MINT Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach Sam Donin uses his own experience and love for wellness to help his clients achieve their goals inside and outside the gym.

Sam played sports like soccer, basketball, and baseball throughout his life, but only did the minimum amount of weight training necessary to compete. While at the University of Maryland, he started to get more involved in strength training and weightlifting. He discovered that he loves the feeling of getting stronger and seeing what his body is capable of. 

His passion for fitness progressed from there, as he began to train friends and family for fun. As he gained more experience, they started asking him for complete programs rather than just a few exercises. Sam decided to turn his hobby into a full-time job. He got his certification as a NASM personal trainer in November 2018 and began at MINT a month later. Sam is also a certified Behavior Change Specialist (which focuses on the psychology of behavior change and how to make a lasting impact towards your goals) and is working on a pre/postnatal certification.

His personal training style revolves around classic strength training with a focus on functional moves. He tries to work with his clients to create target programs suited for their individual goals and needs rather than prescribing a generic routine. He also makes a point to explain how certain moves will impact their everyday life. For example, a client may not care much about being able to do more pushups but will be motivated by understanding that developing strength with that move can translate into a positive daily function. He enjoys helping clients achieve new levels of success while, at the same time, making each workout unique and fun.

He uses his experience in corporate America to relate to his clients’ daily stresses of balancing work, family, and fitness. Not everyone can dedicate two hours a day, seven days a week to working out. Instead, he emphasizes that it’s possible to be healthy every day, and not just in the gym. To further help clients achieve goals beyond their workouts, Sam has also become a nutrition coach because he believes health and fitness are a lifestyle that must be maintained consistently.

His advice to anyone interested in personal training is to not be afraid to jump in and speak up. The most successful clients actively communicate with their trainer. Don’t be afraid to ask for extra help when something doesn’t feel right.

Outside of training, Sam’s favorite DC-area hike is Old Rag in Shenandoah and his favorite place to grab a healthy meal is Sweetgreen. He recently got into sandbag workouts and said, “the shifting weight is incredible. In real life, you don’t always get to pick up a nice, evenly balanced barbell so being able to handle a sandbag is tough and fun.” When he’s not exercising, he spends time with family and friends or watching sports.

Interested in training with Sam or learning more about nutrition coaching? He can be reached via email sam@mintdc.com.

Meet February Member of the Month, Marjan Shallal. When Marjan was nominated to be MINT member of the month she was excited to use the opportunity to share her thoughts and thank the MINT staff.

Thank you for your superb job to keep the place clean and safe for people to use. I have been with Mint since 2006, after having been a member of other clubs in the DC metropolitan area. From the first day I signed up with Mint, the entire staff has been so nice and respectful. The space is clean and is not that crowded around the time I use the gym. This makes me want to come back to the gym more offen.

Marjan’s fitness goals have changed since she started working with her trainer, Rasean which began in 2006. Originally, she wanted to maintain a healthy body image, but since working with Rasean, she realized that now, she is able to carry heavier weight while getting stronger and that makes her feel really good about herself!

She shared that she suffers from osteoporosis and was told that she need to lift weight to keep her bones strong. Her original intention was to maintain a healthy body image and to build muscles to protect my joints. However, Rasean was able to her get her interested in muscle building and increasing her fitness level by creating an individualized plan. After just a few months, she felt stronger and ready to take more challenging workouts. The most important thing about her trainer, Rasean, is that she trusts him and feels safe to follow his instructions which is something that certainly takes time and is a huge compliment to her trainer. Of course, the next best compliment is a referral, which she did with her husband who recently started withing with Rasean as well and has seen a big difference as well. 

Thank you, Marjan for being such an incredible and loyal member. Next time you see Marjan, possibly working out with Rasean, give her a socially distant wave hello!

After taking yoga classes for five years, Ferdaouis wanted to learn more about yoga and fitness through a structured program. She was inspired by wonderful instructors and wanted to help others find similar positive experiences. She took a 200-hour power yoga teacher training course in 2015 and quickly realized that teaching was a passion of hers.  

When classes are in-person, she loves leading slower, more balance-focused classes in a heated studio. And when the weather allows, her absolute favorite is teaching outside on a warm day on the field by MINT. She loves how heat helps us loosen up muscles and connect more quickly to our yoga practice and the experience can be more meditative as well. She is also partial to the powerful vinyasa classes where students can find their groove and enjoy the flow to a really great soundtrack.

Ferdaouis’s classes meld consistency and diversity. She creates unique sequences that focus on a variety of poses and body parts, but using a similar formula each week. “I like students to come away with a good, balanced workout,” she said. “Feeling looser, stronger, and more connected to their bodies. We only have one body to work with, so we should learn to love and strengthen it as best we can.”

Outside of her own classes, she enjoys taking other MINT yoga courses and even recently braved her first Power Playground class with her mom! She mostly eats vegan and Fruitive, Hip City Veg, and Chaia are some of her favorite local spots for a healthy meal. Ferdaouis loves hiking through Rock Creek Park with her husband and friends, especially in the springtime.

Check our class schedule to sign up for a class with Ferdaouis!

If you’re looking for a sign to work with a MINT personal trainer, consider this your sign. Save on a discounted training package. Right now you can get 21 sessions for 21% off! These sessions have no expiration date and can be used virtually or in-club.

Master Trainer – 50 Min $1,543
Trainer – 50 Min $1,377

Rasean has been interested in personal training since high school, when he took sports medicine and medical science classes. He also played sports and studied martial arts for more than 10 years, which made him realize how fascinated he is in how the body works. He started training clients while at Howard University, where he majored in physical therapy. Rasean has also taught boxing, kickboxing, and one-on-one self-defense classes. 

He’s now a NASM certified personal trainer, an ASM Performance Enhancement Specialist, a trained martial artist, and a Cancer Exercise Specialist. He has worked with athletes of all backgrounds throughout his career. He’s qualified to assess, design, and implement exercise programs for individuals diagnosed with cancer so that they can reach more robust health with positive lifestyle management. Rasean helps them in every stage of their illness — from treatment to recovery.

His interest in the human body is what drives him to help his clients (and himself) reach a state of optimal health, a goal he’s been pursuing for 15 years. He does this through lifestyle management and metabolic typing. He considers his client’s goals and environments and tailors the program to their wants and needs. He also works hard to make it a fun, positive experience.

He believes form and technique are much more important than the amount of weight you’re pressing. He also believes workouts should be functional — helping in your daily routine and in the power of healthy living.

“This is a lifetime journey,” he says to anyone interested in personal training. “Be prepared to always be learning and growing and not be afraid to fail. In fact, your mind set should be one of winning and learning — not losing and failing. Every goal, big or small, you achieve is a win. Every time you hit a wall you are not losing or failing but simply presented an opportunity to learn and grow. So always enjoy the journey.”

Outside of MINT, Rasean loves swimming outdoors on a sunny DC summer day. His favorite places to grab a healthy meal are Dukem on U Street and Daikaiya in Chinatown.

 

Get to know MINT intensity instructor Bragean Padley! Braegan is known for designing creative workouts to challenge newbies and familiar faces both virtually and in-person. 

Flashback to before MINT, Braegan was a multi-sport athlete on her high school and college teams. After graduating, she missed that same type of structured exercise routine. For the better part of a year, she watched the group fitness classes at the gym while working out on her own; but wasn’t convinced she should try it. One day, on a whim, she joined a strength training class — and she was hooked! She ended up also staying for the two classes immediately after. A year later, her favorite instructor pushed her to get certified to teach and she never looked back.

One thing she loved right away about group fitness classes was the sense of community, which helped keep her accountable and motivated. This made her want to bring others the same experience, regardless of what abilities or goals they come in with. She likes to design workouts that can simultaneously engage newcomers and keep her regulars on their toes (literally!). 

Braegan’s classes combine heart-pumping cardio intervals and form-focused strength moves that can be modified for any fitness level. It’s just important that the workout is both challenging and fun. 

Her favorite virtual class to teach is Power Playground. It looks very different from how it did in person, but she enjoys the challenge of creating a high-intensity workout that requires no equipment and very little space. The new parameters of virtual classes have challenged the limits of her creativity. But so far, she has yet to repeat a workout and it has been amazing to watch members’ fitness levels progress through this new style of training.

Pre-COVID, her favorite class to teach was Power Row. Braegan was a rower in college and loves bringing that experience to a wider audience. There’s no better single exercise for simultaneously improving strength and cardiovascular fitness. She looks forward to the day we can safely return to the rowers at the 14th Street gym. 

Outside of MINT, Braegan loves to bike around DC (wearing a helmet!) — getting around and spending time outdoors. She enjoys a healthy meal at CAVA or Chaia Tacos as well as running her baking business! Follow her on Instagram: @bakedbybraegs.

Braegan teaches both Power Playground and Power FLEX virtually several times a week for MINT. Check out our schedule and sign up for a class or two. If you’re lucky, her pups Naia and Neo will pop into class, giving you an encouraging tail wag to finish the class on a high note.