The wrong workout can damage someone’s fitness goals as much as doing no workout at all. At Healthy Baller in Rockville, strength coaches and specialized personal trainers evaluate and motivate each client and create a custom plan to help them meet their fitness goals. “Our entire business is built on relationships,” said Matt Boyd, who co-founded Healthy Baller with Blair O'Donovan, the head strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Wizards. “Clients are here because of the bond they create with their trainer who is their guide, and they trust them,” Matt added.
Clients include youth and middle and high-school athletes and teams, college and professional athletes, and competitive adult athletes. Also, adults come when they are looking for a fun challenge in their fitness journey, or when they are recovering from injuries or “they just want to feel better and have a better quality of life,” Matt said, as he added, “All our adult trainers are career professionals. They have created a niche for themselves in training adults and helping them stay pain free.”
Athletes training for specific sports will condition with trainers to improve speed and strength that translates to any field of play, while also receiving sport-specific training as needed. The 6,100 square-foot Healthy Baller facility includes an open space 30 yards long, as well as weights and other equipment. Matt is looking to enlarge his current space and/or open one or
more additional locations.
For adults, there are also group classes for “anyone who is looking to add variety to their training program, or if they are not sure if they should be doing strength or doing extra cardio or if they are in a rut as far as their fitness goals,” Matt said.
Despite the group format, the classes allow everyone to work at their own level. “We base it on exercise selection for each individual,” Matt explained.
Healthy Baller trainers keep clients accountable by giving them targeted exercise to do on their own. “When they come next week, we ask if they are doing their home stuff. The relationship and bond are important so they are truthful. Between sessions, we keep in contact and know what is going on in their life: what’s important and what’s stressful. That’s how we
become a friend/mentor.”
Matt continued, “You can create the perfect plan and training template but you have to adjust it. When they first come in, we identify how they are feeling. We may need to do some soft-tissue work or tone down the workout if they are fatigued or stressed. They trust our training staff to provide high-quality service and a program specific to them: They build a relationship.”
