Ashley Kavanaugh | PhD

Coaching Expertise:

Hypertrophy / Bodybuilding, Olympic Weightlifting, General Sports Performance, Weight Loss, Body Composition, Beginners, General Fitness Enthusiasts, Longevity 

Coaching Style: 

• Positive and Supportive (Encouraging and affirming throughout the process.)
• Compassionate (Understands and adapts to individual challenges.)
• Client-centered (Prioritizes the client’s goals, preferences, and feedback.)
• Detail-oriented (Carefully tracks data and progress for optimal adjustments.)
• Holistic (Considers the client’s overall health, lifestyle, and well-being.)
• Flexible and Adaptive (Adjusts plans frequently to suit changing client needs.)
• Practical and Realistic (Balances ambition with achievable goals for long-term success.)

Qualifications: 

• East Tennessee State University (ETSU), Johnson City, TN (2010-2014)
  Doctor of Philosophy, Sport Physiology and Performance (Sport Performance Track)
• American Red Cross: CPR/AED for Professional Rescuers with First Aid
  
• Edith Cowan University Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Exercise Oncology Certificate

Hobbies and Interests: 

• Lifting weights for hypertrophy
• Learning beach volleyball
• Spending time with my 12-pound Maltese 

Why Choose Ashley: 

My strengths as a coach include making sure clients know that they matter, and that their goals and well-being are important to me; providing encouragement and accountability; laying out realistic goals and diet phases, overcoming stumbling blocks along the way; teaching exercise technique; teaching scientific principles of nutrition and strength training, and making sure my clients are following these guidelines for their best outcome.

One of the best tips I can give someone who is considering doing a scientific diet for fat loss or muscle gain is to have a distinct beginning and end date, so that you don’t talk yourself into putting things off until “tomorrow”.

I also want to emphasize the importance of removing as much emotion from the scale as possible. The most successful dieters never get too high from a "good" weigh-in or too low from a "bad" weigh-in.

When it comes to diet and nutrition, you can piece together your own protocol from YouTube videos, magazine articles, podcasts, and perhaps even books and research papers, but a one-on-one coach with a graduate degree in this area will allow you to reach your goals sooner with less time wasted through trial and error.