ACE Certified Personal Trainer in Fort Collins

I’m Craig Murguia, founder, and owner of Southpaw Fitness. I started this one-on-one personal training business because I believe everyone deserves a chance to overcome life’s challenges, no matter what they are.

My Personal Journey

When I was 18, a motorcycle accident left me with a full-body injury and caused me to lose my right arm. Recovery was tough. But after a lot of work and a long journey, this life experience eventually revealed my professional purpose. I got my ACE certifications in personal training, health coaching, and orthopedic exercise and started Southpaw Fitness.

My one-to-one Fort Collins personal training programs are focused on making you stronger. Strength is not solely physical, though. It comes from challenging yourself and learning to understand what’s best for you. Whether your program is for personal training, functional fitness, orthopedic exercise, or injury recovery, it’s always underpinned by my three core values:

Challenge
Support
Empathy

I push you to do your best and offer support and guidance when you need it. I know how hard it can be because I’ve been there. At Southpaw Fitness, you get more than a good workout. You get the motivation to accomplish your goals and overcome obstacles.

Your 1-on-1 Fort Collins Personal Training Program

Not all personal training in Fort Collins is equal. Finding someone with the right credentials, experience, and empathy to guide you toward your goals is a lot easier said than done.

Sticking to your fitness goals isn’t always easy. Struggling to stay motivated, not knowing if you’re doing exercises properly, or lacking a good environment to work out in all make personal fitness harder than it should be. By working with a one-on-one personal trainer, you can overcome these obstacles.

At Southpaw Fitness right here in Fort Collins, you’ll find a health coach that understands your fitness journey, whether you’re recovering from an injury or simply trying to get stronger.

Personal Training Fort Collins

Your body is unique. To optimize it to its fullest potential, you need a training and workout plan that fits your specific needs. Gyms that offer group fitness classes might help you get in shape, but you’ll never achieve the best results for your body without a one-to-one personalized training program.

At Southpaw Fitness, you’ll receive a workout and training program tailored to you and your body. My personalized training approach is a simple five-step process.

Assessment: Before you even lift a dumbbell, you and I have an in-depth discussion bout your background, past successes, failures, and goals.
In-person workouts: With extensive training as an ACE certified personal trainer, health coach, and orthopedic exercise specialist, I can create a unique workout program for our one-on-one training sessions.
At-home workouts: We meet for personalized fitness sessions regularly, but I’ll also give you custom workout plans that you can do on your own.
Follow-up: I monitor your progress on an ongoing basis and modify your personalized training program so you don’t hit plateaus.
Results: You will see consistent, ongoing improvements with me as your fitness coach. Your success is my success too.

1-on-1 Functional Fitness | Your Best Fort Collins Personal Strength Trainer

Functional fitness includes exercise that prepares and supports your body for everyday activities. It consists of strength training that allows you to bend, twist, lift, push, pull, load, haul, and squat more easily in daily life. Functional fitness supports a wide range of motions and strengthens all your major joints, including your spine, elbows, knees, hips, wrists, and shoulders.

At Southpaw Fitness, I focus on helping you feel more in sync with your muscles so you can move more effectively. Typical functional fitness exercises include pull-ups or push-ups, squats, rowing, lunges, jumping, running, and core exercises.

At most Fort Collins gyms, functional fitness training happens in large groups. You’re unable to get the personalized attention you need to ensure you’re doing the movements correctly or using the proper amount of weight for your body. I provide one-on-one functional fitness sessions so you can get the most from your workout.

Orthopedic Exercise Specialist in Fort Collins, Colorado

Recovering from an injury or managing a musculoskeletal disorder takes the proper amount of care and attention. If you suffer from knee pain, muscle imbalances, or dysfunction of your major joints, I can create a specialized fitness plan to complement the treatment you receive from an orthopedic specialist or physical therapist.

With a specialty in ACE orthopedic exercise, I have the training required to address your musculoskeletal problems. I can also create a custom preventative fitness plan for you that aims to prevent muscle, bone, and joint pain before it sets in.

Fort Collins Injury Recovery Training Health Coach

Recovering from an injury can be a long, difficult journey. At times, it may seem like you’ll never feel like yourself again. I understand the total stress of recovering from a full-body injury and I want to help you feel as strong and empowered in your own body as I do.

Rehabilitation and rebuilding strength are the keys to orthopedic injury recovery. It’s common to work with a physical therapist following an injury, to restore function. By adding personalized training as a supplement to your physical therapy sessions, you can do more than that. You can provide your body with long-term strength, mobility, and ability.

Client Testimonials

"Craig is a fantastic trainer he challenges me and puts together incredible workouts. I have met my goals with his help. I can’t imagine ever finding a trainer that puts that much time and effort into each individual work out. I am pushed every time I go to him just when I think I can’t do it some how the motivation and strength is there."

"Craig has a perfect understanding of the physical challenges I deal with in my life. He has been both motivating and an inspiration."

"When I first started training with Craig I had this "I can’t do this attitude." He would ask me “You can’t or you won’t?" He started with the basics with me since I was so out shape and a mess, after my precious hip injury and surgery. I would roll my eyes at him when he would say "We have to start with your core, strengthen it and build from there." A few months later, I am lifting weights I never thought would be possible. My attitude now is "I will and I can" thanks to his knowledge and guidance."

"I was referred to Craig from my physical therapist because he would provide a continuation of my therapy. Right from the start it was obvious he knew what he was talking about and that he was really an extension of the physical therapist's office. He has an exceptional knowledge of body muscles and how to condition them especially when injuries are involved. He emphasizes core strength and flexibility which have been both important to me."

Why Southpaw Fitness for Personal Training?

Why choose an individualized fitness plan in Fort Collins when you can sign up for a gym membership instead? Going to a gym has some perks, but only if you stay motivated enough to use them. People sign up for gym or fitness subscriptions all the time and within a few weeks, they lose momentum. Not only do they fail to hit their goals but they also pay for something they don’t use.

At Southpaw Fitness, I consider it my responsibility to keep you motivated and on track with your fitness goals. I create a program tailored specifically to you that will help you achieve the results you’re after. All you have to do is follow it. By working with a one-on-one health coach and trainer, you have the encouragement, accountability, and expertise you need to keep going.

Clients choose Southpaw Fitness to become better versions of themselves.