I believe exercise should be a safe, fun, and effective experience for everybody. My training philosophy is to utilize whole body movements with functional training to build up each client and athlete to work towards their human performance goals. My coaching philosophy, as a fitness professional, is to partner with people as they work towards their individual goals and objectives and find enjoyment moving their bodies.

Testimonials

Luiz:

Great person, both as a person with a really good heart and as an informed professional. Always learning and putting in practice new concepts. More importantly, I recommend Rene for his influence beyond the gym. For example, when he motivated me to participate in University events and 5k runs. Personally, I can say that I am more interested in my well-being and in maintaining a level of physical activities thanks to him.

Dave:

To say Rene goes above and beyond for his clients does not do enough to capture just how smart of a worker and how good of a person he is. Okay trainers can show the moves, and good trainers can give tips from experience. However, only the best trainers are truly transformative in the way that they inspire and motivate change, all-the-while being empathetic and compassionate of the barriers that life inevitably throws at someone trying to improve themselves. I was an MD student at the time and worked with Mr. Herrera for 18 months. During this time he continually incorporated new evidence and ideas to keep workouts fresh. He also sought my feedback at intervals to make sure his efforts aligned with my goals as they changed over time. He would bring to my attention to different events that would pique my interest and challenge me. A little more than a year from being a chubster 1st-year medical student, I was down 25 pounds and competing at a USF Combine event. More than all of that, he is an interesting person and very easy to talk with. He is someone I consider a personal friend. We celebrated successes together and broke through barriers I did not think I could achieve. I would recommend Rene Herrera, unequivocally and without reservation for practically any case one could realistically expect to come into a standard gymnasium.

Maria

I sought out personal training because fitness has always been an area in my life that has intimidated me and something I didn’t know how to begin. I signed up for personal training at USF and it was one of the best decisions I have made for my health. Rene made working out so much less intimidating and easy to learn. His knowledge of body movement and the way that he was able to explain how to correct one’s form for every exercise made a huge difference in my personal training experience. In the year that I trained with Rene, I was constantly shocked at the things my body was able to do and the strength I was able to build. I could not have asked for a better personal training experience.

Stephen

I may be one of the more unique persons that has Rene trained, which shows his vast health science knowledge and tremendous motivation skills to help people - no matter their circumstances. I am almost 70 years old and went back to school at the University of South Florida (USF). As I trained with Rene and saw very demonstrative results, I developed an attitude toward him as no different than any of my professors at USF. While my teachers were improving my mind, Rene was improving both my body and my mental attitude. As the pounds and inches came off in my waist, as my endurance and muscle mass increased - my self-esteem rocketed. I now feel better mentally and physically than I did in my 20’s - and I just did 43 push-ups in a row last week! My GP Doctor also gives Rene a “Gold Star Rating”, as my blood pressure and cholesterol levels have been lowered to the point that I’m off these medications.

Karena

Rene was my first personal trainer. Before I worked with him, I practiced Muay Thai for 3 yrs. but had stopped working out as research ramped up in the 4th year of my PhD. I both needed and wanted to try something new to get me out of that slump. What I appreciated most about Rene was that he understood my personal and athletic goals and worked to create a program that worked with my schedule. He turned my trepidation into excitement and helped build my confidence with strength training. He pushed me when I needed to be pushed while also recognizing my limitations. I trust his expertise and would recommend Rene to whoever was looking for a trainer who is professional, experienced, and easy to work with.

Brenda

Choosing to hire a trainer was something I had thought about doing for a long time but hadn’t because I felt that I was never able to commit the necessary amount of time or effort necessary to see results. Additionally, as a beginner, I felt that exercise was something intimidating and difficult. Having been able to train with someone as experienced as Rene made my fitness journey all the better. I was able to learn things such as proper form, adequate number of repetitions and what exercises were best suited for my fitness goals. Training with him not only made it easy to stick to an exercise program but also allowed me the opportunity to gain the necessary confidence to really feel that working out is something I could do on my own. Rene’s insights and knowledge made all the difference in my ability to reach my weight loss goals. After having substantially improved my fitness level I can now say that the time I spent training with Rene was an investment that I made in myself.

2016 USF Personal Trainer of the Year

Rene has worked as a certified personal trainer for campus recreation for the past year. He has been a dedicated member of the fitness team and demonstrates what true servant leadership is all about. He has received outstanding feedback from his clients. One client shared that “he is always patient and goes above and beyond to be an inspiration.” Another client said that ‘Rene always has a positive perspective on any situation.”

Rene is very reliable and does whatever he can to contribute to the success of the personal training program. He is always willing to assist with events and programs, serve on committees, and provides feedback to make the fitness program better. It is a joy working with Rene.