The Art of Self-Alignment

As a 60 plus year old, I was concerned that I didn’t know what I didn’t know about how to work out effectively. Being a compulsive type person, I had a routine for my workouts that came from a couple of very brief sessions with a coach many years ago. My workouts felt stale.
Until my recent injury (severed bicep tendon — no fault of Brandon’s!) through Brandon’s coaching I became way healthier! My balance, range of motion, posture and strength improved. My workouts became way more fun and may more effective.
I wholeheartedly recommend working with Brandon! You will learn a lot and improve your physical well being.

Brandon is awesome to work with. He has been really helpful with all aspects of lifting and fitness. He knows the mechanics of all the lifts really well. He’s also helped me with program design and dealing with injuries.
I’ve worked with other trainers that didn’t really know what they were doing. I didn’t really learn anything from them and ended up getting hurt. Brandon makes sure to explain the thought process behind everything we do.

Brandon’s advice and guidance regarding my lifting form improved my life ten fold! I am an avid lifter but found myself sidelined a few months ago due to serious back pain. During my session with Brandon, he laid out a foundational philosophy of lifting, explaining how the body works as a holistic unit to lift heavy weight (for instance, who knew that how you engage your shoulder blades or inner thighs also affects how you are able to engage your trunk during squats? When he explained it, it made perfect sense, but I’d never have realized it on my own). He then watched me as I lifted, scrutinized my form, and gave me both detailed feedback and an easy-​to-​follow action plan to address the problems with my form. Just 45 minutes with him dramatically changed how I felt after every lifting session, and I was able to progress in weight steadily by implementing his advice. Also, Brandon’s warm and open demeanor makes it an absolute pleasure to work with him. My session with him was simply invaluable – definitely time well spent!

Let me start this review by saying how gifted Brandon is. Forgive me if I ramble, but praises need to be said for this unique genius!
I worked with Brandon for some booty exercises (wanting to tone up and overcome a fear of wearing shorts for many years) and he really made our meet-​ups delightful. He’s an outstanding listener, cheerleader and is extremely wise. No hokey-​pokey stuff and definitely no macho ego like you would think other trainers have. He helped me believe in myself and look at certain movements (ones that I already know) in a totally different aspect.
Brandon has a way of turning complex anatomy into easy and understandable terminology. Not only is he creative with his simplifications but his dashing smile and friendly personality squashes any fear you may have had about yourself. You can see how important technique is to him, as he engages with you in skillful ways.
His new clinic «Build-​A-​Butt Experience» was so fun b/​c his personality and professionalism merged to create a enjoyable environment. One where the athletes felt safe, confident and secure with what was being taught. Everyone left that class feeling like each minute was a valuable one.
Train with Brandon and you’ll not only be enlightened and encouraged, but stronger and more aware of the strengths you compose. Brandon embodies what a true athlete and coach should be, and I’m so grateful our paths crossed. Thank you Brandon for being immensely AWESOME and such a powerhouse of knowledge!

I first worked with Brandon during my college years when I was becoming interested in CrossFit and olympic lifting workout techniques. I had no previous barbell experience, and Brandon’s earnest, thoughtful, and joyfully technical approach to my training was refreshing beyond belief. Having worked with several trainers prior, I found his ability to discern subtleties in both my attitude and technique invaluable. Not only did he massively affect my skill set, he also significantly shaped my outlook and mentality towards working out for the better. I would highly recommend his coaching to anyone of any level! He has a unique ability to meet you right where you are, but stretch you with an infectious enthusiasm and excellence. You will get better, in more ways than one!

My husband and I had the pleasure of being trained by Brandon before our wedding a few years back, and it was a life-​changing experience. We wanted to get into shape and learn to workout together, and Brandon was the perfect person for us! He shared various types of workout routines, taking special care to show us proper technique for lifting, squatting, stretching and any other exercises we tried. Brandon is no cookie cutter trainer! He assessed our lifestyles and what kind of workout and nutritional changes would make the most impact for a couple of people stuck behind computers all day, and helped us implement them. He encouraged us when we felt weak, and always used a calm and friendly voice while making us sweat like crazy! If you want someone who can take you on a holistic road to health, you’ll enjoy and appreciate having Brandon in your life.

Brandon is great. Very motivating, non judgmental and very encouraging. It’s almost fun to workout. Almost. Ha ha ha. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him.

Brandon never ceases to impress me with his ever growing knowledge of fitness and general well being. It was with his guidance I was able to reach my personal record for squatting, as well as improve many of my other lifts. He pays close attention to the detail and is extremely patient. I look forward to training with him again as soon as our schedules align.

Brandon is extremely knowledgeable and yields great results with his athletes. He genuinely cares about the well-​being of his athletes and makes sure that they are not doing more than they can or should while still challenging them. Technique and proper body mechanics are important to him, as well as body maintenance so you will be reinforcing healthy habits for your body and increase its longevity! He’s pleasant to work with as he always as a smile on his face and a great attitude. I highly recommend working with Brandon! He’s the sh! t!

The artistic creation of alignment and finding your innermost strength is possible, finding strength within weak moments is possible. This is self enrichment, Brandon listens with his spirit and opens his mind. One hour with Brandon far surpasses one hour with a trainer doing their chore. Brandon is my life coach and mentor with a skilled art of the human flesh.
Anthony M

I worked with Art of Self-​Alignment throughout 2014 and plan to continue for a long time to come. Brandon has helped me become stronger physically and taught me how to help myself when aches and pains creep in at the most inopportune time. His expertise has helped me overcome nagging backaches, deal with weekend warrior injuries and be more self-​assured about living without pain.

Brandon is a rock star in my books. I have been training with Brandon for about 9 months and delighted to report that I have dropped from a humiliating size ¹²⁄₁₄ to a size ⁴⁄₆ with a net 50 lb loss. I’m 5“4″ and this is a drastic change in body composition for me. I have gained muscle mass, look toned and feel/​look 10 years younger. On this journey Brandon introduced me to Olympic weightlifting and I’m hooked. He is very knowledgeable about nutrition. His emphasizes eating clean, no measuring & weighing, no calorie counting. He is not the one size fits all kind of trainer but tailors routines according to ability and fitness levels. Trust me he will push you no matter where you are not the fitness scale. I’m so grateful to him for literally giving me my life (and wardrobe back).
My husband suffers from a slip and ruptured disc with excruciating pain and weakness in his left leg. Brandon went out of his way to talk to his physiotherapist to come up with a regimen for rehab after his physiotherapy so he could continue to recover .My husband started to train with Brandon only after his injury and after 4 months feels incrementally stronger. He has gone back to his first love i. e playing golf (something he was told he couldn’t do anymore). Need I say more.

Incredible! Brandon is friendly, knowledgeable, and is a great listener. I wanted a workout that strengthened my body while taking in consideration an injured knee, separated abdomen from twins, and that I’ll remember without looking at a piece of paper. He inspires me to the next level each time with kind motivation. I defiantly recommend him!

Brandon is my trainer at the Equinox San Mateo, and he is a key factor in my journey to transform my body into a healthy one (so far I’ve lost 85 pounds, only 4 to go). I told Brandon I want to make this transformation last, and so that I need a super simple plan that I can do on my own when the time is right and yet to have the maximum impact possible. He did just that: we’ve worked together to perfect 3 key exercises that cover every muscle in your body, and started pushing upwards with how much weight was on the barbell. We’ve added a few «small» exercises to strengthen some problematic areas, and it is helping a lot. Brandon pushed me hard without me feeling pushed, he has just the exact personality that I needed (he is not one of those full-​of-​ego trainers or those loud ones that make both their customers and me uncomfortable with their unfunny comments), he is very knowledgeable about weight lifting, super cautious about just the perfect posture that you need to maintain to avoid injury and achieve results, and overall just an awesome trainer to work with. I highly recommend Brandon if you really are in it for the long hall.

Two months after my 57^th birthday, during my early morning work-​out, on my first set of a lateral row, a trainer approached me with a question I could not answer «why are you doing that?». After a half hour conversation I was convinced that he knew how to help me make the best use of my time at the gym.
Over the months I’ve trained with Brandon I have learned several whole body exercise that have built my strength and endurance, skills that have transferred to other areas of my life. I never expected to be lifting my own body weight, nor did I see the benefit that could result from such a feat. My overall focus has improved along with self confidence and endurance in other sports such as biking, hiking as well as keeping up with my 18 year old son.
The routine Brandon prepares are non-​routine, making the sessions interesting and, dare I say, sometimes fun and unexpected. Brandon is sensitive to my individual needs and can gage when to push me to the next level, often surprising me.
If you value your time and your body, this is the trainer for you.