This simple quote summarizes our core philosophy at Champion PT and Performance – everyone is an athlete at heart and everyone should have access to the elite level care like world-class athletes.
We work with people that want to get the most out of their bodies; that want to restore, optimize, and enhance their performance.
Champion PT and Performance was founded by Dr. Mike Reinold and Lenny Macrina, two renowned physical therapists, strength coaches, and performance enhancement specialists who have worked with organizations such as The Boston Red Sox, The Chicago White Sox, and orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews’ American Sports Medicine Institute.
After years of helping professional athletes return from injury, enhance their performance, and excel at their sport, they were determined to create a similar environment for the general public.
Disappointed with the traditional physical therapy clinics and fitness environments, they sought to recreate the elite sports medicine model used to enhance performance by creating a hybrid model of physical therapy, sports performance training, sports science, and adult fitness training.
Traditional physical therapy and fitness models are not providing the best care possible. Rushed appointments, lack of individual attention, everyone doing the same program. That’s not optimal. You deserve the best. To assure we achieve our mission, we base everything around three main principles:
At Champion PT and Performance, we pride ourselves in our commitments to our patients, clients, team, and community. Every member of our team is determined to uphold our core values in everything we do.
Dr. Reinold, a world-renowned leader in the field of sports medicine, rehabilitation, fitness, and sports performance uses his background in sport biomechanics, movement quality, muscles imbalances, and manual therapy to specialize in all aspects of human performance. After working years of working with Dr. James Andrews at the American Sports Medicine Institute, and leading the medical team as Head Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist of the Boston Red Sox, he started Champion with Lenny Macrina to provide the same level of care for local athletes. He is also currently the Senior Medical Advisor for the Chicago White Sox and President of the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy of the APTA. He has worked extensively with a variety of professional athletes with emphasis on the care of throwing injuries in baseball players. Dr. Reinold is an active researcher and educator, teaching 100,000’s of fitness and rehabilitation professionals each year through his publications, website, and educational products.
Lenny Macrina has been practicing physical therapy for over 2 decades since graduating with his Master’s degree from Boston University. Lenny has previous sat for his board certification as a sports physical therapist by the APTA and is currently a certified strength and conditioning specialist by the NSCA. He participates in clinical research with the American Sports Medicine Institute in Birmingham, AL and has co-authored several current concept papers, book chapters, and research papers while presenting at various national conferences. He firmly believes that the patient comes first, no matter the circumstances. Growing up in Winthrop, MA, Lenny understands the intricacies of the local healthcare system and vows to do everything he can to serve with accountability and render the best care available.
Dave Tilley comes from an extensive gymnastics background, being a former competitive athlete for 18 years and having 12 years of coaching experience. His unique background as a former athlete and current optional level coach gives him a one of a kind approach for the performance and rehabilitation of gymnasts. He has successfully treated some of the most talented high school, collegiate, and junior elite level gymnasts in the country. Along with gymnastics, Dave is also actively involved in the specialized treatment of Olympic Weightlifters and CrossFit athletes.
Along with his clinical work, Dave is also the owner of a company called SHIFT Movement Science, an educational company that helps teach coaches, athletes, and healthcare providers about optimal performance and injury reduction concepts. His current interests include prevention and rehabilitation of extension based spine injuries, shoulder and hip instability, as well as long-term athletic development, mobility training, and motor control.
Dan Pope, a Doctor of Physical Therapy and strength coach and has an enormous passion for fitness, rehabilitation and optimizing human performance. Dan’s background in athletic performance is extensive, leading to his unique knowledge of rehabilitation as it applies to sport. His athletic career began at a very young age but his first major accomplishment was performing as a division 1 pole-vaulter at Rutgers University.
Dan was also a strength and conditioning coach and personal trainer for 6 years prior to beginning his journey into physical therapy and has continued to be a trainer or coach to this date. Given this unique background he has a special talent for helping individuals in the strength and fitness world who need either rehabilitation or tips on optimizing performance.
Dan specializes in treating Crossfit, olympic lifting and strength based athletes. As much as he likes working with athletes, Dan loves working with regular people looking to enjoy their fitness pain free.
Mike is a Physical Therapist with a background in baseball and golf sports performance and general fitness personal training. Mike is a former 14-year competitive baseball player and currently is working towards his goal of playing competitive golf at the amateur and club level.
Mike graduated from Northeastern University with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy and a B.S. in Rehabilitation Sciences. While at Northeastern, he worked for 4 years as a certified personal trainer at the university gym and also trained private clients throughout Boston.
Mike was a clinical student at Champion PT during his last semester of graduate school and developed and refined his skills working with youth, high school, college and professional athletes as a student physical therapist.
Mike is committed to continued learning and helping people achieve their physical therapy, fitness, performance and personal goals. He has a strong passion for golf and enjoys helping golfers improve their movement and optimize their performance.
Lisa is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with a background in rowing and overall passion for sport. She loves living an active lifestyle and helping others to do the same.
Lisa has a background in long distance running, triathlons and rowing. She competed in women’s rowing at Ithaca College during her undergraduate years, moved to Boston for Riverside Boat Club’s High Performance program, and currently rows with Community Rowing Inc. within their Para-Rowing. Lisa also volunteers as a member of the PT support for the US Para-National team athletes at CRI.
Lisa has a passion for learning and enjoys working with all levels of athletes to help them reach their goals.
Kevin graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with his doctorate in physical therapy.
Kevin has always enjoyed an active lifestyle. He played basketball and ran cross country in high school, took up CrossFit during college, and recently picked up long distance running. Kevin understands how important being physically active is for both physical and mental health, and so he made it his life’s mission to help people get out of pain and back to the activities they love.
As a physical therapy student, Kevin spent 12 weeks as part of #TeamChampion treating all kinds of athletes, including baseball players, gymnasts, and weekend warriors. As a professional, Kevin has taken advanced courses to help him better evaluate and treat his patients with back and neck pain. Kevin is committed to doing everything in his power to help his patients reach their physical therapy, fitness, and performance goals.
Brendan is a physical therapist with a background in sports performance and fitness training. He is committed to helping people regain their active lifestyles. As a former Division I athlete, he has a unique understanding of the physical and mental challenges that come with injury. Brendan graduated from Duke University with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy. During his time at Duke, he worked as a sports medicine assistant for the Duke football team, as well as a private strength and conditioning coach.
Brendan was a clinical student at Champion PT during his last semester of graduate school where he developed his skills working with a wide population of active people, ranging from professional athletes to weekend warriors. As a professional, Brendan has continued to refine his skills working with this active population. He has also served as an adjunct professor in the Northeastern DPT Program.
In addition to his clinical work, he has over 8 years of coaching experience at the high school and club levels, primarily in lacrosse. Brendan is also a recreational long distance runner. Whether working with athletes or everyday active individuals, Brendan takes pride in helping his patients get out of pain and make the transition from rehabilitation to performance.
Anthony graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with his Doctorate in Physical Therapy. During his second clinical rotation in school, he was a student at Champion PT where he was able to develop the skills needed to treat high school, collegiate, and professional athletes. Anthony is committed to helping his patients achieve their athletic, performance, or personal goals. Outside of baseball, he also has a passion for working with ACL rehab.
As a former division 1 baseball player at the University of Massachusetts, Anthony gained a unique perspective for baseball rehabilitation following Tommy John surgery his freshman year. This surgery, followed by over a year of his own rehab, propelled him into the field of physical therapy where he is able to combine his experience as an athlete with the knowledge he gained in school to optimize his patient’s rehab potential.
Anthony enjoys golfing, running, and weightlifting in his own time and is an avid snowboarder in the winter.
Diwesh is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. Diwesh graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with a B.S in Exercise Physiology and a minor in nutrition. While at UMass Lowell, Diwesh worked as a Personal Trainer on campus and was a facility supervisor for the Fitness Center.
Prior to Champion, Diwesh interned at Skill of Strength in Chelmsford, MA under head strength coach, Steve Sheppard. While at SOS Diwesh worked mostly with middle school and high school athletes. Diwesh is passionate about helping athletes and non-athletes move better and become stronger for their sport or life. He believes that good movement patterns and a good base of strength are foundational traits for success in sport and everyday life.
Jonah received his BSc in Kinesiology from Brock University, where he was a varsity curler, qualifying for two national championships as well as an intern at the Brock Sports Performance Centre. Since then Jonah also received his MSc in Performance Coaching through Setanta College where he researched the relationship between measures of jumping performance and exit velocity in high school hitters. Jonah is both a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach through the NSCA.
After graduating from Brock, Jonah worked both as a strength coach in the private sector as well as in a physiotherapy clinic as a kinesiologist, gaining experience with a wide range of athletes and exposure to the rehab process. He took the next step in his career by moving from Canada to Massachusetts to intern at Champion during the summer of 2019 before being hired as a full-time strength coach. Jonah prides himself on finding ways to help athletes make the most out of their abilities through both improved performance and health.
Ross graduated from the University of Massachusetts Lowell with his Bachelors degree in Exercise Science with a Clinical Concentration. While in school he completed an internship at Physical Therapy Plus where he was able to expand his experience with different populations requiring conventional physical therapy as well as gaining insight to vestibular and lymphatic therapies. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists through the NSCA. During his senior at Umass Lowell he interned at Champion Physical Therapy and Performance and then joined the team.
His interests include strength & conditioning for cyclists, and believes that endurance athletes can improve their performance with concurrent training inside/outside the gym. Ross is interested in developing better movement patterns for all populations, especially those who in past haven’t viewed themselves as athletes.
Kelsey graduated from Lasell University with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Psychology. She also received her Master’s degree in Sports Nutrition for Human Performance, as well as her NASM-CNC (certified nutrition coach).
Kelsey received her personal training certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine at age 18. During her time at Lasell, Kelsey played 4 years on the softball team, pioneered her own Strength and Conditioning class on campus, and completed internships at Babson College and Champion PT and Performance. She worked at Velocity Sports Performance Norwood for 3 1/2 years and currently coaches part-time as an adult group exercise instructor at BFITT60 Newton.
Kelsey is a USA Powerlifter training for Nationals. She is fully committed to winning that national title and is just as devoted to help all clients achieve their goals, no matter what they may be. She strives to use her degrees, certifications, and experience to convey every component of health and wellness. Kelsey’s training philosophy is that regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, physical appearance, or training experience, everyone should feel comfortable in a gym and encouraged to become the best version of themselves.
Mike is a senior at Endicott College majoring in Exercise Science and is currently working on obtaining his CSCS. While at Endicott, Mike was a member of the Baseball team at Endicott for three years. He currently works with the team on the strength and conditioning side.
Mike previously completed the Strength and Conditioning Internship here at Champion in the fall of 2023. Mike has also completed internships at the YMCA Sports Performance Center in Southington, Connecticut and Professional Physical Therapy in Beverly, Massachusetts. His interests include strength and conditioning for baseball players especially pitchers as well as general strength training for all athletes. He believes that movement quality is the main priority for anyone in the gym and anyone who works out is an athlete.
Greg graduated with Honors from Salem State University with a B.S. in Sport & Movement Science with an Exercise Science concentration and a Spanish Minor.
Greg started lifting at Champion in 2016, and fell in love with the Strength and Conditioning world, leading him to pursue Exercise Science and complete internships at Salem State, 781 EVO, and our very own Champion PT and Performance, where he has obtained a vast collection of knowledge and experiences from working with athletes of all levels.
Greg has played baseball his whole life, and walked on to the Salem State baseball team in the early winter of 2022, beginning his 3 year career with the Salem State Vikings as a relief pitcher.
Some of Greg’s hobbies include art, playing the guitar, watching movies, golfing, and snowboarding!
Kathryn earned her bachelor of science in communications with a minor in fine arts from Saint Joseph’s college of Maine.
While she attended college, she discovered her passion for photography and digital design. She has since been working towards incorporating that into her career. Shortly after graduating she moved to Washington state. She worked in the financial industry for two years before finding her current position with Champion that allows her to explore the creative side she has.
Our state-of-art facility with everything you need to achieve your goals.
110 Clematis Ave, Waltham, MA 02453 | Located on the Waltham/Belmont/Watertown line, just minutes from Lexington, Newton, Weston, and more.