Fitness Certifications in New York City
Where NYC’s Best Trainers Come to Learn
If you’ve worked with a great personal trainer in NYC, there’s a good chance they earned their credentials here. Momentum Fitness hosts some of the most respected certification programs in the fitness industry, from kettlebell instruction to mobility assessment to corrective exercise. Our facility has become the go-to venue for professional development because we understand what serious education requires: the right equipment, the right space, and the right environment to learn.
Original Strength Pressing RESET
📅Date: Sunday, January 18, 2026
Discover how to help clients restore and rebuild their Original Strength through the human developmental system. This certification teaches you to understand why clients move the way they do and how the body remembers its original design for movement. Learn the Big 5 RESETs—breathing, head control, rolling, rocking, and contralateral movements—plus dozens of regressions and progressions to help clients of any age, health condition, or physical ability level achieve better results. Taught by an Original Strength Certified Instructor.
Mace Fit Level 1 Coach Certification
📅January 25, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
👤 Instructor: Matthew Flaherty
Master the Mace Fit training system through six hours of intensive hands-on education in steel mace and club training. This Level 1 certification teaches you the fundamentals of an effective unconventional training system that builds full-body strength, improves grip, enhances balance and coordination, and develops rotational power without requiring traditional cardio. You’ll learn proper technique for foundational mace and club movements, safe progressions for clients of all levels, and how to program Mace Fit workouts that deliver results. The offset weight and swinging motions challenge balance and coordination in ways conventional weightlifting cannot, training movement patterns across all three planes of motion. Perfect for trainers looking to add a proven, time-tested approach to their programming or anyone wanting to expand their unconventional training toolkit.
About the Instructor
Matthew Flaherty is a Mace Fit Level 2 Coach, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and owner of Stafford Strength in New York City. He holds a Master’s Degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion and brings 15 years of experience as a strength coach along with over 30 years studying various martial arts. Matthew specializes in working with kettlebells, mace, Indian clubs, and Bulgarian bags, with a particular passion for helping former athletes reclaim their competitive edge and love of sport. His deep expertise in unconventional training tools and his comprehensive background in strength and conditioning make him one of the top Mace Fit coaches in the United States.
HKC Kettlebell Certification
📅March 1, 2026 | 7:45 AM – 6:00 PM
👤 Instructor: Senior RKC Marco Guanilo
Master the fundamentals of kettlebell training in just one day with Dragon Door’s entry-level kettlebell instructor certification. The HKC (Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification) gives you a solid foundation in the three essential kettlebell exercises—the swing, Turkish get-up, and goblet squat—along with the teaching progressions and corrective drills to confidently coach clients of all levels. You’ll learn HardStyle principles, proper biomechanics, safety protocols, and a proven template for designing unlimited effective kettlebell workouts. Walk away ready to teach kettlebells the right way, and earn .8 ACE CECs and .8 NASM CEUs. As a bonus, HKC graduates receive a $200 discount toward the full RKC certification if taken within one year, making this the perfect stepping stone for trainers serious about kettlebell instruction.
About the Instructor
Marco Guanilo is a Senior RKC Instructor and the owner of Momentum Fitness. With several years of experience using and teaching kettlebells, Marco has traveled the world certifying personal trainers on proper kettlebell technique and programming. As a Senior RKC, Marco brings elite-level instruction and hands-on coaching to every workshop he leads. His expertise in strength and conditioning, combined with his deep knowledge of kettlebell training, makes this certification an invaluable experience for any fitness professional looking to master this versatile tool.
RKC Kettlebell Instructor Certification
📅March 21-22, 2026
Saturday, 21st: 7:45 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, 22nd: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
👤 Instructor: Senior RKC Marco Guanilo
Become a certified kettlebell instructor through the world’s premier kettlebell certification program. The RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) is the gold standard for learning to teach safe, effective kettlebell training—whether you work with athletes, general fitness clients, or people recovering from injury. This intensive two-day workshop will transform your technique, deepen your understanding of strength and conditioning principles, and give you a complete system for programming kettlebell training that gets results. You’ll master the fundamental lifts (swing, clean, press, snatch, Turkish get-up), learn how to coach beginners through advanced clients, and walk away with proven progressions, corrective drills, and business-building strategies that set RKC instructors apart. Earn 2.5 ACE CECs and 1.9 NASM CEUs while training under Senior RKC Marco Guanilo at his home facility.
About the Instructor
Marco Guanilo is a Senior RKC Instructor and the owner of Momentum Fitness. With several years of experience using and teaching kettlebells, Marco has traveled the world certifying personal trainers on proper kettlebell technique and programming. As a Senior RKC, Marco brings elite-level instruction and hands-on coaching to every workshop he leads. His expertise in strength and conditioning, combined with his deep knowledge of kettlebell training, makes this certification an invaluable experience for any fitness professional looking to master this versatile tool.
Kettlebell Power: Your Blueprint for Real Strength
📅 Friday, March 28 & Saturday, March 29, 2026
👤 Instructor: Dave Whitley (Master SFG Instructor)
Master the techniques and programming principles that build real, sustainable strength. This intensive two-day workshop covers advanced kettlebell movements including the bent press, Turkish get-up, swing mechanics, and breathing strategies. You’ll learn skill-based programming that carries over to everything you coach and lift, whether you’re a trainer sharpening your technical eye or an athlete looking to break through plateaus. Walk away with concrete tools grounded in old-time strongman principles applied in modern, practical ways.
About the Instructor
Dave Whitley, known as “The Iron Tamer”, is one of only a handful of instructors worldwide who has served as Master Instructor for both Pavel’s RKC and StrongFirst (SFG) certification systems. With over 20 years of experience, Dave has taught kettlebell certifications around the world and recently was featured at Bellfest Nashville. As a professional performing strongman based in Nashville, TN, he brings a unique perspective that blends classical strength methods with cutting-edge kettlebell technique. Dave’s teaching style emphasizes proper mechanics and progressive loading, ensuring you build strength safely while learning principles you can immediately apply with your own training and clients.
RKC II Kettlebell Instructor Certification
📅June 27-28, 2026
Saturday, 27th: 7:45 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, 28th: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
👤 Instructor: Senior RKC Marco Guanilo
Take your kettlebell instruction to the elite level with Dragon Door’s advanced RKC II certification. This intensive two-day workshop builds on your RKC foundation by teaching advanced movements including the weighted pull-up, weighted pistol, double jerk, windmill, and bent press—along with the progressions and correctives to help even average clients achieve exceptional results. You’ll refine your RKC I skills, deepen your understanding of intelligent programming and safe progressions, and develop the competency to deliver highly effective kettlebell training to a wider spectrum of clients. The RKC II emphasizes the ability to move well, model well, and teach well as equal to your own strength and endurance capacities. This certification establishes you as a leader in the kettlebell world, connects you with an elite network of high-level instructors, and gives you the advanced toolkit to program for long-term health and strength development. Prerequisites: RKC Level I certification and at least one year of consistent kettlebell training recommended.
About the Instructor
Marco Guanilo is a Senior RKC Instructor and the owner of Momentum Fitness. With several years of experience using and teaching kettlebells, Marco has traveled the world certifying personal trainers on proper kettlebell technique and programming. As a Senior RKC, Marco brings elite-level instruction and hands-on coaching to every workshop he leads. His expertise in strength and conditioning, combined with his deep knowledge of kettlebell training, makes this certification an invaluable experience for any fitness professional looking to master this versatile tool.