The FT Team

Our mission is to "provide the world’s best personal training in a clean and private environment where clients achieve, if not exceed, their lifelong wellness goals". The FT team is the strongest it has ever been: 4 certified FT staff trainers with more than 60 years of combined experience in personal training. We are determined to live our mission in every way possible and we're willing to bend over backwards to do whatever it takes to help you achieve your goals. We are Wilmington's #1 personal training facility.

We look forward to seeing you in the studio soon where we’ll focus on all of the right exercises for physical and mental fitness!

Chris Harper

Soccer players are known to "carry the ball", but it was a soccer ball that carried Chris Harper to the Wilmington area. A military brat, Chris grew up living all over the world: from the Middle East to the Far East to Europe to the United States. But an offer to play soccer for UNC-W ('78-'82) brought him to the Wilmington area for good.

An Exercise Science major, Chris loved everything about Wilmington. After graduation from college, he briefly went pro as a soccer player for the NASL. In the late '80s, he returned to Wilmington and was one of the first to open a personal training studio in this area. He also coached soccer for New Hanover High School and Cape Fear Academy.

After a brief hiatus from personal training, Chris realized he missed teaching people how to achieve optimal fitness. He is delighted to join Fitness Together. In addition to his passion for sports and fitness, Chris loves spending time with his "girls": his wife and his 24-year-old and 5-year-old daughters. Chris enjoys spending time at the beach and traveling.

Click here to read current success stories!

Nicklaus Rinehart

Sometimes you don’t choose your profession; your profession chooses you. For trainer Nicklaus Rinehart, personal life experiences led him to the path of changing lives through teaching others how to live a healthy lifestyle. When Nick was a teenager he saw a lot of his youth have trouble with diabetes, obesity and heart problems that could have been prevented through proper exercise and nutrition. Nick cites this as a defining moment that would later influence his decision to pursue personal training as a career.

Born in Charleston SC, Nick spent his summers vacationing in Wilmington. He loved the area so much he relocated here upon graduation from high school. While pursuing general studies at Cape Fear Community College and UNC-W, Nick worked at area fitness studios and clubs as a personal trainer.

As he helped a variety of clients conquer diabetes, weight loss, heart issues, sports performance, and nutrition, Nick realized that he had found his calling. He moved to Orlando, Florida to pursue a diploma from NPTI (the National Personal Training Institute), a rigorous, 3-year personal training program that requires hundreds of hours of study including: 100 hours of the Theory and Practice of Personal Training, 100 hours in Basic Nutrition, 100 hours in Anatomy and Physiology, and 200 hours of Practical Application on Personal Training. Nick is also Velocity Sports Performance Certified from NPTI.

Since 2005, Nick has worked with 307 personal training clients, getting results with 306 of them! A former all natural competitive body builder, Nick contracted E. Coli Food Poisoning in November 2009. He was in critical condition and lost 45 pounds. He plans on regaining every pound back in lean muscle mass. This personal experience has helped him to better understand clients who struggle to build strength and add lean muscle mass. He says: “I’d like to be a new icon for the fitness industry. It doesn’t matter what you look like (you don’t have to be one of those cut-up, muscle-enhanced guys in the weight room), what matters is your fitness level and your health.”

When he’s not at the Fitness Together studio, you’ll find Nick surfing, cycling, running and playing a variety of sports. He is also an active member of his church and a dedicated community volunteer. And, although Nick is an expert in clean nutrition, he does have one junk-food-related weakness. His cat is named Oreo!

Click here to read client success stories!

Jennifer Neufell

Jennifer Neufell is a nationally Certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), and has nearly 20 years’ experience in the health and fitness industry. Jennifer owned and operated a personal training business in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area for 18 years before taking a 5-year hiatus to be a stay-at-home mother of two. A former Washington Redskins cheerleader and conditioning coach with an extensive background in dance, Jenn’s favorite pastimes include dancing, hiking and playing sports with her children. Jenn is very passionate about personal training and dedicated to helping each and every client achieve their health and fitness goals.

Click here to read what clients are saying!

Justin Vida

To most people, the sky is the limit. To those who love aviation, the sky is home. — Anonymous

The very existence of aviation is proof that man, given the will, has the capacity to accomplish deeds that seem impossible. — Eddie Rickenbacker

Justin Vida, General Manager and Personal Trainer at Fitness Together, believes there are no limits to what one can achieve through motivation, hard work, and discipline. An athlete in high school and college, Justin worked his way through school as a personal trainer and boot camp instructor in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Robert Morris University, Justin achieved status as a nationally Certified Personal Trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). He is also certified in group exercise and rubber resistance training (upper and lower body).

After briefly working as a pilot for a commercial airline, Justin returned to the fitness industry. During his 8 years in the industry, Justin has logged thousands of hours of personal training with hundreds of clients. He also has extensive experience with fitness assessments, fitness consulting, and training personal trainers.

Beyond his passion for the field of health and exercise, Justin enjoys flying airplanes, golfing, playing in volleyball tournaments and painting. He is also an avid collector of motivational quotes like the ones above.

Click here to read what Justin’s clients are saying about him!