Yunus Butt

Why Train With Me

I am confident that my past work experience and education will allow me to make an immediate impact on the continued success and positive effect Kickoff has on the community and its clienteles health, well-being, and quality of life. For the last four years I have been the Assistant Coordinator of student-athlete health wellness and performance at the University of Illinois (U of I) and U.S National Paralympic Training Center. The facility fosters a unique collaborative atmosphere; I thrive in this team oriented workflow. I love working as a contributing member of our team of coaches, the athletic trainer, and physical therapist. Together we provide the best training interventions possible for the athletes and student athletes. This position has allowed me to apply my knowledge and experience in a variety of unique applications. Training Paralympic athletes is unique in that there are athletes with a variety of different functionalities and neurological disabilities. This atmosphere facilitates creativity and challenges that have made me a better strength and conditioning coach and exercise physiologist. I have become confident in adapting different exercises and movements to tailor the needs of athletes and students through their training and injury prevention. This past year our team sent 16 athletes to the 2020(1) Tokyo Paralympic Games and brought home 13 medals. The experience as a whole has prepared me to move forward into further applications as an exercise specialist and work with a broader demographic. While holding this position I continued to utilize my skills in administrative work and data collection, including managing travel and relationships with our governing body the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. Before working at the U of I my related experience was as a team member at the Brock Niagara Center for health and well-being. This is where my passion for training, rehabilitation, and application of my education and knowledge began. While being a full-time student I worked at the center creating and delivering individualized one-on-one training for acute and chronic injuries. I was able to work with individuals who had experienced joint replacement surgery, falls, heart attack, and stroke. I trained the clients at the center to improve their cardiovascular health and skeletal muscle strength as well as improved their flexibility and joint range of motion. I was also able to be a part of the balance and gait intervention program to help improve the health and well-being of the geriatric population in the community. I continue to draw on the modalities of different movements and exercises from this unique experiential learning opportunity. It is with my diverse experience and knowledge that I believe a client could benefit more from having me as a trainer, instead of trying to navigate the vast ocean of good and bad information online.