YOUR PERSONAL COACH

 


CHRISTOPHER M. REED PTS, CKT, USC, KBTS II, NCCP III, PPCT (I), PADI

People have ALWAYS been at the center of what propels Christopher forward.  Since the age of 12, some 20+ years ago, Christopher has been involved with training; what began with early morning workout sessions at Super Fitness in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada with his grandfather (one of his core role models) evolved over time into a genuine passion and love of training in any form.

At 14 Christopher finally got to fulfill his childhood dreams of becoming the Karate Kid when his mom (his greatest role model) finally agreed to enroll him in the study of Martial Arts.  Studying Goju-Ryu Karate, one of the five original forms of Okinawan Karate, under Kyoshi Christopher Doyle of the Port Credit Academy of Martial Arts formed the solid foundation upon which Christopher’s experience as a Martial Arts Practitioner is laid.

During high school Christopher excelled at Basketball, Football and Martial Arts earning a Black Belt Candidate status under the tutelage of Kyoshi Doyle and the First Annual Footsteps Football Scholarship Award from Michael “Pinball” Clemons and Duane Forde (two of his early heros in football).

It was in his last year of high school that training again fell back into Christopher’s life and it was here where the love affair with the iron began.  It was while following a program developed for the Edmonton Eskimos Off-Season Strength and Conditioning Regimen, provided by former CFL Pro Mark Houlder, that Christopher was exposed to the explosive style of competitive weightlifting.  These experiences in the trenches are what developed Christopher’s keen eye for movement (biomechanics) and astute awareness of program progression (periodization).  Christopher is quick to point out that without the mentorship provided by Mark Houlder and talent in the football arena (resultant of hard work & hours dedicated to training in the gym) he would not have been able to enjoy an opportunity to attend University at all – and this has become one of the foundational cornerstones as to why Empire Fitness exists today!

Moving onto University (Mount Allison / York) Christopher focused his attentions on the pursuit of a career in professional football within the Canadian Football League (culminating with an invite to the 2004 supplemental Universite Laval Draft, tryouts with the Calgary Stampeders in 2004, The Toronto Argonauts in 2010 and the Hamilton Ticats in 2011) and a degree in Geography. Throughout the duration of his University tenure Christopher studied courses in Kinesiology, Coaching and his major Geography. It is the unique combination of academic acumen in Kinesiology and Coaching courses along with the practical experience of dedicated hours in the weight room since the age of 17, when Christopher got his first client, that directly contribute to his unique and motivational approach to both group and personal fitness programming.

Spending the majority of his working life bouncing around the chrome and carpet laden commercial gyms Christopher became painfully aware of a discrepancy between the ideals preached at these facilities and what was adapted as everyday practice; the key discrepancy being that the a customer focus was lost; and so, Empire Fitness was born of this need, the need for a facility that would again bring the focus back to the customer where it truly belonged.  Training, Christopher espouses, is about more than just the physical benefits and aesthetic rewards; training can forge psychological toughness, provide and emotional catharsis and trigger spiritual enlightenment at the highest levels and this is what Christopher aspires to be able to provide all who enter Empire Fitness – an opportunity for inspired personal growth on each of those several levels – physical, psychological and spiritual.


PROFESSIONAL ACCREDITATIONS:

  • Personal Training Specialist (Canadian Fitness Professionals)
  • Certified Kettlebell Trainer Level 1 (International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation)*
  • Certified Underground Strength Coach (The Underground Strength Gym)
  • Kettlebell Training Specialist Level 2 Instructor (Athletics and Wellness Incorporated)
  • National Level 3 Football Coach (National Coaching and Certification Program)
  • Pressure Point Control Tactics Instructor (The Control Institute)
  • Certified Open Water Diver (Professional Association of Diving Instructors)
  • Part-Time Faculty Member Humber College (Defensive Tactics Instructor)
  • Creator of KETTLEBOXING™

*First Canadian CKT certified by the IKFF*