About Trainer Josh
Josh Schlottman
Personal trainer. Strength coach.
Fitness educator.
NSCA-CSCS · ACE-CPT · B.A. Nutrition
I’m the founder of TrainerJosh.com. I help people make sense of strength training, fat loss, and nutrition—and turn that information into a routine that fits their lives.
Since 2005, I’ve coached busy professionals, parents, and athletes. This site brings that experience to practical guides, workouts, and tools you can use at home or in the gym.
My qualifications
Education & qualifications
The foundation behind my coaching.
Formal education, professional certifications, and more than two decades working with people.
NSCA-CSCS
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
National Strength and Conditioning Association
My strength-and-conditioning qualification supports my work with exercise technique, training programs, and athletic performance.
ACE-CPT
Certified Personal Trainer
American Council on Exercise
My personal-training qualification informs how I adapt exercise to a person’s starting point, goals, and everyday routine.
B.A. Nutrition
Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition
California State University, Sacramento
My nutrition education provides a foundation for explaining food choices and how nutrition relates to fitness.
View my diploma
You can also view my published certification documents.
In the media
Quoted in health and fitness publications.
Selected articles featuring my comments. Choose a publication to read the article.
- Healthline Post-workout bloating
- Tom’s Guide Strength and balance after 60
- Men’s Health Choosing a Peloton instructor
- GQ Glute exercises and technique
- Prevention Starting a walking or jogging routine
- Yahoo Health Choosing home fitness equipment
- GoodRx Getting started with strength training at home
- Parade Making sense of daily step goals
- Women’s Health Japan Prevention adaptation (Japanese)
What I teach
Practical fitness.
Built around real life.
TrainerJosh.com connects the things people often try to figure out separately: how to train, what to eat, and how to keep going.
My focus is on approachable guidance for adults who want to build strength and improve body composition, including people getting started or returning to fitness after 40.
Strength training & exercise technique
Exercise instructions, home and gym workouts, and ways to progress your training.
Fat loss & everyday habits
Making sense of training, daily movement, food choices, and consistency.
Nutrition for fitness
Practical explanations of calories, protein, and meal choices that support your goals.
Fitness equipment & tools
Hands-on equipment reviews and calculators that provide useful starting estimates.
Behind the articles
How I research, test, and write.
My content draws on published research, coaching experience, and personal testing. Those sources answer different questions.
Research the question
I review exercise and nutrition research to inform my articles and link to sources so you can look further into the evidence.
Bring in coaching experience
I draw on the questions and practical challenges I encounter in training. Personal observations add context; they do not replace controlled research.
Use the equipment
I personally test the equipment I review. My experience describes how a product worked for me; it does not establish how it will perform for every person.
Revisit the content
I update older articles as part of my writing process. If you spot an error or have a question about a source, send me the article and the detail to check.
From coaching to content
More than two decades on the gym floor.
I started personal training while in college in 2005. I went on to work with high school and college athletes, as well as people looking to improve their everyday fitness.
My coaching has included busy professionals and parents in Napa Valley, alongside online personal training and nutrition coaching. That range of experience keeps my attention on the person using the advice: their time, equipment, and starting point.
The first workout is part of the assessment.
One lesson I learned early in coaching is that I can learn a great deal by watching someone perform a light workout. I often begin with foundational movements such as step-ups, push-ups against a rack, and machine rows, using very light resistance—sometimes three sets of 12–15 repetitions, adapted to the person.
A light step-up gives me a chance to observe balance, control, and how comfortably the ankle moves. It can also prompt a conversation about an old injury the client had forgotten to mention. I can then lower the box or change the exercise straight away. The movement helps guide my programming; it is not a medical diagnosis.
My logbook records more than sets, reps, and weight. I also note sleep, stress, joint discomfort, and recent illness. Those details help me adjust the day’s session instead of treating the written program as a rule the client must follow.
I also encourage clients who feel discouraged by the scale to notice changes in what they can do: their strength, confidence with exercises, and how their clothes fit. Those observations help keep our conversations about progress broader than body weight alone.
You can see the practical side in my beginner dumbbell guide, with exercise demonstrations, coaching cues, and workout routines.
“His simple nutrition tips and quick workouts fit perfectly into my busy life.”
Ashely M. · Excerpt from a client testimonial
An individual client’s experience, not a promise of results.
My personal fitness journey
I’ve had to find my way back, too.
During a difficult period in my life, I gained about 30 pounds. Being a personal trainer did not make that experience any easier. I felt embarrassed and struggled with the gap between what I knew and what I was doing.
I eventually lost that weight. Along the way, I explored different eating patterns and training approaches, including intermittent fasting. That was my experience; it is not a formula everyone needs to follow.
It gave me a more personal understanding of how hard it can be to rebuild a routine when life gets in the way. That perspective is part of how I coach today.
Outside the gym, I enjoy hiking Napa trails, playing golf, and cycling along the Vine Trail.
Your next step
Find something you can use today.
Choose the topic that fits what you’re working on.
Workouts & strength
Explore routines for home or the gym.
Explore workouts UnderstandFat-loss guides
Read about training, food choices, and habits.
Browse fat-loss guides LearnNutrition
Explore practical food and nutrition topics.
Explore nutrition PlanFitness calculators
Estimate calories, protein, and heart-rate zones.
Choose a calculator
Stay in touch
Want to work together?
For in-home personal training in Napa Valley, online coaching, media inquiries, or a question about my work, get in touch.
Find me on LinkedIn, explore my Flat Belly Formula program, or visit the homepage for my email newsletter.
Contact Josh