STEVEN MCHONE

Steven is an Asheville native who for the last decade 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

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

SHONA MCHONE

Shona McHone lives by the motto: move, connect, and explore. She is an avid outdoor adventurer pursuing the world from the seat of her bike. She is passionate about fitness which leads to unmarked trails and paths, unleashing new possibilities within the body and spirit. She is motivated to pursue the ‘why’ in your fitness journey helping people to move in new and dynamic ways that lead to their most courageous selves.

Races and Adventures Include

Assault on Mt. Mitchell Road Road Bike Race

Camino de Santiago

Great Divide Mountain Bike Route

Meet coach LUISA

Luisa is primarily a trail runner who dabbles in climbing and mountaineering. Before turning to the trails, she was a collegiate swimmer.

In her time as a coach, Luisa has developed a passion for helping people connect to their bodies and discover the power of knowing your body. Luisa believes that when you know your body you can live and adventure more fully. 

When she has a chance, Luisa loves to explore the country on her feet: running, fastpacking, and mountaineering. She is constantly looking for ways to challenge herself and see what she's made of. When resting between adventures, Luisa enjoys trying new recipes, drinking coffee, and working on a variety of DIY projects. 

Credentials & Experiences:

• ACE certified personal trainer

• ACE certified fitness nutrition specialist 

• Climbed Mt Rainier

• 3 years as a backpacking guide in WNC

• Biked the El Camino in Spain 

• Traverse of the Enchantment Range in a day

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

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

Meet coach sarah

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 Morgan

Raised in small-town Montana, Morgan was born into a variety of sports both organized and adventure, but his first loves were football, basketball, and snowboarding. With a steadfast passion for fitness, he attended Montana State University to acquire degrees in Exercise Science and Health Enhancement. During this time, Morgan became a NASM certified personal trainer, and began taking his first clients while simultaneously running a small business working with kids to train motor-skill-development and sports performance. This time further solidified his belief in the importance of physical activity of various forms for all people regardless of age or ability.

After living in Denver, Colorado for the last few years, Morgan has relocated to the Asheville area where you are likely to find him mountain biking or weight training. He strives to experience as much as life has to offer, and his training is reflective of this. His mission is to help others get the most out of life by building the best version of themselves through functional fitness.

Certifications & Experiences:

• Bachelor’s Degree

• Exercise Science

• Health Enhancement (K-12 Education)

• Coaching Minor

• NASM CPT

• Bridger Ridge Run, Bozeman, MT

• Headwaters Relay, MT

• Abel Tasman Great Walk Backpacking, NZ