 |
Nerijus Bagdonas didn't always look the way he looks today. At age 15, when he and his mother arrived in America from Lithuania, he wasn't exactly buff. Instead, he was a tall but painfully skinny teenager. He was also very quiet, partly because of his nature and partly because he didn't know English all that well yet. Sick and tired of being viewed as "that emaciated, shy guy from some country close to Poland", he began working out with weights. Never having been one to do something half-heartedly, it didn't take long before the YMCA in Kingston, NY became his second home. In the beginning he used fitness books and magazines as his primary tool for instruction. Soon, however, trainers at the gym noticed his dedication and started including him in their workouts as well as training him for free. His intense training in combination with his improved eating habits enabled him to completely transform his body. His changed looks gave him confidence and made him more outgoing. The management at the YMCA noticed his contagious passion for fitness and asked him to join their staff.
Within short, Nerijus moved on to a more prestigious health club in Kingston - Fitness Unlimited - and was certified by the American Council of Exercise (A.C.E). Not entirely unexpected, while studying Biology at SUNY Stony Brook to fulfill his Pre-med requirements, Nerijus realized that his passion for fitness was too strong to suppress. So he transferred to Penn State University to study Kinesiology, the Science of Movement. The program covered biomechanics, exercise physiology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition as well as sports psychology. Nerijus' favorite time at PSU was training athletes while doing independent studies with strength and conditioning coaches. He then added American College of Sports Medicine (A.C.S.M.) Health and Fitness Instructor to his certifications. When he moved to New York and began working at Reebok Sports Club/NY, he also became certified by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (N.A.S.M) - considered by many as the most important personal training certification around. Having remained here since October of 2002, he is now one of this prominent club's most successful trainers.
Of course, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Nerijus' mother, Daiva DeChillo, is an accomplished personal trainer located in upstate New York. She has always been a positive role model for her son, encouraging him to partake in a variety of sports since childhood. Soccer, basketball, track, and cross-country running were some of them. In addition, Nerijus has ten years of experience practicing martial arts: Shotokan Karate, Kung-Fu, and then Tang-Soo-Do Karate in which he holds a Black Belt.
Last, but not least, Nerijus has competed in bodybuilding and greatly enjoys preparing people for competitions.