Who am I?
My name is Neil Roberts and I've been a strength, movement, and nutrition coach for the past 17 years. Since the pandemic I primarily teach my clients virtually, but I also I train people in person at my brand new studio in Phoenixville, PA outside of Philadelphia. Helping show people that they are stronger than they think they are through improving their movement competence, strength, and resilience is my passion. I weave my 12 years of intense study and practice of meditation into physical training as a way of expanding the capacity of both the mind and body.
Strength and Movement Coaching
Whatever your goals are, the tools we will use to achieve them will be: strength training, breathwork, improving aerobic capacity, improving joint mobility and expanding movement capacity. Movement is at the very core of our growth and development and remains crucial for vitality throughout life. Movement also happens to be one of the most potent preventative medicines in the world. Improving relative strength while teaching more efficient movement forms the basis of the Vajra Body approach.
Customization
During an initial meeting we discuss your goals, obstacles to achieving those goals, and then I will assess joint range of motion, and any glaring asymmetries or strength imbalances. Based on customized progressions, I deliberately train my clients on the path to creating their own sustainable healthy lifestyle.
Who I work with?
Anyone with a body. I currently train people from 14-91. My model allows me progress or regress anyone at any level. I especially love helping people who are new to exercise gain confidence and autonomy, while helping long time fitness enthusiasts create a fresh, smart plan to achieve their goals while addressing any obstacles they've encountered along the way. In the past several years I've started to specialize in training mental health professionals.
Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.
-Plato
What does "Vajra" mean?
Vajra is a Sanskrit word for a ritual tool that symbolizes compassion, skillful means, and indestructibility. I felt this word encompassed all that I wanted to create and inspire in the bodies and minds of my clients. Taking care of your body is one of the most compassionate actions you can do for yourself, while a custom tailored workout program is a skillful method for accomplishing your goals.
The Vajra Body Gym
In January 2015 I opened my own private training studio in a garage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. My intention was to curate a space filled with the essential tools to get anyone I encounter stronger and moving better. Word caught on fast so I expanded to a thriving studio that became a Brooklyn neighborhood staple from 2018-2020. When the pandemic hit, my wife and I moved to Phoenixville, PA where I opened the third incarnation of my studio, Vajra Body Phoenixville.
Education
I am lifelong student at heart, and when I'm not working with clients I am apprenticing, and being coached myself by some of the brightest minds in the fitness and physical therapy industry. I am always actively exploring and seeking out new ways to improve and expand the quality and the impact of the services I provide to my clients. I am a certified Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist as well as Kettlebell Instructor. I have also been practicing, and studying mindfulness meditation for 12 years and I’m a certified mindfulness instructor. I've spent considerable time in India and Nepal studying meditation and yoga direct from the source so that I could integrate the best practices of the east and west.