About Burn Sports and Antonio

BIO 2006

Antonio Valladares is president of Burn Sports, a Holistic Health and Performance Coaching Company based in New York City. He is a Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, Sports Performance Specialist, Corrective Exercise Kinesiologist, licensed Massage Therapist and has been a Certified Personal Trainer since 1994.
A pioneer in the fitness industry, Antonio offers an alternative to mainstream fitness – purposeful training that delivers results far beyond those offered by bulking up or endless running on treadmills.

Throughout his career, Antonio has pursued specialized training and education from world leaders in holistic health and nutrition, rehabilitation, exercise and sports sciences, psychology and human performance. Working with hundreds of clients for over ten years has given Antonio the experience to refine the art of individualized coaching. This education and experience has helped Antonio sharpen his skill for designing customized fitness, nutrition and lifestyle programs that deliver powerful, life-changing results.

Antonio grew up in the sand and sun of Miami Beach - the perfect integration of urban culture and beach life. He started training in Shotokan Karate at 5 years old and was scuba diving throughout the Caribbean by 12. He spent his youth exploring endless miles of beaches and undeveloped land by horseback, motocross and BMX creating a lifetime appreciation for outdoor sports and healthy living.
He spent his teenage years involved in water sports, snow sports, Judo, Tae Kwon Do and played football. He attended Riverside Military Academy and later, high school in Israel, before studying at Ohio State University. Soon thereafter, music and curiosity propelled him around the globe touring in some of the most well-known hardcore punk rock bands of the time. These ‘straight-edge’ bands not only promoted a drug and alcohol-free lifestyle, but also practiced and encouraged healthy living, yoga and martial arts.

Antonio continued to travel throughout Europe, Central America, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia. Each new locale meant a different culture and a unique take on healthy living.

He attributes his trips to Israel and India as the catalyst to his personal growth and career development. Traversing India into the Himalayas, Antonio studied Ayurveda and practiced hatha and bhakti yoga. He had his first article, Ayurvedic Secrets for Health Living, published at 21 years old.
Surfing in Costa Rica, scuba diving in Belize, mountain biking and snowboarding in Vermont along with his own practice of calisthenics, yoga, martial arts and sport specific training demonstrated the importance of total body balance and usable strength. ‘Real-life’ movements were an integral part of his well-rounded fitness program that included flexibility, stability, agility, coordination, balance and strength.

Antonio settled in New York City to develop his health and fitness career. Personal fitness would never be the same again.

The History

Antonio became a certified personal trainer in 1994 and soon thereafter became a licensed Massage Therapist. He graduated from The Swedish Institute College of Health Sciences where he studied Eastern and Western techniques, including Shiatsu, medical and sports massage. Antonio integrated fitness and massage and consulted for several healthcare practitioners including The New York Institute for Brain and Spinal Surgery.

On-going professional development has kept Antonio on the leading edge and his innovative programs have set examples many others would follow. He is the creator of Burn! – a series of programs that brought a thoughtful approach to total body fitness and emphasized ‘real-life’ movements, core conditioning and strengthening the entire person from the inside out.

In 1998, Antonio’s Mountain Bike Burn! was the first ever action sports class in NYC and rated ‘Best Outdoor Workout’ in 1999.

In 2000, he created Burn! Med Ball which brought medicine ball and functional strength training to the forefront of New York City’s premiere health clubs - Equinox and Sports Club LA. The black sheep of group fitness, Burn! offered an alternative to the frantic energy and ‘one size fits all’ approach that is the hallmark of group fitness. Burn! played no music and provided individualized instruction in proper exercise technique.

In 2001, he created Burn! Women’s Fitness – a semi-private, women-specific fitness program integrating mind-body exercise with high performance fitness.

In 2003, he founded Burn Sports – a health and performance coaching company which provides holistic health coaching: fitness and nutrition combined with stress management. Unlike most fitness programs, the Burn Sports’ method utilizes a time-efficient, ‘less is more’ approach to fitness training. More important than customized fitness programs are the lifestyle and nutrition solutions for the 160+ hours the client is not exercising.

In his quest to be the best in his field, Antonio found The C.H.E.K. Institute -- the only organization to offer a comprehensive exercise curriculum integrated with a nutrition and stress management program. More importantly, it is the ONLY program that requires getting yourself healthy as requisite qualification to helping others.

A sample of his professional development and educational achievements include:

• ACE American Council on Exercise (1994)
• ACSM American College of Sports Medicine (1996)
• LMT New York State Licensed Massage Therapist (1996)
• AAHFP American Academy of Health and Fitness Professionals (1996)
• Madd Dog Athletics Spinning (1998)
• APEX Fitness and Nutrition (2000)
• NASM National Academy of Sports Medicine (2003)
• CHEK Corrective High Performance Exercise Kinesiology (2004)
• CHEK Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach (2006)

The Method

Based on the individual needs and goals of each client, the Burn Sports method safely and effectively addresses the health, wellness, fitness, posture and performance needs of any client, with any goal:

• Rehabilitative and Corrective Exercise
• Wellness and Mind-Body Techniques
• Youth Fitness and Nutrition
• Pre-Post Natal Fitness
• Specialized Medical Fitness
• Weight-loss through High Performance Fitness
• Performance Training for Athletes


The success of the Burn Sports method comes from Comprehensive Health Appraisals, Fitness and Lifestyle Evaluations. These detailed assessments allow us to develop individualized blueprints for each program, by addressing:


Total Body Stress
Medical & Injury History
Exercise History
Posture & Gait
Joint Stability & Range of Motion
Muscle Balance
Flexibility
Functional Movement Patterns
Coordination
Strength & Conditioning
Lifestyle and Nutritional habits Metabolic Typing


Today

Burn Sports is New York City’s leading edge in customized fitness and is well-known for shaping and transforming the lives of clients with a wide variety of goals. Burn Sports provides one-on-one coaching and group workshops in:

• Personal Fitness Coaching
• Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching
• Sports Performance Training and Nutrition
• Youth Athlete Development
• Corporate Wellness and Stress Management
• Workshops for Fitness Professionals

Burn Sports has developed an integrated model of care by connecting with other world-leaders in holistic health, wellness and performance. We offer acupuncture, shiatsu and sports massage, sports chiropractic, sports nutrition, holistic health and nutrition, fitness and performance coaching services. We offer a range of tests to determine the hidden, causative factors of poor health, decreased performance, fatigue and disease. Testing is done through BioHealth Diagnostics, www.biohealthinfo.com

• Hormonal Balance (Adrenal, Thyroid, Sex Hormones)
• Metabolism (Liver Function, Oxidative Stress, Digestion)
• Digestive and Gastrointestinal Testing
• Immunology and Blood Chemistry

Antonio has successfully helped hundreds of New Yorkers improve their health and vitality with a holistic approach to diet, exercise and stress management. Antonio’s results-driven, integrated fitness system has been featured in Sports Illustrated Women, The New York Times, Woman’s Day, Time Out, Mountain Bike, Paper, NY1 and he was voted Personal Trainer of the Year by Quest Magazine. To book Antonio for corporate workshops or personal coaching, please contact info@burnsports.com.

Antonio also serves as a health & fitness mentor for underprivileged and at-risk youths in Harlem. To find out more or to get involved, please go to www.concretesafaris.com.

An introduction to The Corrective High-Performance Exercise Kinesiologist (C.H.E.K) Certification Program.

Developed by Paul Chek MSS, HHP, NMT, the C.H.E.K. Institute Certification Program is founded upon fifteen years of Mr. Chek's clinical experience in the fields of orthopedic rehabilitation and strength coaching. His unique approach to rehabilitative exercise has served as the foundation upon which many elite professional teams and organizations build their performance programs.

The C.H.E.K Certification Program is designed to produce the finest and most highly trained exercise therapists and strength and conditioning specialists in the world.

Unlike any other certification program for exercise professionals, the C.H.E.K Certification Program is completed in four blocks ranging from five to nine days of intensive modules, taught in a focused small-group setting, followed by three to four days of examinations at the completion of the program.

Graduates of the C.H.E.K Certification Program have proven proficiency by practical and written examination, demonstrating:
• In-depth understanding of advanced level functional anatomy and kinesiology
• Mastery of strength training theory and practical objective assessment
• Ability to proficiently design both rehabilitative and sports performance exercise programs
• Ability to critically analyze current research and theories
• Effective communication skills with clients and other health care professionals, both orally and in writing.

Prior to being certified as a Corrective High-performance Exercise Kinesiologist each student must pass extensive written and practical examinations, complete a written thesis and submit a video presentation.

The C.H.E.K Certification Program is a two- to four-year program with approximately 6 months between modules. Students are expected to practice and become familiar with all techniques taught in each level of the program, before applying for the next level.

It is a fundamental principle of the C.H.E.K philosophy that C.H.EK. Practitioners are fit, healthy, intelligent and compassionate people that lead by example. The world is filled with unhealthy health and fitness ‘experts’ and the C.H.E.K Institute’s Certification Programs seeks to rectify that problem by producing healthy leaders! For more information, go to www.chekinstitute.com