Fitness Evolved

Fitness Evolved is truly unique — silly mantras like «no pain, no gain» are simply non-​existent here. The focus on sensory integration (visual, vestibular and proprioception) has helped me improve my balance, reflexes and confidence. Plus, it is super fun! All of the trainers with whom I’ve worked are completely focused on what’s going on with my body on a particular day. There are no standard protocols. Every day is different. The trainers are curious, intelligent, sensitive and kind. I’ve only been working out there for three weeks, but I can already feel I’m shifting out of physical limitations that have plagued me my entire life. I just love this place!

Do you want to work out parts of your body you never thought existed? How about improve your range of motion with ease or vastly reduce the risk of injury in your daily activities?
Fitness Evolved is new-​age gym that not only makes a positive impact on all its members, it fosters a REAL fitness community through brain-​based training known as Z-​Health. At the foundation of this program is vision & balance improvement and joint mobility. Also intermixed at the base level are unconventional, yet highly effective stretches to get you moving more efficiently.
So how would this help with athletic performance or injury rehab or strength training, might you ask? Well, once you achieve a certain level of pliability, mobility and balance/​awareness of your strengths/​weaknesses in your vision, I’ve come to learn that a lot of things come together with your body. What’s interesting to me is how your body via the brain can be influenced or re-​trained – over the course of a week or two – with the simple exercises they give you at this gym. I find that the one-​on-​one personal training system they use here is extremely crucial. While doing personal training for every workout seems like overkill, it is probably the only way to get the most out of any program, let alone this one.
In your first few weeks as a member there aren’t many rigorous workouts as you build your baseline skills/​knowledge. On the same token, your initial sessions are not filled with perfunctory flexibility, breathing, stretching and visual drills – they really take it to the next level with engaging workouts, all in line with their holistic approach. Each one of the FE coaches is very much attuned to the goal of getting you results DAILY, which is the Z-​Health way. Within 1 – 2 weeks you will feel the difference. A true testament to this is their ability to heal, strengthen and put your body at ease regularly. Within 1.5 months of working with FE, I strained my back playing a somewhat competitive company softball game. During my first session with Andy after throwing out my back (four days after the softball game), he had me standing upright and feeling better! This was a vast improvement over being slumped forward in pain all throughout my workday that day. After doing the combination of five daily exercises (vision/​breathing/​stretching/​joint exercises) that Andy gave me, I was able to play sports at a high level within 10 days of pulling my back.
Whether you’re trying to cure your bodily pain or get to a higher level of athletic performance, I recommend giving the FE team a shot. Carmela, Andy, Jesse and Mary are amazing at what they do!

I’ve been working with Carmela in preparation for a 10K.
I exercise and practice yoga frequently. I’m new to running and wanted to stay injury free and train smart.
She customized a program for me and has me working the mind and body.
I’m very happy with the results so far.

Fitness Evolved is the gym of choice if you are looking to improve your fitness level as an amateur or professional athlete or are recovering from an injury and want to get back to your chosen recreational activities quickly.
Carmela and Andy have given me great results with their intelligent brand of fitness coaching. I worked with Andy following a significant car accident and he provided a functional assessment and personalized plan for my recovery based on my ability to perform specific movements and my pain patterns. I learned a handful of very helpful exercises I have been using for several years because they keep me feeling great and form a foundation for my athletic activities.
As a health care provider I have sent many patients to them for training and have seen my patients recover from their injuries and improve their performance in doing what they love to do. Their use of Z Health is a great cutting edge tool that helps their clients get fit faster! I highly recommend their services to anyone wanting to improve their physical fitness!

I have been working with Carmela and Andy on getting ready to look great in a strapless dress and to feel more strong in my body. In a very short time of working with them my body feels stronger and more muscular. I am also excited by the techniques they are using — lot’s of things I can do on my own for strengthening and pain management. Running can be tough on my knee and hip and they have helped tremendously with managing this. They offer a very integrated approach to body strength: who knew that the strength of my eye muscles could impact my body strength and proper muscle functioning?
The gym is fun as are the classes and the other members. One of the recent classes involved playing a brief game of tag — it was hilarious and made me feel like a little kid. The other participants in the classes introduce themselves and get to know you right away.
When is the last time you had fun getting in shape? I’m telling you you’ll have a blast while getting results at Fitness Evolved.

The instructors at Fitness Evolved know their stuff. I’m a Pilates instructor — and as a group, Pilates instructors are notoriously wary of gyms where personal trainers push their clients past what is healthy and safe. You won’t find that at Fitness Evolved. You can walk into this gym with an injury, having not exercised for years, or in the best shape of your life and looking to top your next athletic goal — whatever your state, Carmella and Andy can get you to your next level (and the next, and the next). They’ve nixed the horribly incorrect «no pain to gain» motto and replaced it with «gain is gain.» I highly recommend them.

Second review of this place. Still 5 stars.
If you are into getting the maximum out of your workout due to a combination of hard work, and INTELLIGENCE this is the place for you. Carmela and Andy use a great combination of the 2 to maximize your results. Their modern methods are backed with hard-​science, not rooted in archaic philosophy, and you will be amazed at the speed you see results if you follow their instructions.

Carmela has helped me so much with chronic hip and shoulder pain. The workouts she creates are not only helpful, but also fun and challenging. I feel safe and listened to at Fitness Evolved– something I have not always experienced with other trainers– and I love my results!

The exercises that Carmela has me do during my personal training sessions are helping me to get into great shape! An added benefit is that the routines are jump starting my motivation to exercise after a prolonged period of not being very active. Carmela is focused and knows how to design exercises that are for my fitness goals. The gym is spacious with lots of natural light and is very comfortable to work out in. Her system of fitness combines work on machines, free weights, and other gym equipment with exercises that check my progress to make sure that the program is working for my body. I do not know all of the science behind it, but I know that it works!

I went to Andy, co-​owner, for his advise when I hurt my back. During the first session I experienced dramatic improvement in strength and flexibility by utilizing the science of Z-​health. Andy and co-​owner Carmela make the atmosphere at Fitness Evolved very friendly, unintimidating and a fun place to work out and to learn more about nutrition and how my body works.

Fitness Evolved has changed my life! Since I started going there a month ago, I have lost 5 lbs in crucial areas and 4 mm of belly fat. More importantly, I am stronger, more graceful, and have better balance. Their Z-​health approach to joint mobility as tied to strength training has addressed a chronic hip strain that no amount of yoga or massage therapy has previously alleviated. I am in better shape than I have ever been before. I love every class I have attended and feel that I come away learning more about my body each time, insights that I can apply at home, at the office, or when I am doing other exercises. I LOVE Fitness Evolved!

I’ve been a client of Fitness Evolved for a year and a half. After 20 years of sitting at a desk job, I was out of shape and had chronic low back pain. I was referred to Fitness Evolved by my chiropractor. I’m a 61 year old woman who feels more like 35! Thanks to Andy and Carmela, the co-​owners of FE, I have learned that: (1) My body and mind naturally work together to keep me healthy — Andy and Carmela have taught me how to do the work necessary to protect and enhance these natural abilities for a lifetime; and (2) I’ve learned that pain (that cramp in a quad, tweak in a knee, stiffness in a finger) does NOT mean disability; instead of reaching for an Advil, or calling a doc, I now know what I need to do – how to move my body — to alleviate the pain and get back into action! The folks at FE have changed my world and I highly recommend them.

If you’re looking for the «real deal» of overall health and fitness training, Fitness Evolved (in Berkeley) is the place. I’m the kind of person who gets really bored, really fast and so I’ve always had a hard time staying with a program. Carmela, at Fitness Evolved, makes building health and fitness truly interesting. I’ve been working with her for nearly three years (which, in my world, constitutes a world record). She’s incredibly knowledgeable and keeps the workouts changing (or perhaps «evolving» would be a better term here). Most important, she listens (this seems simple but it’s really important and, in my experience, often missing with fitness trainers who have their own agendas) to what you want and what you can and are willing to do, and builds a realistic plan that is doable and very effective. I get more from one or two of her 25 minute workouts than two or three of my previous really looooooong (and boring) workouts combined. I know, hard to believe, but true The Fitness Evolved facility is a fairly new, super clean place with great music. It’s the kind of place you want to go to, rather than have to go to. And there is lots of easy parking. Really, truly, honest… you’ll love the place, and Carmela!

Fitness Evolved is a step ahead of most other gyms. Their combination of neuroscience and fitness is very effective in elevating one to the ‘next level’. I have been using FE’s custom programs for nearly a year now and I have been impressed with the marked improvements in my strength, balance, muscle tone, and running speed. They make the routines fun and interesting by writing new programs every ~6 weeks. This prevents boredom and ensures constant progress. The gym is large, clean, and bright, and has a casual atmosphere. Andy and Carmela were both at a top sports PT clinic in the East Bay previously and they really know their stuff. Andy fixed my troublesome rotator cuff injury 4 years ago and I trust him implicitly with my training.