Photo By Cpl. Christopher Johns | Cpl. Jonathan Soriano, a level one High Intensity Tactical Training instructor with...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – Trainers with the Return-to-Readiness program ensure injured Service members have the help they need to heal and get back into the fight.
Personal trainers, like Randy Saldivar, who work at gymnasiums on Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., use their knowledge and understanding of the human body and the military lifestyle to make the service members’ recovery easier. The ability to make a difference and assist someone in their recovery means something to Saldivar.
“Being able to train, teach and see an individual improve from wherever they were, either from the Body Composition Program, limited duty, rehab, going into college, etc., to someone better, drives me,” said Saldivar. “I like helping people better themselves.”
Saldivar works closely with physical therapists at the Sports Medicine and Reconditioning Team Clinic to ensure the training programs are designed for individual needs.
“I coordinate and collaborate with the SMART Clinic so that when they have a patient that they feel completed their program, that person will transition to me,” said Saldivar. “That’s when I can pick them up and help them go from limited duty to fully functional. We don’t want to do anything counterproductive to their recovery.”
Saldivar conducts six sessions with an individual to guide them through workouts catered to recovering and strengthening the injured portion of their body. Then, once those six sessions are complete, he helps create a workout routine the individual can perform on their own to maintain and improve their results.
“He was very dedicated and spent a lot of time with me one on one for my back injury,” said Capt. Paul Pintek, former company commander at Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron (MTACS) 38 and a Tucson, Ariz., native.
Pintek suffered two bulged discs due to wear and tear on his back and was able to recover with Saldivar’s help.
“Just the fact that he went above and beyond with me to give me the personalized training program that he did means a lot,” said Pintek. “He was a great guy, really cared about people and you could tell he genuinely cared about my recovery. I think he seems to be the most dedicated in his field.”
Saldivar began training friends and peers before graduating from California State University with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, the study of movement in the human body, in 2009. As a graduation gift, his girlfriend, now fiancée, paid for him to take the test to earn his Personal Training Certificate from the American Council on Exercise. He began applying to gyms, including the fitness centers on Miramar upon successfully passing.
Saldivar worked his way from being a personal trainer to someone who has many different jobs and titles – all the while helping people as best as he could.
Some of his job titles include strength and conditioning specialist, recreation specialist supervisor, fitness and personal trainer among others. Titles aside, Saldivar is happy helping others.
“The most rewarding part about what I do is just to see that they are fully functional, where they can do an exercise or activity with limited or no pain at all,” said Saldivar.
Not only does Saldivar help people get back into shape after injuries, he helps prevent them too. While working at the gym, new High Intensity Tactical Training instructors call upon him to watch over their classes and provide mentorship.
“I’ve been going to his classes for about two years now and most of what I know, I learned from him,” said Cpl. Jonathan Soriano, a level-one HITT instructor with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 11 who trained with Saldivar. “He’s been helping me with proper form, and I ask him questions about kinesiology offline when I don’t understand something. He breaks everything down on how our technique has to be for it to be safe.”
Soriano understands there might be a lot of Marines out there who think they know proper form and might hurt themselves. He explained how lucky he feels to have Saldivar there to help him understand the proper form and techniques so he can teach his Marines and hopefully they can pass on the knowledge.
Saldivar continues to serve and assist the Service members who live and work at the place that played a role in his life when he was younger for almost five years.
He grew up down the road from Miramar in Mira Mesa. He went to church on the installation when his father worked at Naval Air Station Miramar from 1979 – 1987 in Fighter Squadron 124 providing maintenance for the F-8 Crusader.
“I’m very proud,” said Retired U.S. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Reynaldo Saldivar, Saldivar’s father. “He goes to work motivated. All I can say is that he’s doing his best at his job. He loves what he’s doing - he’s focused.”
Service members or injured personnel who finish with physical therapy and wish to start an exercise regimen should consult their physical therapist and physician first.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2014 15:37 |
| Story ID: | 142594 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN DIEGO, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 175 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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