the team
the san francisco team
bianca buresh
Personal trainer, TRX instructor and Senior Instructor for START Fitness. Originally from Raymore, Saskatchewan Canada, she moved to the United States in the year 2000. Bianca holds certifications with ISSA and START Fitness. She has participated in the San Francisco and the Honolulu marathons and took 2nd place in the 2008 Marine Corp Mountain Warfare Challenge. She has been featured in GX, Hooah!, and The Yogi Times Magazine™. As a boot camp instructor for START Fitness, Bianca has performed at SCW Fitness, IRHSA and by invitation for the Army National Guard.
dave thomas
Certified personal trainer and instructor for START Fitness. A local San Franciscan, Dave gained a passion for fitness during his 4 years of lightweight rowing with the UC Davis crew where he was a Pacific Coast Novice 8 gold medalist, 2-time Pacific Coast Lightweight 8 gold medalist, and Canadian Henley lightweight pair silver medalist. He continued his commitment to staying fit after college by training with Sgt Ken′s bootcamp for over 3 years. He is an avid cyclist, runner, and yogi and an AFAA certified Primary Group Fitness instructor as well as an ACE certified personal trainer.
jamel ramiro
NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Muay Thai Kickboxing and TRX Certified Instructor and Instructor for START Fitness. Jamel has always lead an active lifestyle and finds his comfort zone in any adrenaline-induced activity. Since his move from Chicago to the Bay Area in 2000, Jamel has driven his "work hard, play hard" mentality to another level. With extensive experience using the TRX, he has taught hundreds of hours at the TRX Training Center. As a Muay Thai Instructor, he has taught fighters, law enforcement officials and fitness enthusiasts of all levels for 3 years and has also committed training time in Thailand. To add to his fitness arsenal, Jamel has lead physical training for soldiers during his time in the military and also has experience as a Swim Coach.
Jamel is also available for personal and small group training. Please contact us to book your consultation.
jeneane wagner
Jeneane is a Marin County native and assistant instructor for Start Fitness since 2007. In addition to teaching total body conditioning classes, she is an experienced running and cardio boxing coach. Jeneane competed in boxing for 4 years, including 2 AAU "Golden Glove" tournaments. She views boxing as an excellent discipline and training regimen. Jeneane has been passionately involved in athletics since childhood and has competed in soccer, basketball and softball. Jeneane spends her spare time as a full-time student and has a strong interest in nutrition.
nilu rafsanjani
Business owner and instructor for START Fitness. Nilu Rafsanjani is the owner of BODYwork S.F. Personal Training studio in San Francisco and has been involved in athletics all her life. Born in Tehran, Iran, she learned to swim in the Caspian sea and went on to participate in Gymnastics and competitive swimming. She moved to the U.S. in 1986 and has continued her athletic endeavors in swimming, volleyball, and running. She met SGT Ken in 2000 and was instantly hooked on the hardcore workouts offered by military style training. She became a certified personal trainer in 2005 and has opened up her own studio in 2008. She is currently a long distance road cyclist, a weigh lifter, a runner, and a coach that can help anyone achieve a higher level of fitness and strength.
Nilu is also available for personal and small group training. Please contact us to book your consultation.
sgt ken
Sgt. Ken Weichert: Ken Weichert (a.k.a. "SGT Ken") is a Six-time Soldier of the Year, Army Master Fitness and Master Resilience Trainer and veteran of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Desert Storm. Ken founded START Fitness® in 1998 in San Francisco, CA. He has led thousands of Soldiers to better health through Operation Fit to Fight, a tactical fitness instructor training program designed to prepare Soldiers for Basic Combat Training, deployments, leadership schools and post-deployment reintegration. Some of Sergeant Weichert′s most recent awards are a Letter of Commendation from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Military Cross from the California State National Guard Commander, and the Life Saving Medal from the California Highway Patrol. He is certified through the American Council on Exercise (ACE).
stephanie weichert
Published author and Strategic Director of START Fitness. Stephanie Weichert became the Strategic Director of START in 2001 and developed and co-produced the Operation Living Fit™ DVD fitness series. She has written health and fitness articles for GX Magazine (circ. 375,000), Foundations (circ. 400,000), Hooah! (circ. 6.5 million) and Military Spouse Magazines (circ. 60,000). She co-developed a train-the-trainer program for the Army National Guard. Stephanie comes from a strong Water Polo background where she achieved the All-Valley goalie, co-MVP and Coaches Award. She is certified in Personal training through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), has a Sports Nutrition Consultant Certification from City College of San Francisco and has a B.A. in marketing from SFSU.
san francisco, ca
yelp Instructor Certification spri trx newsletterwhat people are saying
Amazing workouts. PERIOD. You won′t get bored, You will get in great shape (if you consistently attend). I′ve never been much of a runner, but after a few months of taking the Start Fitness classes, I′ve begun to appreciate the benefits of running, and in a sick sort of a way, look forward to the Tues & Thursday runs. The instructors are fantastic. To me, there′s nothing more de-motivating than seeing an instructor that is out of shape and apathetic. None of that going on at Start! The instructors are in incredible shape, and do a great job of motivating you, and pushing you to the next level without being intimidating. If you REALLY want to get into shape - this is the way to do it. - Kristin S. (Yelp Review)