The 10 Best Fitness Trainers

Nick Smith, personal trainer
Liza Smith hops off the StairMaster dripping sweat and then jumps on the scale. She lost two pounds during that hour-long workout. Her information is logged into an elaborate database that has tracked her progress from day one. Her trainer, Naples-based Nick Smith, has spent the last 15 years studying how to measure and deliver fitness results. The 1992 Mr. Southwest Florida developed Trainer Plus, a supplementation program that is sold at Smoothie King nationwide and endorsed by longtime client John "Papa John" Schnatter, the pizza magnate. Smith’s program, which claims to help clients lose up to 30 pounds of body fat in 30 days, was also picked up by the Miami Dolphins. "It goes beyond someone telling you what to do," Liza Smith says. She’s seven pounds and seven days away from hitting her 30-pound goal. She says Nick cheers her on every step of the way, and he and his team are available 24-7 if she needs it. "He gives a whole new definition to ‘personal.’"

Jackie Ciodo, owner, Joyful Yoga
Chanting mantras, twisting into a pretzel and meditating for hours on end—sure, those things have their place in the practice of yoga, but instructor Jackie Chiodo says she gets more of a thrill out of introducing the very basics of yoga to those who have never tried it. "You don’t have to be flexible in your body, but you do have to have an open mind," says Chiodo, owner and director of Joyful Yoga in Bonita Springs and Fort Myers. For first-timers, Chiodo recommends at least four one-on-one sessions before joining a class. She can teach modifications and customize an at-home plan. Chiodo discovered yoga recovering from whiplash after a bad car accident, and says she’s seen clients receive relief from Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, liver issues and life’s stresses in what she prides as a non-judgmental environment. "The goal is to give people their health and mobility back," she says.

Bill Davey, creator of Billy's Boot Camp 
Buddy Frederick hadn’t exercised in 35 years, and when he decided to start again, he joined one of the toughest classes around, Billy’s Boot Camp, created by Omni Club partner and 1997 Mr. America Bill Davey. After personal training for 15 years, Davey realized he could help more people during a day and reap the motivational benefits of a group setting in his Fort Myers club. The class includes 30 minutes of intense cardiovascular training and another half-hour of resistance training, combined with high-energy music and Davey’s commanding yet charming presence. As a bonus, Omni offers three challenges per year for the students who can win cash for the most body fat lost. After eight weeks, Frederick, 67, lost 32 pounds and learned to love exercise and the other students working alongside him. "Boot camp, I would honestly say, is the most precious hour of the day," he says.

Amy Lademann, Pilates trainer
When discussing fitness, holistic wellness coach and Pilates trainer  Amy Lademann says, "You have to do it all." And that not only means cardio, weight training and nutrition, but also core strength development, flexibility and stress control. A former dancer, Lademann found her core stability and flexibility were limited. She discovered Pilates and now says her core "is better than when I was a competitive dancer." Now she trains clients one-on-one at NCH’s Wellness Center in Naples. She works with clients both in mat classes and on reformer machines, equipment made specifically for the Pilates exercises. For student Sue Lavine, Pilates was a way to cope with her ailing husband and her own failing health. "I was just frantic," Lavine says. "I started on the basics and deep breathing. It was better than going to a therapist." She credits her now-toned body to Lademann. "There are a lot of good instructors, but Amy’s best at teaching correct form."

Danny Lee, personal trainer
Personal trainer Danny Lee prefers truly dedicated clients. "I want people who are really serious," he says. "They might say they want it, but do they really commit?" And while he’s tough on them, and may even make them perform "penalty reps" for bad behavior, what he’s really after is a change in self-perception. "The motivation is to get you to like yourself," he says. "Let’s see what you can accomplish just by believing in yourself." Sam Christina, who trains with Lee at Gold’s Gym in Naples, has finally achieved the results he was looking for. "He’s very exacting," Christina says. "Either you do the right technique, or you don’t do it." Lee has trained everyone from professional athletes, like Winston Justice of the Philadelphia Eagles, to older women who want to prevent the effects of aging. "The satisfaction that I get is seeing them reach their goal, and then getting them one step further," Lee says.

Claudia Lorelli, personal trainer
Personal trainer Claudia Lorelli travels from Marco Island to Sanibel for training sessions, but she doesn’t mind the drive time. "When it comes to exercising, there are so many excuses [for people to not do it]," she says. "Driving to the gym is one of those—and I just take it out." She travels with dumbbells, resistance tubes, medicine balls and more in order to have all the tools she needs when she arrives at her clients’ homes. She says motivation is the key to results, and "unless you’re a body builder, you’re human. You have to take it all in moderation. Set short-term goals, then attain that and reward that." She helped a 79-year-old client prepare for double knee replacement surgery. After training for four months prior to the operation, he ended up in the 99th percentile for any age in terms of recuperation and range of motion. "He was on his feet within just a few days," she says.

Jason Ferrara, fitness and spa director
Jeff Belfore’s wife asked him to start exercising in order to add 10 years to his life. As a
bonus, he ended up adding 10 yards to his golf drive. A year and a half ago, he began training with Jason Ferrara, fitness and spa director at Pelican Bay. Two months after focusing on core strength and balance with Ferrara, Belfore won two major national senior scratch tournaments and was ranked No. 1 in his class. "I’m playing the best golf of my life," Belfore says. "And, simply put, I’ve improved my quality of life. I’m very grateful for Jason." Ferrara, who also counts 2007’s Mrs. Florida Globe Kristen Weardon among his clients, now focuses the majority of his time on running the fitness center and spa at Pelican Bay, where he oversees the programs offered as well as the staff and trainers.

Tammy Mugavero, fitness center manager
With a background in sports medicine and physical rehabilitation and a master’s degree in athletic training, Bonita Bay Club’s fitness center manager Tammy Mugavero knows how to train a client with ailments, but that doesn’t stop her from pushing them to their limit. Client Jim Weaver suffered from a torn rotator cuff, but says after his workouts with Mugavero, he looks like he’d "gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson."

"She never puts you in a position where you’re going to injure yourself," he says. "But after my workout I’m totally soaked [with sweat] from head to toe." Mugavero says Southwest Florida might be home to an older population, but that doesn’t mean they are sedentary. "They’re not like your normal grandmother," she says. "I trained a 65-year-old woman who wanted to run a mini-marathon, and one who wanted to do Ride the Rockies [a six- to seven-day bicycle ride]. So no two days are the same."

Sly Solomon, personal trainer
When it comes to trainer Sly Solomon, there’s no arguing about the results he’s achieved—and that’s the point. He believes the clients’ successes are what matter most. Solomon, the son of a professional football player, was crowned Mr. USA-Light-Heavyweight Division and won Mr. Florida five times. "People see you in the gym, and they know you know what you’re doing," says Solomon, who has been training clients for more than 20 years. "My thing is: No matter who you’re working with, everybody is making progress." He has trained local industry leaders as well as members of the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. He helped a client lose more than 100 pounds, and saw another go cancer-free for seven years after doctors gave him only four months to live. "You have to make sure people absolutely get results," says Solomon, who trains primarily at Gold’s Gym in Naples.