Brayden Wilson
General Manager, The Strength Co. Costa Mesa
Brayden found The Strength Co. after wasting lots of time in the gym without a plan. After trying countless workout routines, he realized he was not achieving his primary goal: strength.
He joined The Strength Co. in 2019 and began a structured strength training program called Starting Strength. In a very short amount of time Brayden not only achieved his goal of gaining strength, but he also fell in love with the process of getting stronger.
Soon after beginning his lifting career, Brayden found that he enjoyed coaching others to get strong just as much as he enjoyed doing it himself.
As his parents entered their 60s, he knew that resistance training would be crucial for their health and longevity as they age. They became his first clients and Brayden’s coaching career took off from there.
Brayden joined The Strength Co. as an apprentice in 2020 and immediately began improving his coaching craft under the tutelage of Starting Strength Coaches.
In the fall of 2021, Brayden obtained his Starting Strength Coach certification and began coaching at The Strength Co. full time.
In January of 2023 Brayden became the General Manager of the Costa Mesa location. He coaches group classes as well as 1:1s and both barbell clinics and camps.
He has never stopped lifting, and is now a competitive powerlifter in the USAPL, achieving a 480 squat, 275 pound bench press, and 600 pound deadlift.
Connor King
Connor discovered Starting Strength while researching safe and effective training programs for his high school athletes. He began interning at The Strength Co. while enrolled in the Starting Strength Coaches Development Course before earning his Starting Strength Credential in the fall of 2019.
Connor is a high school special education teacher with a background in coaching athletics and strength and conditioning. He has a bachelor’s degree in Health Science and has a Master’s in Coaching and Exercise Sciences. He enjoys working with athletes of all levels and ages.
Jeff Hairston
Coach Jeff is a Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt and instructor at the renown Art of Jiu Jitsu Academy in Costa Mesa, CA. While looking for a way to become bigger and stronger to improve his jiu jitsu game, he found the book Starting Strength.
He loved barbell training from day one, and has never looked back. He has gained 40 lbs of body weight, vastly improved his strength, and has seen a significant carryover to his jiu jitsu game. Because of his background in coaching Brazilian jiu jitsu, Jeff picked up on the details of barbell training quickly and immediately started developing his coaching eye. He received his Starting Strength Coach Certification in the fall of 2019.
Dylan Cherin
Dylan is one of our proudest success stories here at The Strength Co. After battling several serious health issues and coming off of chemotherapy, Dylan was looking for a way to rebuild his health when he discovered Starting Strength. Dylan started training in January of 2017 with an empty barbell (45lbs) and nine months later was squatting and deadlifting over 400lbs, with improved body composition.
After witnessing first hand how strength training changed his own life, Dylan decided to dedicate himself to coaching in order to help other trainees achieve their genetic potential. Dylan completed the Starting Strength Seminar in January of 2018.
Check out Dylan’s full story on YouTube.
Andrew Hahn
Andrew discovered Starting Strength in 2014 as he was looking for a way to strengthen his back and protect himself from injury. After coaching himself for four years, he joined The Strength Co. in April of 2018.
A long time high school basketball coach, Andrew understood the importance of coaching, and how much immediate feedback can improve ones performance. A believer in the importance of strength for lifters of all ages, Andrew attended the Starting Strength Seminar in June of 2018 before beginning to intern at The Strength Co. Andrew is a mechanical engineer by trade, and lives locally with his wife.
Ron Mitchell
Ron started barbell training looking for a way to increase his general strength. A fitness enthusiast his entire life, he made the decision to really get stronger. The logic and effectiveness of barbell weight training really appealed to him.
When Ron began resistance training utilizing the Starting Strength method at The Strength Co., he was hooked. As his own strength drastically improved, Ron became passionate about coaching others to get strong, particularly older adults.
With a previous career in the software industry, when Ron’s not in the gym he’s out in nature either climbing mountains or photographing surfing dogs.
Here’s a link to his photography website which include some of his work at The Strength Co.
Grant Broggi
Grant discovered Starting Strength in an effort to find a competitive edge for his Marines while they were deployed to Afghanistan in 2014. It worked. After returning home from deployment, he quickly gained a reputation for having the strongest group of Marines in the unit and was sought out for coaching on a regular basis.
Since then, Grant has programmed and coached hundreds of Marines to measurable results using the Starting Strength methodology.
Grant obtained the Starting Strength Coach Certification in April of 2016 and then opened The Strength Co. shortly after in early 2017.
Grant is currently coaching in Greenville, South Carolina out of Blochaven as well as through online classes.
