Hello, my name is Joshua Rhynehart.  I am known as the leading authority on health & fitness in the Hudson Valley.  I have trained over 300 men and women from ages eight to eighty two.   I train a wide spectrum of people with varying fitness levels that range anywhere from professional athletes to people with Downs Syndrome and Autism.  I am currently the New York State Racquetball champion for ages 25-29 and I am the number one RPM cycle instructor in the Les Mills program. 

My Story:

      I grew up in the Hudson Valley in your typical small town America.  As a child, I was extremely overweight and, I had to live with the comments and ridicule of my peers and adults alike.  I had a lot to deal with.  Even though I enjoyed playing sports, I never lost weight.  My parents and doctors thought that if I continued to participate in sports the weight would “come off on its own”.   They were so wrong. 
     When I was 15 and even heavier they started putting me on these ridiculous diets that only made me tired, hungrier, and angry at my predicament which made me eat more.   By the age of 21, I had ballooned up to 305 lbs and 53 percent body fat.  My waist was 48 inches. I was depressed, angry and suffered horrible back pain.  I went to see a doctor in January of 2000 and he informed me that I was just too FAT.  I knew I had reached "rock bottom" and the next day I joined a gym.  
     Three months later I was fifty pounds lighter, unfortunately I did it with no guidance or nutritional information.  My method was to stop eating and spend hours doing cardio.  Of course I would lose weight!   In the summer of 2000, I took on a second job at a restaurant and sure enough my weight crept back up to 280 lbs.  I was devastated.  In September I quit my second job at the restaurant and took a part time job at GNC.  
    I continued to wane on my weight loss progress and one day I picked up the GNC Magazine and saw an article about personal training. After reading it I decided I would try it since I had nothing to lose and I hired a personal trainer.   At first, I worked with him one day a week. After a year, I was down to 240 lbs but my body fat was down to 26 percent.  I only lost 40lbs but I added a lot of muscle. 
    This inspired me to change careers.  I moved back home to the Hudson Valley.  My friends and family could not believe how much I had changed.  
     I joined Gold’s Gym in 2002 and I kept the weight off but I was struggling without a personal trainer.  I found it difficult to find the motivation to come to the gym and I was not eating right.   Gym members that I knew from growing up in the area would tell me me how fit I looked and suggested that I become a personal trainer.  I thought about the idea and it rang true.  I decided to try it and there was no looking back and I started studying for my certifications.                                
     Once I was certified, I started working part time at Wappingers Falls Gold’s Gym.  I quickly realized that I was good working as a personal trainer and I enjoyed working with people to help them realize their goals.  I know what it is like to be overweight and I made a commitment to myself to keep people interested and motivated to lose weight. I wanted to keep them coming to the gym so they would lose the weight and realize their goal of better health.  I also wanted to make it fun for them and by doing this, it drew people in.
    Over the next year I became a full time trainer.  I trained anywhere from 45-50 clients per week.   In 2006 I branched out and started working with young athletes.  I trained a hockey player getting ready for prep school, a competitive downhill skier and a state champion golfer. 
    I began taking more classes in nutrition, fitness, and psychology for athletes.  I concentrated my studies specializing in athletics for young adults.  I believe I excel in this area since as a young teen I was always participating in sports and competition.
    Athletes often tell me they feel much stronger, faster, and more alert after a session.  I use these workout routines myself and I believe it helped me to excel when I played in my first racquetball tournament locally.  I won back to back doubles racquetball tournaments here in the Hudson Valley.
     In 2007, I began training PJ Jacobsen (WWW.PJ99.COM).  PJ is a world class Motogp rider.  At the age of 14 he already has the distinction of being the fastest rider in America.  In March of 2007 during a competition in Jennings FL.he did well but after I trained with him for six months he went back down to practice in Jennings and broke every track record.  He was so excited and thrilled that he was able to stay on the throttle the entire time and never felt tired, winded, or unable to concentrate due to our advanced training.
     PJ had his first USGRAU race down in Jennings, FL.   I traveled to Florida with PJ to train him before the race.  He won the 125 beating his own track record for time by almost a full second.   PJ went on to qualify on the pole in the 250 shattering his own  track record by more than a second.           
     During that time I also began training two Enduro Riders that wanted to compete in Daytona for bike week.   I trained them for six weeks and then accompanied them to Daytona to continue their training for the week leading up to the big race.  They both excelled.  One week later Jay won his first Class B race in NJ.  He later told me that after riding for five hours he could easily ride for five more days.  He felt great! 
    In 2008 after having the opportunity over the last couple years to meet as well as train domestic and international athletes of every different sport imaginable and from seeing the success I have had working with young athletes, I have been inspired to create NEXT LEVEL.  In enlisting the major components of exercise, nutrition, and sports psychology through constant positive feedback and reward, I have the ability to maximize your athletic drive and finally take you to the NEXT LEVEL.  Come join my team, if you are ready.