Get in touch with us at charley@pit-performance.com
Meet Charley
Passionate Expert
My fascination with movement began when I was a kid, watching too many Jackie Chan movies. Martial arts was my first love. And I was pretty good at it too. I even earned my black belt and began teaching my own class at 14, but it wasn’t until I started running track for Schenley High School that I realized I wanted my career to be about sports and movement.
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I began my career in sports performance and human movement as a strength and conditioning intern at the University of Pittsburgh, receiving a certificate as a strength and conditioning specialist from the NSCA after I graduated in 2012. Following graduation, I spent time working with high school athletes returning from injury at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex and gained experience designing and implementing team training programs for collegiate athletes at Carnegie Mellon University. It was at CMU that I was introduced to research on skill acquisition and decided to pursue graduate studies in that area, eventually earning my PhD in kinesiology at the University of Georgia, specializing in motor learning and control.
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Since returning home to Pittsburgh in 2019, I have made commitments to continuing both my research and coaching career. Currently, I am working as a postdoctoral researcher at the Pittsburgh VA Health Care System's Human Engineering Research Laboratories. Specifically, I am part of a group focused on developing innovative neuromodulation approaches to enhance motor function in stroke survivors. However, as a Pittsburgh native, I have always had a strong desire to work in the community. So, in 2023, I started working with the MyPlace Youth Program – part of ACTION-Housing, Inc. – here in Pittsburgh to help build a health and wellness program for young adults aging out of foster care. As part of this work, I oversaw the renovation of a new fitness center, accessible to all program participants, providing a safe space for people to pursue their fitness goals either one-on-one with me or in small groups with friends. With a grant from the Highmark Foundation, I expanded the program to include community partners and small business owners in the health and wellness space, including yoga, spin, and healthy eating.
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I take pride in helping people move better, feel stronger, and reach movement and fitness goals they never imagined for themselves—whether that's in the gym, on the field, or in their everyday lives.
Going through the PhD process has allowed me to develop a unique approach to training that integrates theories of skilled action and scientific foundations of strength and conditioning. In practice, I believe in taking a data driven approach, utilizing modern technology and advanced analytic techniques, like linear position transducers and force plates, to make informed decisions about how to advance each individual training plan. Using objective data allows me to optimize training outcomes but also reduce risk of injury from over training. Meaning more days spent reaching your goals!
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Because of the research I do, I am influenced by Dynamic Systems Theory and Ecological Psychology Approach to perception and action. Over the years I have found unique ways to apply the principles established by these theories to performance training. Most importantly, is understanding how humans learn to stabilize new movement patterns and how movement variability can be leverage to enhance the learning process.
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When it comes to training, particularly people with minimal or no experience, my approach is always the same: meet people where they are, understand their goals, and create a path forward that's both challenging and achievable. I often hear people say they feel overwhelmed by weight rooms, so a lot of my focus in the beginning is simply to demystify weight training. If that means we have to progress slower or focus only a couple exercises to start, then that is what we will do. I believe movement and weight training should be empowering, not intimidating, and that everyone deserves access to programs that help them thrive.
My approach to training
Education
2014-2019
PhD
University of Georgia
I earned my Doctorate of Philosophy in Kinesiology from the University of Georgia, specializing in motor learning and control. I conducted my own original research on the relationship between movement variability and visual information while learning a force control task.
2013-2014
MS
Penn State University
I earned my Masters of Science in Kinesiology from Penn State University, specializing in motor learning and control. I conducted my own original research on the effects of visual information feedback on the ability to control isometric force.
2007-2012
BS
University of Pittsburgh
I earned my Bachelors degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Health and Physical Activity. While there, I interned with the strength and conditioning department and worked with all olympic sports teams (Track and field, swimming, wrestling, gymnastics, etc.).