. MPI provides high-tech, doctor-developed strength, running, gait, and cycling testing to high-level athletes - and thanks to our partnership, we can provide them to you.

Because everyone deserves to know how their body works - and how to get it into the shape they want.

So what does this mean? In addition to our many in-person and virtual services, we offer the highest level of fitness evaluation in the industry, giving you the most complete picture of your health and wellness. 

Group classes (yoga, pilates, spinning, etc) are wonderful ways to get fit and we highly recommend you work those into your fitness routine. The downside is that they are basically one-size-fits-all. So if you're looking for the fastest, easiest, and most personal way to get the results you want, 1-on-1 training is hands-down the best option. Our workouts are designed specifically around you and no one else. Your goals, your body, your lifestyle. Plus, we take care of all the details for you, from picking the right types of exercises and equipment, tracking your progress, and giving you the resources you need to make informed fitness decisions. All you have to do is show up.

Of course you can! And in fact, we encourage it. Studies show that getting at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week does wonders for your body. It lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, increases energy levels, helps maintain a healthy weight, increases mood, improves sleep...the list goes on and on. The advantage of spending at least an hour a week with us is that we make sure you're using your time in the most effective way possible - and you get a guide for what to do with those remaining minutes each week. Time is one of the only things you can never get back, so we want to make sure you're taking advantage of every minute.  

While there's nothing inherently wrong with large commercial gyms, the fact is trainers at these facilities are forced to spend most of their efforts on sales - not fitness. They are paid based on how many sessions they sell and are often given quotas for the number of sessions they have to sell in a month, regardless of fitness outcomes. Clients are a volume business to them.

At Stepp Up Fitness, each client is treated as a whole person, not a number. Your goals are our priority, not the number of sessions we can convince you to buy. Whatever it takes to help you achieve your goals in a setting that's enjoyable and empowering for you is what matters.

In addition, Stepp Up Fitness is a boutique, semi-private facility. What does semi-private mean? It means you're not working out in front of dozens of people at a time. The only other people in the facility besides us are the small handful of doctors, physical therapists, and clients of The Movement Performance Institute - a renowned physical therapy and return-to-sport clinic. There's no judgment here; just support and encouragement towards becoming the healthiest version of yourself.

For workouts and especially our assessments, it's important we be able to observe the precise way your body moves, so please wear comfortable, close-fitting athletic apparel and sneakers. Please avoid baggy clothing if you can. 

Specifically for our running and gait tests, the camera system we use requires us to closely monitor your body, so please wear shorts and low-cut socks. These tests are also much more accurate if done without a shirt. For women we recommended you wear a sports bra. If you are uncomfortable with removing your shirt, that's ok, but we will ask you to roll it up to mid-chest level. 

We understand that not all clients may feel comfortable with being observed with a no/rolled-up shirt, and we will never force you to do something that you don't want to. But remember, we are a small, private facility staffed by professional trainers and doctors whose only motivations are to see you succeed. The actual time spent without a shirt is around five minutes.

Regardless of activity, not allowed at any time are: sandals, open-toed shoes, dress shoes, heels, barefoot.

You should always have plenty of water prior to your workout. And unless you are specifically training during fasting, a little food also can be beneficial (simple foods like bananas, granola bars, trail mix, etc). To avoid gastronintestinal upset, try not to eat a significant amount of food closer than one hour to your session. 

During the session, we recommend you drink regular water, or electrolyte water if it is a particularly intense session. You may eat a small snack if you choose, but it isn't necessary. However, if you are planning on being particularly active after our session, it's not a bad idea to have something small when you are finished like a protein or granola bar. For our clients doing significant resistance training, eating a carbohydrate-rich snack after a workout is recommended.

At Stepp Up Fitness, there is no "typical" workout, because each program in individualized. But in general, in an hour visit, you'll have 5-10 minutes of warm-up, about 45 minutes of training (stability, resistance, circuit, agility, power, etc), and another 5-10 minutes of cool-down and stretching. During the workout, we keep track of all your metrics - things like reps, sets, weight, effort, heart rate - so you can just focus on exercising. And within 24 hours of your workout, you'll get a performance report from your session, detailing what went well and where we can still improve.

This is one of our most common questions, but also one of the most difficult to answer, because it depends on your individual fitness goals and current fitness ability. For example, it's a bit ironic, but someone just starting their fitness journey is going to see results faster than someone who's been training for years. 

But in general, we measure progress on a monthly scale. Assuming you put in the time and effort, in about a month, you'll start to feel a real difference in your body. In two, you and other people will probably start noticing changes in the way you look. In three or more, you'll be so fully into your new routine that on days you don't workout you'll probably crave it. 

The most important thing to take away from this is that ultimately, what you get out of fitness will be what you put in. This is why at Stepp Up Fitness we focus so heavily on your personal needs. We'll design a program that fits with the lifestyle, commitment, and effort you're able to put in. Whether it's once a week, three times a week, or even once a month, we'll find something that works for you. 

Great question! There are so many fitness options out there that it can be very overwhelming, so we're here to help. All of our new clients start with a fitness and wellness assessment. We'll discuss your goals, workout history, and lifestyle so that we can understand your individual needs. Then we'll assess your posture, gait, cardio, and baseline strength levels to indentify exactly what to target in order to achieve your goals. Finally, we'll try out a few exercises so you get an idea of how we'll proceed. At the end of the session, you'll come away with a plan of action, whether you want to pursue it on your own time or combine it with further training sessions with us. 

Before you start training with us, we'll give you a questionnaire that helps identify if we require any prior medical clearance. This step is mandatory to help keep you safe, and can be completed digitally before your visit. But consulting with a doctor or other medical professional prior to any new exercise or diet routine - whether with Stepp Up Fitness or somewhere else - is always highly recommended.

Please note that as a general fitness practitioner, we can do a lot to help you get stronger, fitter, and more active. However, we are not a physical therapy clinic and cannot diagnose or treat specific injuries or illnesses. If you do need help for an injury, we can perform a baseline assessment and provide you an exclusive referral to our partner, the Movement Performance Institute, a renowned physical therapy and return-to-sport clinic.

On the low end, yes. Due to California liability law, we do not treat clients under the age of 18. However, on the upper end, no! Like they say, age is just a number, and in fact, we specialize in working with older adults (60+). 

We do, but because they take so much time compared to our in-person and virtual sessions, we have a limited number of openings per week. If you are interested in in-home training or consultations, please email us at sitevisits@steppupfitnes.com first to talk more details.

Life happens, we get it. But our training sessions involve a lot of preparation before you even set foot in the facility, so it's important that we be able to use that time efficiently. Clients may cancel or reschedule with no penalty up to 24 hours before their session. Any cancellations closer to the session will result in a bill for the full session if we are unable to accommodate a reschedule for that same day or week.

In order to use your time most effectively, and to make sure we can give all our clients equal treatment, it's important that we start sessions on time. That said, if you're running late, just let us know! Any delays less than 15 minutes can be added on to the end of the session if there's no client or business booked after you. If there is, or if you are more than 15 minutes late, we'll do the best we can with the time available.

Unless you specifically ask us otherwise, during your sessions we will track your sets, reps, weight/resistance, effort, heart rate, and any other factors relevant to each exercise. All of this is kept private and is visible only to you and us. We do not sell any of your data, and will delete any records upon request. 

By default, we do not film clients for outside use (YouTube, Instagram, etc). However, we may, with your consent, film or photograph parts of your assessment or workout to give you visual feedback of your form and progress. These images/video will be saved so we can track your performance over time. If you would like us to delete these records, just ask.

We are open to your filming yourself for your own outside use as long as it doesn't get in the way of your training. 

The Movement Performance Institute (MPI) is a state-of-the-art clinical facility dedicated to understanding the biomechanical basis of healthy and disordered human motion. Run by the renowned Dr. Christopher Powers, MPI provides in-depth biomechanical evaluations as well as rehabilitation and consultation services for persons with musculoskeletal complaints or those looking to enhance physical performance and/or prevent injury.

Through our partnership with MPI, Stepp Up Fitness is able to offer both general personal training services to clients and access to MPI's gold-standard strength, running, and biomechanical testing facilities.