ABOUT ME

 Hi! I’m Eli Phillips and I’m a personal trainer and coach. I love to support my clients in improving their well-being, having more energy, increasing their strength, and having fun along the way.

My training approach is empathy-first, which to me means leading with understanding:

  • Life can be overwhelming and it can be difficult to find time or energy to work out

  • The fitness industry likes to capitalize on our insecurities and make us feel bad no matter what we do

  • Sometimes we feel great and want to push beyond our limits, but other times just showing up is a huge victory and should be celebrated as such

I’ve developed this empathy-first approach to fitness through my own experiences with exercising. I’ve overdone it many times in the past—I grew up playing sports, have at times been overly obsessed with working out, and burnt myself out on numerous occasions. I’ve also been on the other end of the spectrum, not exercising nearly at all, feeling drained of energy, in pain, and unable to get through the inertia to get moving. Through all of my stops and starts, I’ve learned that a balanced approach is a sustainable approach. 

Balance will look and feel different to each individual—having a consistent practice is far more important than being acutely motivated or intense about working out, nutrition, or really just about anything. 

During the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, I pivoted from exercising with barbells and dumbbells in a gym to calisthenics and resistance band workouts in my bedroom. Developing this movement practice was huge for my mental health during that time. The connection between exercise and mental health laid the foundation for my current training practices, as well as my decision to pay what I’ve learned forward. 

I’m excited to work with each individual towards their specific goals. I personally have a huge love for the outdoors. Being able to hike in beautiful places is a gift of my training that I don’t take for granted. Having more energy throughout my day from workouts that fill up my cup, rather than emptying it, is another gift I’m grateful for. I want working out to be fun, because that makes being consistent so much easier. There are so many health benefits to strength training, but what the science says hardly matters if it’s not something that can be seamlessly integrated into your life.

To be clear, I am not here to push you towards weight-loss, and I seek to avoid other pitfalls of the mainstream fitness-industry. There are so many gimmicks on social media that can lead us astray from what actually works for our lives and bodies. I’m here to be a guide through all the ways strength training can feel intimidating. I’m here to provide accountability in a way that works for you. My coaching style is set up to help you meet goals of any kind, from climbing mountains, being able to play with your kids or grandkids, carrying groceries, having more energy, and everything in between. It would be my honor to work with you!

"Little and often over the long haul"

- Dan John

How I Got Here

Experience & Certifications

  • NASM Certified Personal Trainer (CPT): September 2021

  • Dragon Door Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor (RKC): May 2022

I’ve been doing some type of strength training on and off for about 10 years now. I became certified as a personal trainer in September 2021. I then spent the winter and early spring of 2021-22 training for the Russian Kettlebell Certification through Dragon Door - the Gold Standard of Kettlebell Training - and became an RKC instructor in May of 2022.

I also work at HardShell Fitness in South Minneapolis as the Associate Director of Operations & Coaching under the tutelage of Ben Swarts. I’m passionate about continuing education so I can’t wait for future opportunities to deepen and broaden my knowledge—and to share what I learn with all of you!