An Innate Teaching & Athletic Ability

FHS graduate’s goal of performance has reached a new level

Michael Manfro grew up in Warrenton and attended Fauquier High School. He was an athlete and an excellent baseball player. Michael even played up and down the East Coast and competed in professional baseball tryouts. He always enjoyed being an athlete. Then he went away to college to pursue a career not related to sports, but along the way he found the path to his true vocation.

Initially, Michael thought he wanted to be a teacher; by his sophomore year at Greensboro College he realized sitting in a classroom day in and day out was not the type of instruction he envisioned. With the assistance of mentor Dr. DeAnne Brooks, assistant professor of exercise science at Greensboro College, he soon realized that he would still be able to teach, and  incorporate his love for performance training into a career – performance training and fitness. Michael was positively influenced by a few other mentors – Dr. Michelle Lesperance and Dr. Brenda Burgess.

His professional training included over 1,000 hours of internships while he was still in school. He has worked in and around northern Virginia in various facilities and as a freelance trainer for about 10 years now. During this time he worked with children – even those with special needs – sports teams and adults.

“My motivation really was my clients and the fact that I grew up here. I went to Fauquier High School where I played baseball; I wanted to give back to my hometown and help local athletes and individuals with their training needs,” shared Michael. Customized training regimes for clients is important to him, as some wish to work on core development, body building, swimming and other areas in order to improve overall performance.

Michael’s focus consistently remains on the individual. Kristen Trivett, his fiancé, business manager and assistant trainer, said “He’s really good at understanding them [his clients] and knowing how to help them succeed. Michael has a high level of intuition and can read people while they are exercising. He understands the process of movement in exercise and his personal training truly does reflect the individual’s needs,” Kristen shared.

Michael developed a variety of instruction options: group, team, and private. Private instruction services include individual screenings: body fat is measured, your fitness level evaluated and a plan is created to work toward individual goals. The results of the screenings are utilized by Michael to create a regime that will best assist the client. “My fiancé, family, friends, and clients have been dedicated and have pushed me to be the best trainer and person I can be,” shared Michael. “I want to provide affordable training unique to each person I am working with. I love teaching and educating people; I love to help them.” Michael added when he sees an athlete in need, who wants to succeed, he wants to help them reach their goals. “There is always room for improvement. I may not be instructing students on numbers and letters as I would have if I were teaching in a classroom but body movement and exercise does equal quantitative data, which I use to assist clients in reaching optimal workouts.”

Michael proved there is a similarity in owning a business and being an athlete – there are goals to be met and there is always room for improvement. His goal is to continue to challenge himself and his clients to achieve greater strength, performance and confidence. For more information on  360º Health + Fitness visit their website at www.360Health-Fitness.com, or contact Michael Manfro BS, CFSC, MDS, FMS (owner/performance coach) by email (trainhealthy360@gmail.com). Follow 360º Health + Fitness on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Photos by Kara Thorpe