Hello! My name is Brandon and I’m a body whisperer.
Growing up as an asthmatic kid, I was the last one to finish running laps in PE. I was underweight, uncoordinated, and anxious. I loved reading books and had no physical outlet. I even picked up the bad habit of smoking in my teens to help with my anxiety!
It wasn’t until a painful break-up in my 20’s that I decided to get in shape. I found an obscure strength and conditioning program called CrossFit (it’s now a household name). I was stunned how quickly I was able to get into the best shape of my life. My body stopped being my enemy, something I hated dealing with, and became a fascinating playground.
I quit smoking. I became a competitive athlete. I recorded a truly embarrassing video of me shirtless in a go-go dancing contest.
In 2010, without knowing it, I went to train in the metaphorical Degobah system with my Obi-Wan Kenobi. Saul Jimenez, the owner of Mad Dawg Fitness, mentored me to become a certified personal trainer and competitive Olympic-style Weightlifter. Somehow I became “Mr. Exercise Guru Nerd Know-it-all” to my friends and family. It changed my entire identity from nerdy anxious person to Asian Thor.
Now I’m here to take you on your own transformational journey from body as liability to loving your body.
My Journey
I was so drawn into Olympic-style Weightlifting. It helped me deal with my physical fears of pain, suffering, and discomfort. I learned to focus all of my attention on one singular task without getting distracted or overwhelmed. And that gave me the confidence to try many new things in my life.
Then in 2016, I spent six weeks living in a mud hut I made with my bare hands during outdoor Survival School. This experience showed me how little my Olympic-weightlifting strength carried over to the world outside the gym. I learned that I needed to become more adaptable and flexible if I wanted to be able to use my strength for real life purposes.
So I found Jon Yuen and Movement Culture coaches in 2017. With their help, I rediscovered my love of dance and play, and even juggling!
Now I feel more whole and balanced and at home in my body. My body has become my best friend, and we go on amazing adventures together! I love that I get to help you do the same.
Here's what other people have said about me...
Brandon's advice and guidance regarding my lifting form improved my life ten fold! I am an avid lifter but found myself sidelined a few months ago due to serious back pain. During my session with Brandon, he laid out a foundational philosophy of lifting, explaining how the body works as a holistic unit to lift heavy weight (for instance, who knew that how you engage your shoulder blades or inner thighs also affects how you are able to engage your trunk during squats?? When he explained it, it made perfect sense, but I'd never have realized it on my own). He then watched me as I lifted, scrutinized my form, and gave me both detailed feedback and an easy-to-follow action plan to address the problems with my form. Just 45 minutes with him dramatically changed how I felt after every lifting session, and I was able to progress in weight steadily by implementing his advice. Also, Brandon's warm and open demeanor makes it an absolute pleasure to work with him. My session with him was simply invaluable--definitely time well spent!
I worked with Art of Self-Alignment throughout 2014 and plan to continue for a long time to come. Brandon has helped me become stronger physically and taught me how to help myself when aches and pains creep in at the most inopportune time. His expertise has helped me overcome nagging backaches, deal with weekend warrior injuries and be more self-assured about living without pain.
Brandon is my trainer at the Equinox San Mateo, and he is a key factor in my journey to transform my body into a healthy one (so far I've lost 85 pounds, only 4 to go). I told Brandon I want to make this transformation last, and so that I need a super simple plan that I can do on my own when the time is right and yet to have the maximum impact possible. He did just that: we've worked together to perfect 3 key exercises that cover every muscle in your body, and started pushing upwards with how much weight was on the barbell. We've added a few "small" exercises to strengthen some problematic areas, and it is helping a lot. Brandon pushed me hard without me feeling pushed, he has just the exact personality that I needed (he is not one of those full-of-ego trainers or those loud ones that make both their customers and me uncomfortable with their unfunny comments), he is very knowledgeable about weight lifting, super cautious about just the perfect posture that you need to maintain to avoid injury and achieve results, and overall just an awesome trainer to work with. I highly recommend Brandon if you really are in it for the long hall.
Incredible! Brandon is friendly, knowledgeable, and is a great listener. I wanted a workout that strengthened my body while taking in consideration an injured knee, separated abdomen from twins, and that I'll remember without looking at a piece of paper. He inspires me to the next level each time with kind motivation. I defiantly recommend him!!