I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~Frost

Mark Cotton is a Personal Trainer certified by the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA),the Poliquin International Certification Program (P.I.C.P.) as a Level Two Strength and Conditioning Specialist and as a USA Weighlifting Sports Performance Coach.  He is also a certified BioSignature Practitioner.

Mark has trained college and high school athletes encompassing Football, Soccer, MMA, Track and Field and Tennis, as well as Bodybuilders and Figure Competitors.  Mark offers a wide range of services which address the needs of people with varied fitness goals.

Fitness wasn’t always Mark’s passion. He has certainly taken the “road less traveled by” to his career as a personal trainer. When Mark was 15-years old he decided on a career. During a summer school music class he heard a recording of Ezio Pinza singing “Some Enchanted Evening.” “At that moment I knew I wanted to be an opera singer”, he says.  What followed were recitals, small parts in operas and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Central Florida. From 1979 until 1997 Mark sang for several opera companies throughout the US and Europe. He sang the role of Germont in “La Traviata” 53 times and Sir Lancelot in “Camelot” 22 times. But, at that point it became necessary to retire from the opera and focus on his two sons.

Mark then transitioned to a new career in Real Estate finance working for a variety of banks, mortgage banks and the federal government. During this time he developed an interest in fitness. It started simply enough…working out with weights and then competing in an NPC sanctioned bodybuilding show. The real change started the following year when Mark’s training partner was contemplating competing in a bodybuilding show. He agreed to do so only if Mark would train him and prep him for the competition. It ended up being a win-win for both parties. Following the show, Mark decided that perhaps he should stick with the trainer idea. He started a part-time business and on and off for the next several years worked as a trainer. Then in 2007 as the mortgage banking industry started to crumble he decided it was time to change the occasional part-time endeavor to his full-time avocation.

When I asked Mark what sets him apart from other trainers he didn’t even hesitate… “Anyone can sit on a machine or do push-ups. You don’t need a trainer to do that. And you certainly don’t need a trainer to chat with you while you’re on a treadmill. That’s a waste of your time and money.  If you have a specific goal, if you are an athlete, I’ll know what your workout is tomorrow and three months from now. That’s what you pay for. Not three sets of ten on a machine.” I provide my clients with Structural Balance Testing, Body Composition Analysis and Specific Programs for Hypertrophy, Strength and Power so that they can reach their goals.”