Mentor Up! Personal Trainer Apprenticeship Program

The Mentor Up! Personal Trainer Apprenticeship Program is a 10-week Personal Training Apprenticeship Program that includes fitness training, business development, and career exploration. Participants take part in weekly group cross-mentorship opportunities, 1:1 mentoring, and sub-groups for young women, young men, and mixed groups. The program covers topics such as anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, different training modalities like strength training, mobility work, and cardiovascular conditioning, as well as personal training best practices, elements of fitness, client assessments, program design, and concepts of flexibility training, cardiovascular exercise, and resistance training.

• Ages: 17–18 years old
• Schedule: 10-week Personal Training Apprenticeship Program

Participants study the body’s movement systems, including cardiac, skeletal, soft, and autonomic muscle tissue, and explore the circulatory, lymphatic, endocrine, and integumentary systems. The curriculum includes learning to identify and work with chronic conditions such as Arthritis, Coronary Heart Disease, Hypertension, and Diabetes, along with injury prevention, use of emergency equipment and protocols, and gaining CPR certification. The program also includes the Grit & Grace Challenge, and a comprehensive curriculum that dives into anatomy, biology, emotional intelligence, marketing strategies, client acquisition techniques, and business management principles, as well as learning to manage a personal training business and gaining insights into client acquisition and retention strategies.

The Mentor Up! Personal Trainer Apprenticeship Program is part of The Mallory Gaston Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide underserved youth ages 17–30 with tools, resources, and opportunities to pursue meaningful careers in the health and fitness industry. The foundation is committed to serving under represented, at risk youth ages 17–30 with mentorship, education, fitness resources, and job placement in the fitness industry through this program, and it emphasizes viable work opportunities, responsible citizenship, and community bridge-building. The organization’s leadership includes Founder Mallory Gaston, who grew up in Oakland, CA, and has established over 20 gyms in the SF/Bay Area, along with Elana Yonah, Alexandra (“Lexi”) Mussallem, Toni Wolfson, DB Bedford, Coach Elaine, Dr. Yvonne Cagle, Matthew Remanick, Melissa Blaustein, Yuma, Bella Noir, Sara Teresa Leon, MBA, and Duke, Chief Advisor of Happiness.

Last updated May 16, 2026.