Today we’d like to introduce you to Sergio Calderon.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sergio. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I always knew that I wanted to work with people to help them be the healthiest version of themselves. While I wasn’t sure how that would look, I had a passion for helping people. I began my schooling by majoring in kinesiology. At the time, I worked at a physical therapy clinic. Unfortunately, during my time in college, I had an accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury along with several broken bones throughout my body. This re-routed my life completely. In one night, my goals changed to fighting for my life, finding the strength to overcome the physical and mental limitations that I now faced, learning to walk, talk, and live a functional life again. After many months of therapy of all kinds, I began to see myself again. I was able to think about the dreams that I once had and found ways to pursue them. I knew now, more than ever, that I wanted to help people. I had a new sense of compassion and understanding after living with so many limitations.
After that, I enrolled back into school. I received my bachelor’s in kinesiology shortly after. I worked with the community through many different facets when I was finally introduced into the field that I’m currently in. I worked as a coach with the special needs population at another local gym. In my time there, I was able to really grow as a person and as a coach. I furthered my experience and truly fell in love with working with the public in this capacity. I had known for years that I wanted to open my own gym. In fact, I knew what the name would be shortly after my accident. When life finally led me to a place that I could make that dream a reality, Valiant Fitness was born. To be Valiant means to show courage and determination, which is a trait that I see in my clients every single day.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, it has not been a smooth road. There have been many roadblocks and detours along the way. Not just with my personal journey, but also with opening the gym itself. The biggest challenge has been the timing. When I opened the gym, I was unemployed and in the middle of a pandemic. While the restrictions of operations and even closures made things extremely challenging, we found a way. The commitment that my clients showed to their health and wellness was so inspiring and pushed me to find ways to continue to operate safely.
Valiant Fitness – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I provide Functional Training for the Neurotypical and neurodivergent community. The majority of my students are diagnosed on the autism spectrum, but I do work with other diagnosis such as Cerebral Palsy and Down syndrome. I am most proud of being able to provide a program for individuals that are are typically seen to not have the capability to do things because of their diagnosis. It is my core belief to meet my students where they are at. I understand some of their challenges, and we do our work by building on their neurological and physical skills. Neurological skills are built through practice and Physical skills are built through different strength training principles. What makes Valiant Fitness successful is how we program.
The components of our program provide simple and predictable communication. A typical session begins by going over the movements we will be working on. The movements will be written on a whiteboard and can be scaled or modified so that every student feels the appropriate muscle contraction intended without needing to overcompensate and use the wrong muscles. After we go over the movements, we get to work. We start with a warm-up, then move to either a neurological or physical skill, and lastly, we move to the WOD (workout of the day). I believe that my care and investment in my students is what sets me apart. I truly care about the well-being of each and every one of my students. I think that this is a highly needed resource in our community, and it is my goal to be able to offer this service to anyone who needs it.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
On a personal level, my idea of success is to be doing something that I love. To be able to spend my days doing something that I feel so passionate about, and quite simply, something that just makes me happy. On a professional level, success to me is to be able to provide a much-needed service to our community. To be able to spread awareness on the benefits of moving our bodies to an under-serviced community. My goal is to be able to spread the news of this service to anyone who can benefit from it.
Contact Info:
- Address: 25742 Sarape Ct, Valencia, CA 91355
- Website: www.valiant-fitness.com
- Phone: 805-421-3646
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/valiantfitnessscv/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValiantFitnessSCV/
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