There are many reasons to work with Capital Energy Training’s Paul Medina, a personal trainer who develops customized strength, mobility, and flexibility programs for individuals of all ages. Paul’s goal is no less than to offer an exceptional, life changing experience to help each client perform better, look better, and finally to feel better with more energy overall.

With a university degree in Kinesiology and multiple national certifications, hIs unique approach employs substantial knowledge of the body’s muscular, nervous, and skeletal systems. This expertise, along with his positive and supportive hands-on coaching, creates personalized programs that meet clients where they are — from high-profile professional athletes to those like me who want to improve posture, balance, and release hip and jaw pain after decades of sitting, head forward, eyes glued to computer screens. May is National Posture Month—a great time to have Paul evaluate and begin to correct what hours of screen time might be doing to your own posture.

    . 
Pat Malloy, Washington policy and trade counsel for New Balance, came to Paul three years ago to rebuild his health after he was rear-ended in a traffic accident. The force from the accident had damaged his nerves in his neck that caused his back muscles to seize up so much that he had a hard time gripping a pen. He started with Paul on a recommendation from his physical therapist to build long-term stability and continue to unlock his back, neck, and shoulder muscles.

    
“Paul’s focus with me is on the small micro changes that occur during the exercise,” Malloy says. “Instead of just overseeing your 12 reps, he identifies the weakness during the work and changes the exercise up mid-rep sometimes to carefully build micro muscles that then take you to the next step, safely. That’s key. He understands how your different body systems fit together.”

    
Dr. Jessica Lazerov, a pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital, came to Paul to help her establish a consistent routine in which she is pushed to exercise twice a week. She calls Paul “a beacon of accountability” who creates “an environment where his clients would not fail, challenging them to reach levels of wellness which they didn’t think possible.” For more on her work with Paul, see: www.capitalenergytraining.com/inspiring-wellness

 
Whether training at your home or in his studio on New Mexico Avenue in DC’s Foxhall neighborhood, Paul works to help each client understand their own bodies’ unique strengths and weaknesses. “My goal is to help clients see where and why they might be disconnected from their bodies in ways that can cause short and long term problems," he says. 

  
A local baseball star at DeMatha Catholic High School and the Hagerstown Hawks, Paul turned to training others after an injury while playing at Ohio State ended his plans to play professionally. During his first years as a personal trainer, he says he saw the fitness business becoming overwhelmed with quick fads.

    
“What they were offering wasn’t achieving the lifestyle changes that clients expected,” he says. “I wanted to stay with what I was taught in school—the basics of science, and I understood that I needed to keep educating myself.” 

Kinesiology examines human movement and performance through the lens of physiology, mechanics and anatomy.  As a kinesiologist with a degree from Towson University, Paul focuses on the muscular system, the nervous system, and the skeletal system, including an understanding of how external resistance and different weight loads affect each of the three body systems. From his study he designed what he calls a “triangular value system,” which keeps all three systems in mind during sessions. Through this lens, and with careful observation during sessions with individual clients, he implements safe and effective exercises customized to increase strength, function, and promote health and healing. He works collaboratively with physicians, physical therapists, nutritionists, and other professionals.

   
For athletes, he notes a trainer is not capable of duplicating the physical demands of the sport. What a personal trainer can do is train sport-specific muscles, an essential ingredient to promote performance and prevent injury. For example, rotational movement is key for an avid golfer to increase power and flexibility. 

   
Paul is expanding his business to accept clients who want to truly improve their lives. “If you want to create a more active lifestyle, I’m in. If you want to create change because you love yourself (and not because you hate yourself), I’m in. If you want to start eating more healthier foods but aren’t sure where to start, I’m in. If you are done dieting and looking for a real lifestyle change, I’m in.”

    
“I have an infinite amount of love and devotion to helping and guiding people in their everyday lives. I love coaching and motivating others to achieve their best selves,” he says.