Kolja Thielmann
Air Force veteran and CSCS. Strength, kept simple.
Kolja keeps strength training simple and effective at Stony Brook.
An Air Force veteran with a degree in exercise physiology and his CSCS, Kolja does this for a simple reason: he loves training, and a desk job was never going to be his life. Coaching also lets him see his family more — something that matters to him as much as anything.
His philosophy is refreshingly plain. Most people don’t need anything exotic; they need the basics done consistently and done well. He’s happiest turning a complete beginner into someone who moves and lifts with real confidence.
Who Kolja works best with
First-timers — people who walk in with no idea what they’re doing around a barbell. He likes being the one who makes the gym finally make sense.
One of his proudest results is a straightforward one: a dad who now feels stronger than he did back in college.
What most people get wrong
That it has to be complicated. It isn’t hard to build a good program, Kolja says, because most of the world should be doing the same handful of things — consistently.
In Kolja’s words
“Do the basics, do them consistently, and get strong. That’s really it.”
What it takes to coach at Redefine
Nobody trains clients at Redefine Fitness without passing a screening test, an in-person skill practical, and a written exam just to get hired, then testing out of a 30-day onboarding against our 100-page Training Master Guide. Every Thursday from 1-2 PM we close both gyms so the entire staff trains together, and every specialist sits annual exams on a tiered education ladder. We also created a New York State Department of Labor approved Fitness Specialist apprenticeship. Fitness is medicine, and this is what the standard behind it looks like.
Start with a complimentary consultation. Bring your history. We will build the plan.