Personal training is widely accepted as the go-to method in becoming stronger, more fit and achieving a certain level of aesthetics to please the eye. They prescribe “exercises” to train certain body parts or muscles, breaking down workouts into segments and isolating muscles to make them individually stronger and more defined. The problem is, the body isn’t just a series of parts that fit together and make up what you see on the cover of Men’s Health or on Instagram. The body is a whole; a well balanced, adaptable vessel to get you through life in a limitless array of movements. “Exercising” body parts and distorting tensional balance within the whole body is a direct flight to further dysfunction and ultimately injury or immobility. We’re really good at doing the exercises we know and are good at but tend to shy away from movements that we can’t do. Nobody likes to feel like a failure. It’s not what the body can do, it’s what the body can’t do that we needs attention.

As Movement Specialists, we have extensive training in reading the whole body in posture and in dynamic movement, to determine where these imbalances and dysfunctions are being created. We reprogram your nervous system to bring your body closer and closer to a true “neutral” position and retrain all of your movements from there. Educating your mind and body on how to stand, walk, run, bend, rotate, jump, hang, push, pull, etc. all over again- this time, from a more balanced and aligned position. Mastering your biomechanical efficiency will allow you to now explore movements that were once impossible, opening the doors to higher degrees of athleticism, mobility, strength, power and confidence. This increases your overall performance and ability to learn new movements, while greatly reducing your risk of injury and chronic pain stemming from dysfunction in your body.

Train Rugged is a method of training and bodywork tailored to your unique body. Its’ programs help get you on track towards your goals pertaining to health, fitness, and life. It started out in a strength and conditioning gym in Allston Massachusetts back in 2011. Originally Rob, the founder of Train Rugged, opened it to increase people’s capacities within themselves through sport. However, he quickly noticed how people coming into his facility needed more than ‘traditional’ training. Clients needed real in the moment coaching that explained the ‘why’ behind certain movements or limitations. And so he decided to spearhead a project towards building people’s understanding of their connective tissues, joints, and nervous systems. And so for 5 years he spent day in and day out with athletes and non-athletes of all shapes and sizes building sustainable bodies. His vision was to open a movement education facility that addressed ways to improve performance, chronic pain, and overall physical health. Some clients came to perform, others came having never met their inner-athlete, though most wanted to feel better in their bodies, and alas Train Rugged was born. The message through the community was clear, “Train Rugged to be healthier and to feel happier.” After all, we are happier when we feel healthier, and when we are healthier we live more.

Rob works everyday towards his goal in building an educational system geared towards connecting people with themselves in ways that lead to emotional breakthroughs, personal expression, and sustained curiosity in body exploration. With experience training over a thousand people, Rob continues to help his clients build themselves and better align themselves for sport, life, and recreational fun.  Train Rugged is more than just a movement and bodywork program, it is a way of peeling back the layers and finding your stronger and more capable self. Rob uses training styles that are cutting-edge, intuitive, and intelligently challenging. In 2016 he partnered with two training centers in Boston to further branch out and help more people get healthy. He worked as a head trainer at Mount Auburn Club, MA and also offered a robust sports massage & bodywork practice out of Om Namo Center in Cambridge, MA. He currently offers personal training and sports massage services out of his facility in Santa Barbara, CA.

Train Rugged understands that every year there is a new spurious workout regimen sold to the masses. After all, Rob has been training individuals in the gym since 2008, so he’s seen the phases come and go. Simply put, Train Rugged differentiates itself and is a unique and worthwhile experience because of Rob’s commitment to innovation, education, and results. Rob has built his craft over the years by looking forward, and constantly asking himself the question, ‘where is health moving towards?’ Through his own personal growth, rigorous exploration, and patient observation, he has built his practice and teaching around these principles. He strives to deliver results in a way that teaches you about your body’s motions so that you can more easily achieve your goals.

The TR method takes a holistic, ‘global’ approach towards helping people move better, perform more optimally, overcome injuries, move without pain, and expand their comfort zone. Rob teaches you to use your anatomy to develop healthy tissue, strong joints, and make connections in your kinetic chain systems. It is the balance of integration and conscious connections that helps people figure out their center point from which to move. If the body is balanced, performance, stamina, nerve conduction, blood circulation, digestion, all of these things get better. For this reason, alignment is key, and exploring our growth edges is a must. Rob brings a much more global approach when helping people of all ages get to the next level. He uses bodywork (structural integration) and training therapy to make magic happen, he is a true ‘body coach’, offering support, assistance, and whatever else you need to heal and optimize your body. The Train Rugged programs stand alone because there are only a few corners of the world where this blend of training and bodywork is happening. TR is a fast, effective, and fun solution to your performance and physical ambitions!

Living in a time where everyone is selling their kool-aid, Rob’s approach differs by setting you up for results you want, without experiencing set-backs or ongoing pain. Rob’s perspective centralizes around moving intentionally and getting the joints to do their jobs. Rob wants to get people to use the correct parts of their body working as synergists to support their lifestyles. Then nobody has pain, people grow into their bodies, and they stand more upright with clarity of themselves.  The mantra, “visualize in order to utilize” helps all clients build a thorough understanding of their anatomy and a deep relationship with their body. Everything you do within Train Rugged’s regimen will be chosen intentionally for you, with the goal being to make you feel energized and more aware of where you’re stronger and what needs work. This is not a ‘fad’ you get involved with, this is the way people will be training from now on. Training is a lifelong journey.

If you want to improve in athletics or how your joints function, this is the plan to get you to the next level. Your training, whether its for sport or for other performance goals, needs to be done with understanding and executed with precision. Rob does a lot of nervous system management and training in his work, so if your goal is to run faster, throw farther, or jump higher, he’ll be able to help you understand what needs to be done. If you need aerobic or anaerobic help, TR can get you there. Rob’s background was originally with athletes, and although today he mostly sees people who are interested in accessing more of their body off of the field, the TR method will work with athletes of all kinds. The goal is the same: build the body, align the structure, make joints move well, understand force transmission. If you do this you’ll sharpen your strong points, and fine tune your weaker biomechanics. TR uses an approach called, ‘alignment training’ to work the body as an entire unit. Sessions will teach you how to move with mindfulness and accuracy, without unnecessarily stressing the body. It is through this kind of awareness training that athletes can learn the harmonious way that their body functions to produce power, rhythm, and injury-free movement. Both from a functional standpoint, and from a peak performance standpoint, this sort of body-training is what separates average from above-average.

This is what sets TR apart from other industry leaders. Rob has a thorough understanding of physiology, kinesiology, and osteopathic studies. He has worked as a soft-tissue worker for 5 years, and a trainer for over 10. He assesses your joints regularly, and also keeps you working towards ‘finding center’, a term used to describe the middle of your body. Finding center helps reduce inflammation, stress, and poor weight mismanagement of the system. TR leaves no stone unturned when training you. TR uses techniques of patterns that the body understands so that it can move comfortably, which leads to the least mount of friction and irritation in the body. Rob’s lessons will leave you strengthening your tissue while lengthening the tissue at the same time. A lot of this comes down to elasticity, tissue health, and learning how to perform basic maintenance on your own body, posture, and alignment. Rob has worked alongside osteopaths, accupuncturists, chiropractors, and physical therapists for several years and is capable of helping you overcome your setbacks from a global approach. Since Rob doubles as a bodyworker and a physical trainer, you get the best of both worlds working with him. When inflammation or pain occurs, he is your guy.

The answer is- every body. Perfect for body enthusiasts, athletes, non-athletes, artists, post-pre operative patients, people who have experienced motor vehicle or other physical accidents. Children, teens, young adults, old adults, retirees, workaholics, parents of 3, parents of none. Movement therapy is not reserved for only those who have experienced recent trauma, lets face it- we all experience trauma in life. Its a matter of getting back into our bodies and figuring out when a bone stopped moving, or when a muscle stopped doing its’ job. Perfect for people looking to improve their cognition, awareness, stress or relaxation response, and other neurological gaps. Training isn’t just for ‘fitness’ lovers, Rugged intends to teach you that training is for anybody with the curiosity to be stronger, more resilient, and better balanced.

First reach out to Rob. Talk to one another, and see if its going to be a good fit. He teaches mostly private clients, though he also teaches small group personal training. Other options include monthly or biweekly check-ins with personal programming for you to do on your own.

In short, no.

Do you communicate with insurance companies?

I do not. Though I practice HIPAA compliance, I do not use insurance codes or follow their documentation requirements. I do not return calls, faxes, emails, or submit forms to insurance providers.

Here is why.

If I did, your appointment would be cut short significantly to accommodate the paperwork involved. The only alternative would be to carve time out of family time for paperwork. This would lead to my unhappiness and turn my absolute love of work into a frustrating grind. Being free from this chore affords me to remain happy and joyful, and keep my attention where it should be: on you.

TMJ/Jaw pain
Radiating nerve pain
Frozen shoulder
Capsulitis
Scoliosis
Disc herniation
Sciatica
Piriformis syndrome
Patellar tendonitis
Tennis elbow
Pregnancy related back pain
Back and neck pain
headaches
Repetitive injury strain
ITB syndrome
Foot pain
Arthritis
Joint pains
Foot and ankle pains
Postural assessment
Plantarfasciatis
Whiplash
Carpel tunnel
Disc bulges
Post-surgery treatments
Post-joint replacements

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Menstrual regulation and pain relief
Reproductive issues
Pregnancy support

MENTAL HEALTH

Anxiety
Depression
Stress relief
Anger management

DIGESTIVE HEALTH

Irritable bowel syndrome
Constipation and diarrhea
Ulcers and heartburn