What clients say about the work

“I was in my late 50s when I met Mike Zhao.  I had been living with lower back problems since my 20s, which were occasionally disabling.  In the last few years, I had developed chronic neck and shoulder problems, which were increasingly restrictive and painful.   I had tried to address both these issues by seeing doctors, doing physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, exercise, and anything else.  But these provided only temporary relief - not a solution.    

A friend recommended Mike, and he took my problems to school.  He taught me to understand my mechanics and “re-program” my muscles with simple, low-risk exercises.  This started to unlock the problem areas, and I gained increasing mobility and confidence.  I’m now pain-free, and I feel that Mike has given me the tools to stay that way.  We’ve continued working on a few things during the COVID times, and he has been effective even with the challenges of a video call format.”

“Working with Mike has been life-changing for me.

He is one of the most intelligent individuals I have encountered, with a never-ending curiosity about the human species, and our relationship to one another as well as the universe itself.

He has this ability to integrate and scientifically connect complex principles and concepts (IE- Biomechanics, Neuroscience, Psychoanalysis) in a way that is both concise and functionally relevant to the problem at hand.

Despite his high level of intellect, he is incredibly understanding. Mike has always taken his time and tried to understand where I am coming from, so he can articulate the relevant information in a way that I may appreciate. I say “may” because sometimes the concepts are so boundary-shattering that your brain has difficulty accepting.

I’ve known and worked with him since 2016. How he has evolved as a human being, coach, and as a teacher has been incredible to witness.

He helps me expand my limits in training, motor control, and knowledge. Even though this kind of work can be fear-inducing, I feel safe, encouraged, and hopeful when I work with Mike. Working with him has allowed me the courage to grow in a way that I never thought possible before; it is a true joy to be learning and to continue pushing my boundaries.

On top of all of this, my body feels better than ever, and it is continuing to improve. I don’t know how Mike does it, but I am glad he does.”

“Want to get out of pain the right way? Want to know how your body really works? Do you want to know how the systems of your heart, muscles, bones, breath, and brain coordinate and allow you to live? Are you interested in connecting and being in touch with your body to consciously and unconsciously help you direct your mind to succeed? Then work with Mike.

I went from a back injury where I would sleep for 3 hours a night, waking up writhing in pain for hours and having to sleep on the floor to sleeping comfortably without pain for 8 hours. I went from not being able to sit for more than 30 minutes without collapsing and crawling, to driving for 3-4 hours without breaks as well as sitting in meetings and doing cross country flights with NO PAIN. In my first session with Mike, I was able to move my hips further than I ever remember. I thought I had tight hips - I don’t!

Mike will help you heal and expand your body and mind by giving you the right strategy, story, and state of mind to ensure you live a healthy and your most optimal life. He fulfills it with his honesty, listening skills, and ability to coach you through potentially tough, painful issues within your body.

I strongly suggest working with Mike Zhao. He will change your life.”

“Mike is the epitome of a coach, teacher, and mentor. He is also a perpetual student. He continually seeks knowledge to increase his understanding of how movement is expressed in all capacities. Mike is highly respected by many of the greatest minds currently in the health, wellness, and fitness industry. Since I’ve known Mike, he has not only transformed the people around him (mentally, emotionally, and physically) for the better, but he has been an incredible teacher for guiding me on my path to heightened knowledge and abilities. His impact on my personal and professional life has been tremendous and unparalleled.


Through his profound understanding of movement based on his research in biomechanics, physics, neuroscience, and cognitive neuroscience, he can dramatically improve the body’s expression of strength and readiness for performance. For whatever challenge lies ahead — sport-specific, general strength & conditioning, everyday fitness, or rehabilitation, Mike will provide every tool possible for your ultimate success.”

“Every now and then, you encounter someone who, by all measures, shatters the boundaries of their
discipline. When you ask them just the right question, and they open their mouth, an entire universe
gets unleashed.

Mike Zhao is such an individual. Whereas most people would do well to seek him out for
musculoskeletal / movement issues, he probes far, far deeper. Mike combines the disciplines of
Neuroscience, Biomechanics, Motor Control, & Psychoanalysis to create a methodology all his own. I
can’t think of a single human being on this planet with a greater understanding of the human body and
mind than Mike.

He is incredibly patient. Consistently effective. And just an amazing human being. He seeks to
understand where you are and guide you to where you want to go. He doesn’t teach you techniques; he
challenges you to embody principles of movement.

If you are frustrated with having seen several professionals who could not provide you with an answer, your search ends here.

He will reframe how you relate not only to your environment but will have you reflect on the rest of
your life as well. These principles are universal.

He doesn’t hold your hand. He does hold you accountable.

That’s why he is an amazing teacher.

He opens doors you never knew existed. It’s up to you to walk through them.

I can’t recommend him highly enough.”

“I’m in my mid-thirties. My job can be stressful and marked by long hours and weekends in the office parked in front of a computer (this is NYC after all, so I’m sure many of you can relate). I consider it a win to lift three days a week, unlike in my teens and early twenties when I lifted nearly daily. Moreover, even if I had the time to lift daily, I don’t think my body would allow it - these days I need at least a full day of recovery between lifts.


I’ve been lucky enough to have worked with a half-dozen trainers on and off over the last few years, all talented in their own ways. However, I’d usually return to lifting on my own after a few months, once I’d hit the limit on my learning potential with that particular trainer. Overall, I made progress, albeit inconsistent and unpredictable progress. For instance, with the deadlift, I’d pull a certain weight one week very easily and then be unable to move the bar at that same weight the following week. Deadlifting is one of my favorite lifts, but the inconsistency and unpredictability made each workout that much more frustrating and that much less enjoyable. Still, as I said, I made progress overall, and I was happy with that.


In March 2018, I injured myself deadlifting. I was referred to Mike to help me recover. I figured I’d meet with him a few times and then hop back on the solo track. However, I was so impressed with how effective he was at helping me recover, and how much I was learning from him, that I figured why not ask him to take a quick look at my squat and deadlift - a session or two at the most.


As I write this six months later, Mike’s coached me nearly every week since my injury. He’s helped me increase my numbers on my big lifts more than I’ve increased them in all of 2016 and 2017 combined. My front squat is stronger than it’s ever been in my life, and my deadlift max is close to overtaking my all-time deadlift PR held by my much younger self. Additionally, my lifts are far more consistent and predictable week-to-week.


Mike has a deep understanding of the mechanics of the big lifts, which in many cases differ from what I’ve learned online, in the gym, and from past trainers (and I’ll bet you’ve picked up some of the same misinformation). I’ve countless times responded to his coaching with massive skepticism, only to be proven wrong when I try his approach. I’d say it’s luck, except that he explains the science behind everything fully and clearly, using everything from diagrams to analogies, in as technical or non-technical speak as you like, and in a way that actually makes you want to learn more - about anatomy, about physics, about everything. This scientific yet accessible approach makes Mike stand out as a strength coach. However, he doesn’t stop at the mechanics.


The last six months have been marked by highs and lows, just like any other period in life for an individual with a job and relationships and a body that’s not always cooperative (read: illness and injury). Mike understands how emotional and mental health impacts the physical body, movement, and lifting, and vice versa, and he coaches accordingly and accommodatingly. In short, Mike understands there is value in coaching not just the mechanics, but also the mind, and the relationship between the two.


Finally, on top of all of this, Mike is passionate about what he does. He is flexible with his sessions because he understands his clients have demanding schedules. Outside of sessions, he responds to questions and comments quickly and clearly. He is so invested in his clients with both time and energy that I often worry that he’s putting his own life on the backburner to respond to my texts about proper single-leg deadlift technique. Mike sincerely wants you to succeed, and it shows in his level of support.


Mike calls himself a movement coach. I’m afraid that the title doesn’t adequately reflect the service he provides and the value he brings to the table, just as my short blurb above, and my lumping him into the generic “trainer” and “coach” categories, don’t do him justice. Mike is an all-in-one scientist, strength coach, and sports psychologist, with the added benefit of genuinely caring for his clients. And this last part - about genuinely caring - I can’t overemphasize.


Reach out to Mike. You may have an idea of what you need and what you’re capable of - maybe you’re injured, maybe you want to set a new PR, whatever - but I guarantee there is so much more, and Mike can help you unlock that. Mike can help you find paths to your goals that you didn’t know previously existed. It’s cliche, but you really don’t know what you don’t know. You’ll understand what I mean by this after a few sessions with Mike.


Finally, another perk from working with Mike: in a few years - when he’s a household name in movement, physical therapy, and strength training - I’ll be able to say I was a client of his before all of that.”

“I first met Mike sitting in the front row of a Postural Respiration course I was teaching for PRI. We hit it off immediately, and he pursues knowledge like few ever do. From being a new student with PRI, he quickly has mastered the bio-mechanical, respiration, and neurologic aspects of this science and can apply it with any athlete or individual. In 2016, Mike spent three weeks interning with me, and within a few hours, I was handing over clients to him for functional movement and training expertise. Mike is a force: committed, focused, and most dedicated to his profession and clients. I highly recommend Mike for any level of athlete from school kids to elite professional athletes.”

“I met Mike after years of chronic shoulder & neck pain. I exhausted all the traditional and holistic methods out there with no real lasting results.
When I started working with Mike, I felt immediate results, and now after two months, I can honestly say I have never met a more professional, knowledgeable, committed, and result-driven practitioner. It’s a life-changing experience. I have made enormous progress. Mike gets to the bits and bites, explains, and communicates his recovery-plan brilliantly and quickly overcome any obstacle during the journey. I have strongly recommended Mike to family and friends. It’s a gift worthy of sharing.”

“As a personal trainer in NYC with multiple certifications (CSCS, RKC, CFSC, FRC) and an extensive athletic background (MMA, Triathlons, Marathons, Gym Jones, etc.), I’ve learned that it’s beneficial to have a few people you can consider to be mentors. Mike is one of the few people I can look to when I have a client that is beyond my realm of movement and neurological training. I’ve referred clients to him, and they’ve always walked away blown away by his knowledge and prescriptions for improving their ailments. His knowledge of how the body works on a physical and neurological level is nothing short of amazing. Every, and I mean EVERY time I chat with him about a training topic, whether it be movement, nutrition, neurological, or anything else I learn something. He’s read more books and been to more seminars than some gym’s trainers combined. You will not be disappointed.”

“To say someone is one of a kind is a big statement, but Mike is precisely that. I originally started working with Mike as a client, and soon after, he became my mentor. I have learned more relevant anatomy, biomechanics, and neuroscience from Mike over the past three months than I did during my four years of college. He understands movement more deeply and thoroughly than anyone I’ve ever met.

If the eyes are windows to the soul, then movement is a window to the mind. As I’ve learned from Mike, movement and breathing can teach us about ourselves and help us grow physically, mentally, and emotionally. Whether you are seeking out help for an injury or pain, want to get stronger and/or move better, want to learn massive amounts of information, or want to take the dive to grow as the best human you can be, Mike is your one-stop-shop.”

“Mike is an amazing movement specialist who has helped me enormously. He has extraordinary knowledge and understanding of the brain, musculature, and mind-muscle connections. I have been dealing with a severe neuromuscular disease for several months. My sessions with Mike have allowed me to adapt and continue to function. I feel incredibly fortunate that I met Mike.”

“Mike has everything one would want in a movement specialist: he is brilliant, attentive, supportive, reliable and persistent. Every time I work with him, not only do I feel great, but I learn a lot. He isn’t intimidated by any challenges I may have, and his optimistic attitude about what I am capable of and can overcome is catching. When I work with him, I feel both safe and challenged, and I have a lot of fun on top of that. It is such a pleasure to be in his presence, and I would highly recommend him to anyone who cares about being healthy, strong and resilient for years to come.”

“I have been working with Mike for two months. I have consulted with him about complicated cases in my clinic, and he has also helped me with my low back discomfort. Mike’s ability to take complicated concepts and break them down is incredibly unique. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a strength coach or a consultant for difficult cases.”