STEVEN MCHONE
Steven is an Asheville native who for the last 15 years has dedicated himself to helping his mountain community to stay fit for adventuring in Western North Carolina. As a certified personal trainer, nationally accredited yoga instructor and licensed massage therapist Steven uses his unique skill set to help increase individuals’ athletic performance with their adventures in mind. He has biked across the country from West Coast to East Coast and North to South, ran the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon, and competed as a bodybuilder and physique competitor. Steven currently enjoys his daily movement practice, backpacking, distance running, and mountain biking as much as possible. All of his adventures in Pisgah National Forest have led Steven to break down their various movements using his extensive knowledge of sports medicine, massage, yoga, performance training, and corrective exercise. These experiences inform his coaching methodology for the classes offered at MPT. Movement is medicine and Steven uses alignment-based functional movement principles in a safe and efficient program to lead his athletes through their optimal fitness program to achieve long-term results, goals, events, and adventures.
Races and Adventures Include
Pitchell
Grand-Further Mountain Run
Marji Gesick 100
Shut-In Trail Race
Mt. Mitchell Challenge
Assault on Mt. Mitchell Road Race
Off-road Assault on Mt. Mitchell (ORAMM)
Pisgah Mountain Bike Adventure Race (PMBAR)
Swank 65
Great Divide Mountain Bike Route
Transamerica Bike Route
Trans North Georgia (TNGA)
Allegheny Mountains Loop
Arizona Trail 350
Huracan 300
Cross Florida Individual Time Trial (CFITT)
Pisgah 36
Pisgah Monster-Cross Challenge
Coach Gina Romine
MEET coach GINA
Gina was a latecomer to fitness as she didn’t start working out or discover her love for running until her 40’s. She has focused that passion into learning, training, and going on all the trail runs she can find. After a running injury, she learned firsthand the importance of adding strength training to her exercise routine, spurring her to learn more about resistance training and the importance of using the proper progressions and exercises.
Her fitness teaching career started with group fitness classes and has grown to include strength and conditioning instruction and olympic lifting. She loves seeing people of all ages gain strength and confidence and accomplish goals that they never thought possible.
Certifications & Experiences:
Bachelor's of Science
Licensed Massage Therapist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist
USA Weightlifting Coach Level I
Road Runners Club of America Coach Level I
TRX Suspension Training Certification
Gina has completed multiple 50k/50-mile races and a 100-mile race. On the weekends, she can be found running in the amazing mountains around Asheville where she grew up.
MEET COACH DENISE
Coach Denise Dorantes
Denise’s love for fitness was instilled at a young age, focusing on dancing and volleyball in Southern California. Having always loved adventure and challenging herself, she moved to Bozeman, MT for 10 years and enjoyed all the snowboarding, rock climbing, and paddle boarding it had to offer while also getting her Bachelors in Kinesiology at MT State. A recent Asheville transplant, she’s excited to explore the outdoors and be a part of the fitness community.
Denise believes everyone deserves to be educated about their bodies and loves helping create that mind-body connection with people. Her passion lies in helping people be confident in who they are, what they are capable of and loving themselves throughout the process. She enjoys focusing on providing ongoing support and motivation to empower her clients to push past their limits and unlock their full potential.
Certifications:
Bachelor of Science, Human & Health Performance Kinesiology
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
NASM Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist
Meet coach sarah
Coach Sarah Pruett Soufl
Sarah is a body-positive fitness and nutrition expert who aims to support teens and adults with active movement, rest, and nutrition. She loves working with clients on core stability to improve training outcomes and performance. As a dietitian with an emphasis on sports nutrition, she helps people fuel for life and events with an eye towards sustainable habits that are truly life-giving and not restrictive.
You can find her mountain biking, hiking with her partner and 2 kids, paddle boarding, backpacking, skiing, and just generally enjoying the beautiful WNC mountains during all seasons of the year.
Credentials & Experience:
MS Nutritional Science
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
Certified Personal Trainer by NASM
Races and Adventures Include
1400+ miles hiked on the Pacific Crest Trail
PMBAR
Meet Coach emer
Coach Emer O’Shaughnessy
Emer enjoys working with people to help them build confidence, strength and habits that last. Emer brings a curious, encouraging and appropriately challenging approach to helping people move towards their goals.
Outside of MPT Emer enjoys big mountain adventures, both solo and with her son. Along with her love for all of the natural wonders of Western North Carolina she appreaciates the sense of belonging that comes from a community centered around adventure.
Credentials & Experience:
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
Paramedic
Foot Hills Trail(77mi.) w/ son Noland
MEET COACH CADEL
Coach Cadel Hortberg
Raised in Springfield, Illinois, Cadel Hortberg graduated from Pleasant Plains High School. He grew up skateboarding, running, playing soccer, and baseball, which honed his passion for fitness and strength. Over the years, he has pursued opportunities that allowed him to build both technical skills and leadership experience. After high school, Cadel gained hands-on expertise in guiding individuals through physically and mentally demanding environments as a US Army Ranger, which has shaped his belief in the value of dedication, adaptability, and continuous growth.
After his time in the Army, Cadel has continued to grow his career while staying grounded in his Midwestern roots. When he isn’t working, you can often find him cycling, climbing, or running in the woods of WNC. His mission is to bring energy, reliability, and excellence to everything he does, while encouraging those around him to reach their fullest potential in a holistic manner.
Credentials & Experience:
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
US Army certified:
Human Health and Disease Prevention
Military Science
Advanced First Aid
Rails to Ridges 50k
Asheville Marathon
Meet Coach Sara
Sara has had a long career in healthcare, beginning as a nurse’s aide in high school. She pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, then returned to get an AS in Nursing. After years as an RN working in the OR, she went on to get a Master’s degree as a Physician Assistant. Her experience as a PA impressed upon her the need for health education and exercise for all as a means of disease treatment and prevention, rather than the massive amounts of pharmaceuticals she was encouraged to prescribe by physicians.
Sara traded in her white coat in favor of personal training and health coaching. She is a firm believer in physical activity as treatment for all ills, physical and mental. Time outside is also key to health and wellness. She herself spends as much time as possible hiking, backpacking and trail running the Appalachian mountains in WNC.
Credentials
BA in Anthropology, FSU
ASN Tallahassee Community College
MPAS, Masters of Physician Assistant Studies, UF
NASM certified Personal Trainer
Coach Sara Basile
Meet Coach Eric
Eric was raised in the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania. He didn’t have to fall in love with the outdoors — he was born into it.
With a diverse athletic background, Eric grew up hunting, fishing, and racing BMX before branching out into traditional team sports like baseball, football, and basketball. Today, he’s still competing and racing all things bicycles. Depending on the season, you’ll find him on the road racing regional road races and criteriums, on the mountain bike competing in cross-country, or racing cyclocross every fall. As both an athlete and a coach, Eric understands what it takes to improve performance, on and off the bike.
“Funny enough, I feel like my first introduction to the weight room was through high school marching band.” Eric has played music almost as long as he’s been racing bicycles. “But it was really my interest in making the road bike go faster with a barbell that set me on my current path in health, fitness, and performance.”
A graduate of AB-Tech’s Health and Fitness program, Eric has spent the past 10 years helping clients perform better, get stronger, and get faster. As part of the program, he was the original intern at what would eventually become McHone Performance Training — more than a decade ago.
When he’s not training or racing, Eric enjoys playing disc golf, reading, and making music. He loves working with clients from all walks of life, from young athletes to seniors, competitive athletes to people simply looking to move and feel better in everyday life. Whatever your goals, Eric brings his experience, enthusiasm, and passion for performance to help you get there.
Coach Eric M Ernst