Personal Trainer in University Heights, San Diego | Strength, Conditioning & Nutrition

University Heights sits on the mesa above Mission Valley, with Hillcrest on one side and North Park on the other. Our studio is at 440 Upas Street, Unit 104 in Bankers Hill, one block from Balboa Park, close enough that training here is a weekday habit rather than a weekend expedition.

It is a neighborhood of 1920s bungalows, apartment courts and a small walkable commercial strip, with canyon edges at the north end where the mesa drops toward the valley. Walking a neighborhood like this keeps you moving, and that counts for something, but it does not build strength. Strength has to be trained on purpose, and it is usually the missing piece when somebody active still has stiff hips, a sore low back, or shoulders that ache after a day at a desk.

This page covers what training with us looks like, who we work with from University Heights, and how to get started.

Why University Heights residents train with us

This isn’t a big-box gym. Every program is built around your body, your history, and your goals, and every session is coached in person by Martin Alonzo, a certified personal trainer, certified nutritionist, and CHEK practitioner with 22+ years of experience. You get the same coach every session, which is the only way a program actually progresses.

Much of what we see from this neighborhood comes down to housing and schedules. Older bungalows and apartment courts do not come with gyms, and the building gyms that do exist tend to be a treadmill and a rack of light dumbbells. So people run, walk, or take a class, and the strength work never happens. Meanwhile the work day is spent sitting, often on a laptop at a small table, which is hard on the neck and mid-back.

The fix is not complicated, but it does have to be specific to you. We assess how you move, find the joints that are not doing their job, and load the pattern properly instead of handing you a template and hoping.

What we offer University Heights clients

• Truly 1-on-1 in a private studio — full attention, no waiting on equipment. Sessions are 60 minutes at $150, the same rate for a single session or a package.
• Evidence-based strength and conditioning built from an assessment, not a template.
• Nutrition coaching built in — nutrition and training come from the same coach, in one plan.
• Work for desk-bound necks, mid-backs and hips, using somatic movement education drawing on the movement teachings of Moshé Feldenkrais.
• Post-rehab strength training once your physician or physical therapist has cleared you. See post-rehab training in San Diego.
• In-home and virtual options if getting to the studio is the hard part. See rates & programs.

Performance Training Center is a performance-training studio, not a medical or physical-therapy clinic. We don’t diagnose, treat, or rehabilitate injuries or medical conditions.

Getting here from University Heights

The studio is at 440 Upas Street, Unit 104, San Diego, CA 92103, one block from Balboa Park in Bankers Hill, which is the neighborhood on the far side of Hillcrest from you. It is a drive rather than a walk, there is street parking on Upas, and because the studio is private you arrive at your appointment time instead of working around a crowd.

In-home training is also available across San Diego County if you would rather train in your own space, and it works with a home gym, bodyweight, or an outdoor area. Virtual coaching covers travel. See San Diego personal training and rates & programs, or our Hillcrest and North Park pages if one of those fits your day better.

Start with an assessment

The first visit is a conversation and a movement assessment rather than a workout. We go through your training history, your injuries, your goals, and how you move today, and the program comes out of that.

Ready to train with a University Heights personal trainer who builds the program around you? Book a complimentary consultation, call (619) 284-2510, or grab your free BMR & nutrition report in 60 seconds. We are rated 4.8 on Google across 24 reviews.

Frequently asked questions

How far is the studio from University Heights?

It is a drive south, past Hillcrest. The studio is at 440 Upas Street, Unit 104 in Bankers Hill, one block from Balboa Park, with street parking on Upas. If the drive is the obstacle, in-home training comes to you instead.

I run and walk a lot already. Do I need to lift?

Running and walking are worth doing, and they are not a substitute for resistance training. Strength work is what maintains muscle and bone as you age, and it is usually what settles the nagging hip and low-back complaints that come from a lot of miles paired with a lot of sitting.

What does it cost?

Private studio sessions are $150 each, and the per-session rate does not change whether you book one session or a package. In-home training starts at $300 per visit and virtual coaching is $350 a month. See the rates page.

My building has a small gym. Can you work with that?

Usually, yes. In-home sessions are built around the equipment you actually have, and when the room is limited we program around the limit rather than pretending it is not there.

Do you handle nutrition as well?

Yes. Martin is a certified nutritionist, so nutrition is part of the same program. For clients who have stalled, functional lab testing including metabolomics testing at $599 is available.

Performance Training Center
440 Upas Street, Unit 104, San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 284-2510 · martin@performcenter.com