Rob Garza, Senior Consultant and Programming Specialist
With over 30 years of experience in the fitness industry, I offer an opportunity of making usable sense of often confusing research and technical science to exercise enthusiasts. My background in exercise biomechanics allows me to teach safe and effective exercise that is also time-efficient, so you don’t waste your valuable time trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t for your body type and structure.
I started my fitness quest in my teen years, as I [often unsuccessfully] tried following in the shadows of my older brother and cousins who had much better physical genetics and fitness capabilities than me. Fitness came natural and easy for them, while I struggled to gain muscle weight and excel at most sports and athletics. At this point in my life, I became aware that I needed to learn how the human body worked so that I could become more strategic in my physical efforts.
I spent many years going to school and researching the mechanics of the human body to learn to perform tasks efficiently and maximise my results. I also experimented with dozens of exercise and workout variations to find out what worked best for my body type in the real world – not just in theory. By combining technical knowledge with personal experimentation, it lead me to be able to analyse human movement and apply sound scientific principles for consistent progress.
A few years later, I was able to share my knowledge of exercise and human mechanics by working as a senior staff member for the National Academy of Sports Medicine in the United States. For 7 years I lectured and provided hands-on applications to thousands of fitness and medical professionals all over the world. This was my dream job as I was able to get paid to travel the world, study and learn, share my expertise and help certify the next generation of personal trainers.
Fast forward to 2016, where I was fortunate enough to secure a position at the AUT Millennium Gym. This provides me with the space to utilise my skills and work amongst peers that are considered the best of the best in the fitness industry.
I have since re-designed our already successful Everyday Champion Program to yield even better results for our members. As of 2018, we now offer an additional series of baseline physical assessments to better target our members’ goals, allowing them to chart their progress more effectively. We also created a cross-reference relationship with the Healthzone Physiotherapists department to help address members who have rehabilitation concerns.
