Colby’s interest in fitness started when he was little. Growing up in a military family, exercise and sports was the one constant that helped him connect with people as he moved around the world, including Texas, New York, Germany and South Korea.

“I remember doing 40 pull-ups (at age 12) on a tree outside my house when I would see my school bus coming two lights away,” Colby reflects.

Obsessed at a young age, he collected Muscle & Fitness Magazine and He-Man action figure dolls, “because of all their muscles,” he adds.

“Every childhood photo of me involved me flexing. When I was in high school, I excelled at every sport I played,” something he credits much of his early success in fitness.

Colby’s personal training career began shortly after high school. He worked at several gyms while in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves, which together helped him pay for college and pursue a pre-medical degree.

After graduating with his bachelor’s degree, Colby was accepted into a podiatry program that brought him to Arizona. However, he soon realized he didn’t want to carve such a specific niche in the healthcare world, and began to focus on building his personal training career. In 2009 he opened his first training studio in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“I found that I loved helping people excel at their fitness goals no matter what state of health they were in at the time,” says Colby, adding that his experience in the Coast Guard and school helped him learn the discipline needed to succeed. “The best lessons that I have learned are taking the initiative to complete a task that I wanted to be done well.”

His desire to help others extends beyond his own clientele, as Colby also volunteers his services to those in need.

“I am constantly donating my time and services to any charity that asks as well as helping student-athletes excel in their sports,” says Colby, who has proved fitness training services to Hospice of the Valley and City of Glendale’s Sandlot Sports, as well as worked as a sports performance coach for football hopefuls with NFL star Chris Warren.

“I love working with student-athletes because I can relate them and their issues,” Colby explains.

Colby credits his talent for inspiring people to embrace a healthy lifestyle as something deeply embedded in his being and constantly encouraging him to reach new heights.

“I definitely have become more in touch with my health along with this life long journey. We are all human and I think it’s in our DNA to help those in need, thus helping ourselves progress in the process,” he says.

His inherent need to improve the lives of all individuals helped Colby realize that he could affect more lives by providing better quality exercise. Inspiration struck in 2007 while Colby prepared for a boot camp class he was instructing. After inflating several stability balls for his students, he realized the physical motion of the manual pump was, in and of itself, a great exercise. “I was extremely surprised at the workout I got from the positive resistance of the air coming in and out of the pump for the stability balls, “explains Colby. “In a short period of time, I felt as though I got the best workout, both on a muscular level as well as a cardio level.”

Colby worked with a team of engineers and physicians to bring this idea to fruition. Together they designed and perfected the CorePump Machine, a multi-use isokinetic resistance (also known as smart resistance, meaning continually adjusting resistance to reflect the output of the user) machine that features adjustable pedal platforms and handle positions for infinite exercise and stretching combinations.

“The CorePump Machine is a total body workout fitness and stretches solution for the modern-day fitness enthusiast,” explains Colby. “It is distinctly different from all other fitness equipment in the world. It’s safer, efficient, and more effective than other workout equipment while taking up only 2′ x 2′ of floor space. The multi-patented handle itself has over sixty possible locking positions. (Plus) it utilizes isokinetic, so the user will not experience the muscle soreness and inflammation that one would typically experience using traditional weights.”

Because of its use of isokinetic resistance, the CorePump Machine is also a safer exercise than free weights, especially for rehab patients and the geriatric population. Another alluring aspect is the machine’s size and usability. Similar in appearance to its air pump influencer, the CorePump doesn’t require any electricity and only takes up two-square-feet of floor space while providing a more thorough workout in less time.

“I know with all my heart that the CorePump Machine is going to revolutionize the fitness and rehab industry, both as an exercise product as well as a group training class,” says Colby. “I think on a wide level much of the group classes world are looking for something new and fresh.”

Colby hopes to one day travel the world and bring the CorePump to high schools in order to help train student-athletes, as well as incorporate it in more of his volunteer training services. “It’s truly amazing what one can accomplish by dedicating 30 minutes a day to your fitness goals,” says Colby.

Preserving his own uniqueness is of great importance to the trainer. As someone who is in tune with his body and mind, it’s only natural that Colby’s other passion is decorating his temple to tell his story. His toned torso and arms are adorned with intricate tattoos, each of which holds special meaning.

“I could write a book on what all my tattoos mean, but in a nutshell, my tattoos are a reminder to myself that I should never conform to the popular majority,” he explains. “That I should walk to the beat of my own drum. To be a pied piper to those in need. To always be strong for those who are weaker than me. To be uniquely me.

W: Corepump Machine

Written by Stephanie Lough