Head Coach & Founder

Jack Carter

MS, CSCS*D

I have been blessed to be in this exciting industry since 2001. I didn’t know entering college where the path would lead me, but am excited to say that along the way, I have grown as a person, met lots of great people, and my knowledge as a fitness professional has made me think I have no idea what I’m doing! Let me explain the last part.

I graduated with a Master’s in Exercise Science in 2003, and thought after that, I knew everything and that hundreds of doors would open. Nope. I became certified through the National Strength & Conditioning Association via the Certified Personal Trainer and the Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and thought I knew everything after I passed. That was just the beginning, as I soon found out.

I wanted to train elite athletes and be in big-time college sports — the dream of most people in this industry. I started training at a local gym in Norman. As I hustled to gain clients (desk jockeys, weekend warriors, high school athletes, and stay-at-home moms), I found myself seeing movement issues and dysfunctions I never learned about in college.

Chat Williams was my intro-to-personal-training teacher in university. I’ve now known him for over 18 years. Not only has he been a teacher and mentor, but also a co-worker and one of my best friends — through his role in the NSCA, he’s opened many doors for me. Another very influential person in my career is Michael Griffith, a physical therapist out of Tulsa. I saw a lecture he gave at a local conference and it changed the way I looked at movement and training — the role of muscles not just from an anatomy book, but what they do in movement, cutting, and decelerating, across every plane of motion. It was one of the “ah-ha” moments in my career.

Wanting more, I went through countless texts and research articles, and chased down every conference I could. I attended the USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach certification in Colorado Springs under Paul Fleschler. I attended the Functional Movement Systems Level 1 course and had another “ah-ha” moment — seeing the body as a stack of alternating joints that each have either a stability or mobility role, depending on the plane of motion.

I’ve also had the pleasure of attending multiple Postural Restoration Institute courses — another huge “ah-ha” moment that shaped my recovery protocols and my appreciation for the asymmetries the body carries. Reflexive Performance Reset (RPR) is another tool I use to help expedite recovery and movement for clients and athletes. I won’t claim to fully understand every mechanism behind RPR, but I know it works — and it’s a simple tool I can teach my clients and athletes to maximize training and recovery.

As Gray Cook says, “Don’t add movement on top of dysfunction.” I believe a foundation of good, solid movement — which can be highly individual — is essential. Add a good strength & conditioning program while staying on top of recovery strategies, and you have the three keys to success. Put those together and have fun while you work — that’s what breeds real results.

I’ve had the opportunity to help a lot of people, and in particular, I love working with athletes and clients coming back from surgery. Once someone is released from physical therapy, insurance often dictates how much time they get with their therapist. My role is to keep the ball moving — helping them gain confidence, keep their range of motion, build strength, and get their conditioning ready for their sport or activity. Helping people get back to what they love is a blessing, and it’s the biggest reason I do what I do.