Diego Barbieri

Meet Diego Barbieri!
I was born and raised in the southern most state of Brazil in Rio Grande do Sul. My parents have always been diligent, hard-working and physically active people. Their example has had a tremendously positive impact and influenced the way I am today. Being raised in a house with three active boys helped shape my competitive side. My father, brother and I were constantly competing, whether it was ping-pong, backyard soccer, tree-climbing, or seeing who could eat more braised beets in a minute, we were always going at it! I moved to the USA almost 14 years ago at age 25, straight to Santa Barbara. What originally could have been a temporary surf trip turned into home, and now I’m a proud American Citizen, married to a beautiful Oregonian bad-ass (Katherine) and well established in the SB community.

When did you start coming to Prevail?
I started training at Prevail in June 2017. I was looking to get serious about rehabbing injuries and becoming fit again. A co-worker at the time, Marcus Baker, told me that I should go talk to Peter at Prevail if I wanted to get back on track with my mobility, strength and overall conditioning. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I took his advice.

What impact has training at Prevail made in your life?
Training with Peter, and also having him as a mentor, has truly changed my life! He has helped to improve the way I move and made me stronger and leaner through efficient training and nutritional coaching. Because of this, I’ve experienced a total improvement in my quality of life and it inspired me to become a coach myself!

Do you have any words of encouragement or tips for somebody new to exercise (or restarting)?
Be patient with yourself and listen to your body cues. Discomfort is okay and you can battle through it, but pain means stop! Start slow and pay lots of attention to your form, it can never be compromised. Respect progressions and own every pattern before trying a harder version of it. Keep showing up and be consistent. A bad day at the gym is better than a day that you skipped, so even if you feel less motivated just do what you can, safely. Keep on moving, it will pay off. You’ll see!

What are your hobbies?
I love surfing, when it’s on and it’s good and I’m out in the water with my brother and friends, that’s the best! I’ve always loved martial arts, unfortunately injuries took me out of the game for a long time but I feel ready to jump back on that horse. I enjoy learning new things, sports shooting, comic books, cooking and shopping for ingredients. Last, but not least, I really love being home with my wife and doing nothing at all.

What is your favorite movement/exercise?
I love Kettlebells! They’re by far my favorite training tools and I really enjoy all ballistic and grind movements with KBs. If I had to pick a favorite, it’d be a toss up between the Turkish Getup and the Swing. I don’t have a least favorite exercise but I don’t really enjoy exercises that single out just one joint or one muscle
group.