Life Fitness Training and Education Staff

Life Fitness Academy is the global Training and Education wing of Life Fitness focused on education materials for customers, fitness professionals and exercisers worldwide. They bring a diverse level of expertise on a variety of fitness subjects, and provide hands-on equipment instruction and education materials, fitness articles and white papers on a variety of topics, fitness videos and valuable contributions to product designs and improvements.

Life Fitness Academy Experts

Kerri O’Brien

Director, Life Fitness Academy

Kerri has over 22 years of experience in the fitness industry working in many areas of the industry; for-profit fitness and spa centers, non-for-profit YMCAs, trade associations, recreation centers, university/college settings, weight management and police and fire services. She has held positions ranging from Head Strength Coach to Regional Fitness and Retention Director to Program Manager and VP of Programming.

A well-known industry expert, Kerri often delivers seminars and workshops and writes articles addressing subjects such as: special populations training; core stability training; agility and speed training; women's fitness; facility design; membership sales and marketing; membership retention; exercise motivation; behavior change; corporate wellness and weight management.

Kerri has a B.S. in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition from Arizona State University. She has an MBA and completing a Doctorate Degree.

Deborah Plitt

Life Fitness Academy Master Trainer

Deborah has been with Life Fitness as a Network Trainer since 1994 and Master Trainer of Life Fitness Academy since 2008. She develops on-line education modules and provides training and education internally for Life Fitness, as well as to Life Fitness customers throughout the Eastern United States and Canada, United Kingdom and Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Deborah received her bachelors of science from Penn State University in Exercise and Sport Science and is currently working towards a Masters of Science in Human Movement Science from A.T. Still University. She is currently certified as Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist and is working towards completion as Corrective Exercise Specialist and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. She has been in the fitness industry for over sixteen years, with experience ranging from managing hospital-based wellness and fitness center to commercial clubs, as well as experience as Program and Fitness Director and sales and marketing.

Heather Sieker

Life Fitness Academy Training and Education Specialist

Heather Sieker is the Life Fitness Academy Training Manager at Life Fitness. Heather manages the development of content for the Life Fitness e-learning site, hosting of live webinars and the on-site product trainings throughout the Americas. Heather holds a bachelors degree in Recreation Management from the University of WI – La Crosse and, a personal training certificate through the American Council on Exercise. Heather has held various positions within the fitness industry, in both the commercial club and corporate fitness settings, for the past six years.

Contributing Fitness Experts

Chris Freytag

Fitness Expert and Content Contributor

Chris has been teaching fitness, training clients and coaching on the subjects of nutrition and health for the past 20 years. Her high energy and approachable personality has helped build her reputation as a nationally known fitness expert among the viewers who watch her weekly TV segments, to the members who jam pack her classes, to her clients, readers and fans.

Chris is on the board of Directors of the American Council (ACE) and is a Certified Group Fitness Instructor, Personal Trainer and Lifestyle and Weight Management consultant as well as a Yoga and Pilates instructor. She is also the Fitness Expert for Prevention Magazine and the Fitness Expert for NBC Kare 11 Minneapolis/St Paul affiliate. Chris is a national fitness presenter, author of 3 books, a motivational speaker and has over a dozen Fitness DVD's in the marketplace.

Gavin Aquilina

Fitness Expert and Content Contributor

Gavin has worked in the fitness industry for the past 21 years, with experience as an owner, manager, personal trainer and instructor. He owned his own Sydney based fitness studio for 8 years. He has been working in fitness instructor and personal trainer education for the past 17 years and in management education for the past 8 years.

As a trainer Gavin has worked in a number of positions and with a spectrum of clients, some of these include, sports conditioner for a Sydney cup rugby union club and premier division rugby union players. He has been the conditioning coach for professional and recreational short course and ironman triathletes and multi sport athletes. Gavin has had extensive experience working in rehabilitation with a range of clients with various conditions from shoulder and knee to paraplegics.

Gavin has consulted, presented at conventions and completed personal training workshops in more than 40 countries covering every continent.

In education his specialist areas include structural kinesiology, functional strength training, resistance training, personal training, nutrition and cardiovascular training. Gavin’s formal qualification is a Bachelor of Sports Science Human Movement Studies and is currently completing his Masters of Human Nutrition.