“I’m confident that Zach is one of the best trainers in San Francisco. I trained with Zach for almost a year, and experienced a huge transformation in both my physique and mental well-being.

I came to Zach with an all too common case of “office bod”, where I ate my meals on the fly and sported a modest beer belly from too many happy hours. It wasn’t until Zach showed me what it feels like to embrace a healthy lifestyle that I realized how much more fulfilling my life could be.

Now, I’m no longer addicted to coffee, I have a mildly euphoric feeling all day long, and I look fantastic. I went from “skinny-fat” to having a solid foundation of muscle that isn’t just for looks: Zach made sure that we incorporated functional movements into my routine so that I can excel at any sport I choose to play.

However, Zach’s greatest strength is his understanding that fitness sometimes requires a holistic approach, and that stress at work or in other areas of life can prevent us from achieving our fitness goals. He offers great tools for overcoming such obstacles.

With everything that Zach has taught me, I now feel confident enough to direct my own training, but I will certainly be coming back to Zach in the future when I need that extra push to achieve an ambitious fitness goal.
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“I have trained with Zach for just about a year. Prior to working with Zach I had stopped making time for my health, allowing my other responsibilities as a full time student get in the way. After just one consultation with Zach I was not only given the preliminary tools to get back into great shape but, more importantly, I was able to rediscover my passion for fitness. As someone who has been fairly-fit and athletic all my life, I loved working with Zach on a weekly basis, not only because he did whip me back into the best shape of my life (toned up, lost fat, and gained muscle) but moreover because he taught me how to find balance in my fitness routine by working out and eating effectively for my goals. This is invaluable as it is a new skill set that I can maintain throughout the rest of my life.

To boot, Zack is an awesome human being. I always have the best time joking with him between sets. Additionally, he also has a very holistic and well-rounded outlook on life which I appreciate and admire. Finally, whenever I have felt sore/ experienced pain he has always been attentive, working hard to help me feel my best!

The only reason I stopped training with him recently is because I am moving for few months time. However, I look forward to seeing him again when I am back in the Bay Area! Highly, highly recommend!!

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“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with Zach. He is professional, knowledgeable, friendly, caring, and takes an integrative, holistic approach to helping me improve my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being. No matter where you are in your fitness or life journey, Zach can help you improve.

Last year (2016), I decided to hike a section of the Pacific Crest Trail. I section hiking the Appalachian Trail a couple years ago, and knew from hard experiences on trail I was woefully unprepared. I asked Zach in mid-2016 to help me achieve several goals, including sustainable fitness and the ability to walk 10-15 miles a day through mountains by summer 2017. Using a wide variety of techniques and traditions, and demonstrating deep knowledge of humans, Zach led me to achieve my goals much earlier than I expected. We’re still making improvements as my adventure nears; I’m fully confident I’ll be up to the physical and mental challenges of two weeks climbing mountains and covering long distances solo in the wilderness.

The studio Zach works from is the best gym I’ve trained in throughout North America and the capital cities of the Pacific Rim. I’ve had lengthy memberships in gyms of all kinds, big and small, public, private, corporate, university, plush, and spartan. During peak hours, only so many people are on the floor at any given time, and everyone is working with a trainer; while busy at times, there is never a wait for equipment, and all equipment is returned to the racks immediately after use. It’s a serious place for serious people. Zach is clearly one of the best trainers there. I have Zach’s complete attention during my entire session, and we have access to all the equipment we need exactly when we need it.

I’ve been working with Zach for about nine months. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to work with Zach. He is professional, knowledgeable, friendly, caring, and takes an integrative, holistic approach to helping me improve my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well being. I can execute difficult, sustained physical maneuvers in survival conditions, day after day. After a physical assessment, we discussed my goals in detail and his approach, also in detail. Every session has similar but different exercises, movement patterns and sequences. My diet, outlook , and homework are all topics of conversation and guidance. Sometimes, I’ve reached one of my goals seemingly by accident - though it was really the result of practice and all the little changes I’d made up to that point. Every session, it seems like I improve something, whether it’s mastering a new movement, a higher weight, or handling a certain kind of stress. It sometimes felt like Zach cared more about me than I did about myself. I feel better, I’m calmer and more focused, stronger, more powerful, more flexible, more mobile, and better attuned to meeting the demands of life than ever before, and am confident I can sustain all these improvements for the rest of my life.

Zach is always positive and encouraging, and I always feel comfortable asking for his help if something doesn’t feel right. For example, in the early stages, I’d often had aches and pains from challenging my body. Zach always asks me how I’m doing and if everything feels ok. When I describe a specific muscle ache or joint pain or just general soreness, he always has a suggestion on how to stretch the area, or a new movement pattern, or adjusts my workout to treat the soreness - and it works. If I’m having a problem with my diet, or emotional challenges, Zach listens without judgment and provides guidance when I ask for it, and support. Sometimes we make changes to my diet, or different exercises, or adjust my outside training. Other times, he suggests specific extra homework, like a series of exercises I’ve been doing to strengthen my rotator cuff or improve the flexibility of my knees and allows, sometimes a new food in my diet, sometimes lifestyle or behavioural changes.

As a client, I’ve found that patience, openness, and a willingness to work hard in all areas of my life has helped me achieve the goals I set for myself. Zach has been the trusted advisor I needed to guide me on my journey.”

“I started working with Zach about a year ago. I had reached a point in my life where I realized that I needed to start taking care of my body if I wanted to enjoy the years ahead.

When I was evaluating trainers to work with, Zach stood out immediately. He has such a broad approach that incorporates his deep knowledge of nutrition, sleep, and overall health. He also had me do some sample exercises to get an idea of what to expect, which I appreciated. And very importantly, Zach has a positive, energizing attitude that just makes you feel comfortable, yet challenged to do your best. And of course he knows a LOT about the body and how to optimize your training time. He’s all about the 360 degree perspective on your body, your health, your LIFE.

A year later I can say that I now have a completely different relationship with my body. My wife loves the results. I feel better, eat better, and have strength and flexibility that I never had before. I can’t believe it but I look forward to going to the gym several times a week.

Zach is a force for change, and I can wholeheartedly say that he’s changed my life for the better.”

“I started working out with Zach just over a year ago. He has transformed not only my fitness routine but my health—dropping just under 30lbs and adding serious muscle. From the beginning it’s obvious he cares about your health...providing wellness tips when you first start, setting you up on a nutritional plan with macros and building a program to meet my goals. He is always checking in on data points along the way. I always felt like we had a clear goal and we had a strategy to get there.

Most importantly, he’s a great guy. Over the course of a week I spend more time with him than even my closest friends ... so it’s important that’s he’s smart and good for a good laugh. I highly recommend him to anyone who is serious about making a big change to their health and life overall...”

“I’ve been training with Zach for over a year at Diakadi and would highly recommend him to anyone looking to improve their overall fitness and health. Since working with him, I’ve become leaner and stronger, I sleep sounder, my clothes fit better, and I am generally happier with my quality of life.

Prior to training with Zach, I bounced between running and yoga, but was still unhappy with my level of fitness. Upon first working with Zach, he really took the time to understand my daily routine, including workout, eating, and sleeping habits, as well as where I wanted to be health wise.

Our workouts are never boring or repetitive and are personalized to me based on my goals. For example, since expressing interest in handstands and pull ups, Zach has altered our workouts to incorporate exercises to help me get there. I am super close to my first ever pull up! Zach is able to read my energy level without me having to say much. He’s patient and encouraging while still able to push me beyond my comfort zone.

Zach’s holistic approach to health and fitness has taught me a lot beyond just our workouts, but has expanded my knowledge around diet, sleep, and stress management. During our first 5-10 sessions, he went over presentations he created on these topics. Additionally, he’s always willing to answer my ad hoc questions, sending reading materials or recommended supplements without judgement or pushing products.

Lastly, Zach has always been super accommodating and flexible even when I have to cancel or reschedule at the last minute. As someone who often has last minute work meetings pop-up, I do not take this for granted!

In short, I am super happy that I started training with Zach!”

“I’ve been training with Zach for 6 months and I’ve experienced a significant transformation, in both mind and body, in large part thanks to him. I’ve lost almost 50lbs so far and I’m just weeks away from edging my body fat percentage into the teens for the first time in a looong while.

I came to Zach after going through a period of realization that I didn’t handle stress well, didn’t treat myself in a kind way, and had a framework of taking care of myself that was born out of a childhood of alcoholism, abandonment, and addiction. I was stressed out, overweight, and feeling overwhelmed. I had left my job to take care of myself but had no tools to do so.

But then I found Zach! He has become sort of a parent to me in a lot of ways. He is pragmatic and structured but also compassionate and patient. He’s basically re-taught me how to eat, how to exercise, how to be caring to myself in terms of expectations, progress, and recovery. Instead of focusing on weight and if I’m doing good enough fast enough, I’m focused on how strong I’ve become and how forever all of this will be. This change in thinking has spread into many other facets of my life. I’m a different person now.

Working with him has also been a pleasure. He is really on top of his game and that makes a world of difference. I have a lot of confidence in what he says. Zach is never free styling or wasting time. He’s focused on the program he’s designed and making sure the data is being recorded and used to push me forward.

I feel really lucky to have found someone so good and so kind. He’s a real professional and his commitment is inspiring.”

“I have been training with Zach for about 6 months now. I was a crossfitter (with resultant injuries) , had kind of a good diet going on (or so I thought) and didnt know what to do to move to the next level of fitness and health.

Zach is committed. I think that is his best quality. He is committed to helping you achieve whatever your goals may be ( or in my case goals that change every two weeks). Knowledge goes alongside commitment - He is very knowledgeable and has solid education (degrees and certifications) which was really critical for me to understand what was going on in with body / diet and how to effect change. The other qualities that come to mind in working with Zach are - flexibility, listening, EASY to get along and work with & challenging - he may appear amenable to everything you want but you will be pushed beyond your limits - thank you Zach :-)

RESULTS - 6 months - 8 lbs muscle gained, 8 lbs fat lost - body fat down from 19% to 12%, energy levels and motivation are at its best and most of all I can now actually visualize where am going and know I’m getting there FAST.”

“Having used a personal trainer in the past with very limited results, I was trepidatious about undertaking the experience again, and instead opted for options like crossfit and group fitness at my local gym. After one too many injuries at crossfit and having grown tired of overcrowded group classes, I decided to try personal training once more.

When I initially met with Zach for our consultation, it was obvious to me how knowledgeable he was about health and fitness, but what I appreciated even more was his patient ability to listen to all my questions and concerns. His extensive knowledge of the human body and nutrition is mind boggling. During workouts he is an expert at pushing me enough to get results without making me feel physically overwhelmed. In over 6 months of training, I’ve never done the same workout twice. He definitely has the pertinent degrees and certifications, but he also stays up to date on current research, and is always open to talk with me about what I’ve read or heard regarding fitness and nutrition. He truly has a passion for all aspects of wellness. His true commitment to my fitness goals has been instrumental in helping me stay motivated and, I have been able to reduce my body fat percentage from 22% to 10%. My skin looks better than ever, my eyes are brighter, I sleep better, and my overall mood has improved tremendously. He has definitely guided me to a path of personal physical wellness.”

“Nothing less than a 5 star review for Zach, he is the most talented, qualified and dedicated trainer I have ever had the pleasure of training with. I’ve always found it difficult maintaining workout and nutrition goals, and two years ago I decided I needed a great trainer to help me reach my goals. I couldn’t have asked for a better trainer than Zach. I was astonished by his approach from the first time we met: he creates highly customized and extremely detail-oriented workout and nutrition plans for the individual. He takes every aspect of the individual into consideration to ensure you have success, and he is determined to help you reach your goals. He is definitely not your typical trainer: he is a Professional, a Nutritionist, and a Life Coach. Two years later and I am the strongest and healthiest I have ever been. At his young age, I can only imagine he will become even better with time. 100% recommended!”

“After proposing to my wife I realized I need to make a big change in terms of my overall health before the wedding. I unfortunately got extremely busy with work, and next thing I knew I was one month out. Given my own efforts were in vain, I immediately sought the help of a professional, and I am so glad I found Zach to work with. He effectively and strategically got me on a 5-week plan for the wedding date. The first couple weeks were really difficult, but day by day things got easier and I saw dramatic changes. I am a really data driven/ goal oriented person and our metrics really kept me on point. Sure enough I got as close to my goal as possible - I felt and looked amazing for friends and family on the big day. I am very thankful for this process and have taken away big lessons I integrated in my lifestyle. I have actually stuck with the training and am still loosing weight to this day!”

“I was introduced to Zach because he had helped my partner make a deep transformation to health and happiness. Zach was extremely informative and not only took me through a great variety of workouts but also gave me excellent theory behind a balanced nutrition plan. I was clearly able to see a plan towards my goals. I never felt in the dark with my strategy.
When I started the program my body fat percentage was 23% and in 5 weeks I dropped to 13% and felt amazing. I also put on nice lean muscle, I never felt bulky. The diet and nutrition plan was fined tuned to my specific needs and lifestyle so it made it so much easier. I finally felt like I had a realistic way to get to my goals without killing myself as I had in the past.
I really wanted focus on my legs and didn’t really have any separation in those muscles but he helped change that. I feel so much more confident in my own skin, but more importantly I feel that radiates into all other areas of my life. I am so thankful to have met Zach!”