Norwin grad takes reins at North Irwin speed, strength academy
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Since it opened 17 years ago, the National Speed and Strength Academy in North Irwin has become a staple in the training space for local athletes.
Former Norwin and Mercyhurst football player Jon LoChiatto, who honed his skills at the academy during his athletically formative years, has taken over a business first started in 2006 by Brad Sigut.
A recent “grand re-opening” event stamped down the change in ownership, and the business is primed for a surge.
“(Sigut) trained hundreds of youth, high school, collegiate and professional athletes,” said LoChiatto, 25. “He was one of the first sports performance trainers to open a facility in the area.”
You might say LoChiatto came upon the business venture accidentally. Or, that he was smitten by the craft itself.
“It was something I truly fell into,” he said.
With plans to obtain a doctorate in physical therapy, he was working at NSSA part-time to gain experience after college.
His involvement led to partial ownership and, three years later, to full ownership.
“Training was always a passion of mine, and the opportunity to have an impact on the youth and surrounding community was too good to pass up,” he said.
LoChiatto said the academy continues to grow, and a point of pride is that it does not draw a line at working with younger athletes.
A new adult group fitness program proves that.
“There’s always a need to provide athletic development, strength and conditioning and fitness services to all populations,” LoChiatto said. “I feel our business has many areas to grow in terms of community outreach and the services we provide.
“We look forward to providing future programs to assist our clients to reach their athletic and wellness goals.”
There has been an uptick in strength and conditioning at various levels of athletics, from youth to high school and college, both for athletes and teams.
Duquesne standout athlete and Norwin alum Emily Brozeski has worked at NSSA as a trainer, but she began as a client.
“NSSA has helped me learn the reasons why we do some drills and workouts,” Brozeski said. “From my time working there as a trainer, I’ve come to have a better understanding of what movements and exercises do to help a specific area of training, such as speed, jumping, strength, agility, (etc.).”
Brozeski, who has become proficient in the heptathlon, believes athletes should “work on their athleticism,” not just train for one sport.
If she were a chef, she would probably be able to cook a variety of dishes suitable for a buffet.
“I wholeheartedly believe that working on athleticism, speed, agility, jumps, quickness and strength will lead to incredible success later down the road,” she said. “Athletics are a marathon, not a sprint. You won’t see results overnight, or even in a week, but trusting the process and working on all those small things are what makes a great athlete.”
While a primary goal is to have athletes running faster and jumping higher, the academy can tailor training to specific sports.
LoChiatto said each athlete’s goals are unique.
“We believe that athletic development for all sports is the prime mover for performance increases,” he said. “Our training focuses on providing our athletes with stimulus that will increase performance.”
Something NSSA does as a sidecar to the physical training is help members with the mental side of exercise.
“Our holistic approach is intended to improve the physical and mental health and athletic ability of all of our clients,” LoChiatto said. “Aspects of recovery and nutrition education are heavily involved in the NSSA program. Our training is challenging in many ways to our athletes, but the training sessions are not intended to fatigue or overtrain athletes. Training at NSSA focuses on long-term goals and not acute training periods or improvements.
“We believe that a consistent product over an extended period of time yields results.”
NSSA has seven staff members and a membership of around 200.
Group training sessions are often relegated to six to eight athletes per trainer, while the academy also works with full high school and college teams, including Seton Hill women’s volleyball, Norwin football, Norwin boys and girls soccer, Norwin boys and girls volleyball, Yough softball, Yough basketball and Franklin Regional soccer.
“We always are accepting new members of all ages,” LoChiatto said. “We believe that we can help everyone.”