Meet Our Coaches
Director of Fitness
Steve Evans
As Director of Fitness, Steve provides ongoing support to managers, trainers, and clients while overseeing the programming for personal training. He delivers top notch personal training sessions, specializing in Olympic weightlifting and sports performance. Always striving to improve, his background includes - CSCS, USAW level 2, TPI level 1, ACSM CPT, and pre and post natal specialization. Recently, Steve has become a team member on the CHFP Olympic weightlifting team based in Alexandria, VA and will compete in meets around the country!
Lead Trainer
Keren Cepero
Keren brings unparalleled enthusiasm and positivity to everything she does, and training her clients is no exception! Need some happiness in your life? Hang out with Keren for 2 minutes. Keren specializes in everything from weight loss to prenatal training to highly specialized Senior Training.
Certified with NASM, TRX and AFAA, Keren creates super creative workouts that activate ALL the muscles, especially the ones that make you smile!
Lead Trainer
Kat Trammell
Kat’s passion for helping others is what makes her stand out. You’ll often hear her saying, “Give it a go” to challenge students to believe they’re stronger than they think. On top of yoga for special needs, Kat specializes in weight loss, lean muscle gain and kettlebells with clients at Training Ground. Kat also has a knack for getting the most out of her clients and delivering fun, creative workouts for clients to keep driving progress!
Trainer
Michael Sullivan
Michael has been helping clients for over a decade when he first discovered his passion for helping others in college. Since then he has developed an impressive array of skills and knowledge, and he delivers results for all types of clients, whether it be weight loss, strength building, injury rehab, and more. Michael most notably incorporating proper movement to deliver long term success and limit the risk of injury for clients as they work towards their individual goals. Don’t let that motorcycle he rides on intimidate you - Michael is as positive and caring as trainers come!
Trainer
Hillary Hoffman
A longtime training client herself, Hillary has a unique perspective on how to deliver super effective workouts for all types of clients. Hillary specializes in weight loss, building strength and athletic performance. On top of that, she’s also a health coach! You can’t get more well-rounded than that!
If you love a trainer who both cares about you and knows how to push you to get the best results, Hillary is for you!
trainer
Isiejah Allen
A former professional Rugby and Football player before becoming a rock star trainer, Isiejah has been getting results for clients for over 10 years! While he has a specialization in performance enhancement, he has worked with clients from all backgrounds, once helping a client lose 100 lbs without surgery! He has a knack for weight loss, fat burning, athletic performance, strength building and more!
Trainer
Tony Miller
Tony is as experienced and talented as trainers come. Recently moving back home from California, Tony decided to bring his talents to the Bethesda-area, and our clients couldn’t be happier! Full bio coming soon…
trainer
Camille Chetrit
Camille has been personal training and crushing the coaching classes game for several years. Pretty impressive for someone with youth on their side! Her passion for fitness shines through in every class, and she also happens to be a firecracker with killer playlists. With Camille, leave your excuses at the door. She may be young, but she will push you.
Trainer
Gail Dooley
A CPA during the day, Gail is a passionate trainer phenom at night. She’s always been an athlete, but after working with a personal trainer (Steve!) for years, Gail grew too fond of how great she felt, mentally and physically, after her sessions. This turned into a passion to help others feel the same way, and now our clients get to benefit from a trainer who has been in their shoes. Her clients love her almost as much as we do. Just don’t sidetrack her by asking her about her adorable Corgi puppy! :)
Trainer
Kazue Muroi
Kazue is a bad ass on the TRX, though that's probably an understatement since she’s a Master TRX coach! Aerial hammock, aerial dance fitness and group fitness are all part of her arsenal, too. If you're looking to do some exercises on the TRX that you won't find elsewhere, her class is for you. We haven’t met someone who hasn’t been super sore (in a good way) after one of her classes!
Founder
Andy Schaefer
As founder, Andy's goal is to make Next Phase and/or Training Ground your #happyplace. He wanted to create a fun place where people can get a personalized, effective workout in a welcoming, inspiring atmosphere without the need for a contract or gym membership. In other words, he wants to deliver an experience that people can’t find in a commercial or trendy-studio setting. It's a full time job to spread happiness through fitness, but he wouldn't trade it for the world.
Trainer
Taylor Croyle
Taylor follows the mantra ‘Do what you love,’ which is why she decided to switch from the medical field to the fitness industry. When waking up at 5am to workout feels like a hobby, you know you have a dedicated fitness professional on your hands! Specializing in weight loss and burning body fat, Taylor knows how to motivate her clients to get the most out of each workout. Give her a try and see for yourself!