Core transparent rectangle3.png

2248 Deming Way

Ste 100

Middleton, WI 53562
608-831-2673

The CORE team

Meet the trainers at CORE Health & Fitness

Fitness Coach

I got into the fitness field because I enjoy coaching. I graduated from UW-La Crosse with a degree in Exercise & Sports Science, Strength & Conditioning concentration, and a K-12 Physical Education license. During my college years, I coached football, baseball, wrestling, and assisted summer strength and conditioning programs. My first job out of college was as a special education teacher. While I learned a lot that year, I also began to look for jobs outside of teaching. I ended up spending the fall of 2002 interning with Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning in Boston. While there, I learned how to coach exercise and I became determined to make a career out of helping people move better and enjoy being physically active.

I have been a coach at CORE since we opened in December 2004. In my time here I have learned that no two individuals have come to us with the same movement patterns or the same fitness goals. This makes every assessment and session a learning experience. I enjoy the challenges of helping my clients improve and move toward their goals and allow them to succeed in their chosen activities.

When I’m not at CORE, I enjoy many outside activities. I have fished nearly every watershed between Madison and La Crosse and am always looking for the next place to wet my line. Each summer I try to grow new vegetables in our garden and in the winters my wife Amy and I like to snowshoe through our local parks.

Fitness Coach

I grew up in Madison as a creative movement enthusiast. I studied dance and spent most of my childhood in the studio taking classes and performing. I was lucky enough to continue dancing through college and even after, spending 4 seasons with a professional dance company in Madison. I earned my BS in Exercise & Sport Science with a concentration in Strength & Conditioning and a minor in Nutrition from UW-La Crosse.

I've been coaching at CORE since 2010 and I feel very fortunate about reaching more folks in our area who may feel like they don't fit in at other fitness facilities due to their abilities, size, goals and or preferences. I started the CORE Women's Group in 2016 and enjoy cultivating a rich environment for learning in all areas of wellness.

My health and fitness interests include pre/postnatal fitness, gentle nutrition and body positive exercise. When I'm not at CORE you can find me with my son Liam and husband Kyle. We love cooking, traveling, music and time outdoors.

Grant Malmquist

Fitness Coach

I grew up and have lived in the Middleton area most of my life. In high school, I played football and lacrosse and enjoyed every minute of both. I went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where I majored in Social Sciences and minored in Coaching, along with playing football all four years.

After college, I attended the Madison College Law Enforcement Academy and became a Police Officer for the Wisconsin Dells Police Department. I decided being in Law Enforcement was not what I wanted my career to be and started looking for a career change. I decided to pursue a career in health and fitness and have found a home here. CORE is a wonderful facility filled with great members and coaches. I believe my background in sports and coaching can benefit and help our members achieve their goals and improve their overall well being in life. I look forward to meeting you and I know you will enjoy what CORE has to offer.

In October of 2017, my wife Tara had our beautiful baby girl, Olivia, who I am sure you will see around CORE at some point. Outside of work, I like to spend my time being with family, taking our dogs on walks and enjoying the beauty that Wisconsin has to offer. I coach football at Middleton High School and enjoy every minute of it in the fall.

Fitness Coach

I grew up right here in Madison and attended Memorial High School. I did my undergrad work up at Gustavus Adolphus College where I played basketball all four years. I struggled with knee issues all through college, which ultimately led me to the strength and conditioning world as a career. I finally understood how a properly designed and executed program could impact both my performance but also how I felt during everyday life.

After college, I completed my Master's degree from Loyola University Chicago and worked at multiple gyms in the Chicago area. I moved back to Madison and started at CORE in the summer of 2010. By the fall of 2011, I took over ownership of CORE and have loved every minute since. Although I've recently stepped back from my leadership role, I am still coaching a few days a week here at CORE. I have a passion for helping people move and feel better so that they can improve their quality of life.

When I'm not at CORE you can find me spending time with my wife Rani and our daughter Luna.

Fitness Coach

I grew up in Oak Creek, Wisconsin where I spent most of my time playing sports and being active. In high school, I played basketball and baseball. When I wasn’t in the middle of a season, I was devoted to training and improving as an athlete. I then attended and graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Personal Finance, without considering a career in health and fitness or athletics. Toward the end of my time at UW-Madison, I decided to pursue my passion and obtained certifications as a Personal Trainer and a Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA.

Before CORE, I assisted strength and conditioning coaches and worked as a basketball coach at the high school level in Milwaukee. While there, I worked with athletes of all different ages, skill levels, and experience. I loved working with those athletes and I’m extremely excited to apply what I’ve learned. I’m looking forward to working with all of the members here at CORE to help them achieve their health and fitness goals.

Being a coach at CORE allows me to pursue my passion, apply the knowledge I’ve gained, and help others work toward their fitness goals.

Fitness Coach

The year is 2015. I had just graduated from the University of Georgia with a Masters in Kinesiology and my mother had just moved back to Kenya, my native country, leaving me as the sole member of my family in these United States. The prior winter, I had witnessed firsthand the frigid, snowy white winters of Wisconsin and, being a lover of snow, I packed my belongings and moved up north, explaining my current residence. Prior to that, other than a small stint in Maryland, most of my formative upbringing was in Georgia, where I earned a Bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in French.

During my undergrad years, a strong bond blossomed between exercise and I, leading to my fitness coaching journey. I studied kinesiology in grad school because I wanted to have a deep understanding of fitness before I coached anyone. Once I settled in the Madison area, I worked at Snap Fitness and Gold’s Gym as a personal trainer, as well as OrangeTheory Fitness as a fitness coach. After a while, I took a break from coaching and worked at Exact Sciences as a clinical laboratory scientist for a couple years before professionally returning to the fitness world. Personally, one of the joys of coaching is to assist an individual reach their fitness goals and just witness their daily progress. Exercise is a lifelong choice and I want to be a catalyst for a healthier lifestyle.

When I’m not at CORE, I’m at the gym reaching my goals, doing jiu jitsu, experimenting and playing with make-up, browsing Netflix for another riveting documentary, or developing my own skincare line.