Today we’d like to introduce you to Francis Draghi.
Hi Francis, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story starts back east in New York. That is where I was born and raised. That is also where I began my journey of learning about exercise, health, wellness and personal training. I grew up mostly playing sports. Football, lacrosse, basketball and baseball were my favorites when I was younger. My dad enjoyed working out and I remember seeing his Health and Fitness magazines that he would read. That jump started my love for learning how to develop the body and really use weight training and exercise as a discipline for growth. Since then, it has alway been there for me as I continue down the road of life. Finding something in life in which you can constantly keep learning, growing, expressing yourself and then helping other people with is really a gift that I am so very thankful for. Once I got into high school, I began to get an affinity for combat sports. As a kid the Rocky movies with Sylvester Stallone really inspired me to want to begin boxing. I initially bought some cheap VCR tapes at the time and began training myself in my room. Then finally at 15 years old, I mustered up the courage to walk into a local gym and hire a coach. The Bellmore Kickboxing Academy in Long Island was the perfect place for me to learn about competition, training hard and working with other people. It was here that I actually saw how I could be a trainer for others. As I was training as an amateur kickboxer I began to give personal lessons and teach classes. And thus my career began. From here I eventually decided to move out to California where I reside now and continue to study further. I began to look deeper into holistic health, functional fitness and what really constituted a high level of health in a person. This brought me to the Chek Institute, which was another great learning experience. Paul Chek and his team helped me dive deeper into corrective exercise, nutrition, mental and emotion health, stress management, gut health and the importance of our sleep/wake cycles. This really opened my eyes and heart into the depth of which you can really help people. Being able to have an understanding of all these factors and then applying what is most useful for each individual case is how I work with clients currently. I opened my company, Functional Dynamics Health and Fitness Training, in 2020 and have been working with private clients on a weekly basis ever since.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that it was a smooth road, but it has been interesting to watch it unfold in real time. When you are younger and just getting started, you need to really get your reps in and your skills developed. That usually comes with working in a bigger gym or clinical setting with a lot of different people whenever you can. This is great for getting experienced, but sometimes can have its bumps along the way. When I first moved out to LA I did not know anybody and had no clientele base so I had to start from scratch. I worked in a LA Fitness doing personal training sales, not even training people at first because that was the only job open. Then upon moving to another part of town, I worked at the front desk of a more boutique style gym for a while, before finally moving in to training and helping with boxing classes. Sometimes you have to take the job you don’t want before you can do the one you really want. At least that was my experience. Working for other people, figuring out what your best skills are, who you really want to work with and being able to navigate that while managing the rest of life is definitely challenging. Running your own business will come with its struggles too. Learning “non trainer skills” that help the business grow like marketing, sales and content creation are all new opportunities for growth but are not the most fun for me in particular. But nothing great comes too easy so we must move through the resistance. Just like lifting weights, this is how we grow.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Functional Dynamics is all about having a holistic attitude and perspective towards not only exercise, but the other factors that lead to creating health. It is really about adapting one’s whole lifestyle in a more positive direction to affect change.
To start, we take an assessment of the physical body as our starting point. We look to see if there are any limitations, past injuries, and what the specific goals are in mind going forward. From there we plot our course.
We work to develop proper core function, base conditioning and then move toward more integrated and functional exercise.
While working through this process we are always taking inventory of our sleep patterns, diet and nutrition and chronic stressors we may face. As these all contribute to ones total wellness. There is not one thing that does not contribute to another. So they all must be accounted for in order to properly heal and grow.
Approaching each client as a unique individual and applying a strategy and framework that works for them is what I specialize in. Having a broad base of understanding and versitility of how we can move towards being healthier is an asset for me. Fitness and exercise can easily be seen as a “chore” to be dreaded by many. But health and wellness in general should be a way of life. It’s my goal to help my clients see it that way and to bring some joy to the process.
I have always loved connecting with others and helping people on their respective journeys. Wether healing from an injuring, getting stronger, or just trying to create some positive change in their lives, I want your readers to know that I always look forward to working with new people. Being able to connect with others and help them is a great gift that I feel very proud and blessed to be able to do. Currently I am servicing clients on the Westside of Los Angeles, Westwood, Century City and Beverly Hills.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was extremely curious and energetic. Which thankfully still sticks with me today. I aways looked to try new things and explore anything that interested me. I always looked for fun and a good time. Early on, team sports and school were my main focus. I enjoyed learning about the world through social studies, science and learning a foreign language in Spanish class. Physical training became something that captured my interest as well as spending time in when I could. I can safely say that a lot of these qualities and interests still persist with me today.
Pricing:
- $150/hr
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.functionaldynamicsllc.com
- Instagram: @frankdraghi
- LinkedIn: Linkedin/FrankDraghi
