Bench Gym Personal Training was established in 2003 as a niche gym to help everyone in their physical fitness needs and promote well-being to the Washington DC business community so they can live a healthy and productive life.

The real benefit of training at Bench Gym comes from the family support system. Trainers, staff, and clients all support each other and know each other not just by name, but by each others "heart's goals".

One of our main considerations when designing a personal fitness program is to create a safe fitness program that helps clients achieve their goals injury-free.

As a small business owner and a professional fitness trainer for many years, I always encourage our clients to communicate and give us feedback to better understand their fitness needs. We listen to our clients on what they want to achieve and then provide options. The more we know about our clients, the better we can help them achieve their goals.

It's always rewarding to hear clients tell you about their progress, how they are now able to fit again into their favorite dress or jeans and to see their increased self-confidence. Our weekly 'Star Award' recognizes our clients' fitness achievements and the fitness assessment we provide to every client helps them to check on their own progress and stay motivated.

The challenge about fitness is sticking with a routine. Our close-knit support system and progress monitor are the main reasons why our clients keep coming back to Bench Gym.

Here at Bench Gym, our pride and joy are when you succeed on your training program and your fitness dreams become a reality. We always have room for more clients to join our Bench Gym family.

- Jon Ponce/Founder/Owner

More testimonials

Bench Gym's mission is to assist people of every shape and size in their physical fitness training and nutritional needs by giving them proper guidance and motivation in a caring and inspiring environment, thereby enhancing their quality of life.

Recognizing that everyone is unique, we adopt all training philosophies including weight loss, hypertrophy, strength, bodybuilding, cross training, powerlifting, core, functional, flexibility or balance depending on the individual's goals and limitations. Our clients' safety is always our main concern.

We design a customized fitness program every session to make it fresh, fun and exciting.  

We listen; We customize; We motivate; We care; and We make it fun!

Bench Gym is conveniently located on 18th Street (between L & M) and very Metro accessible. We are just two blocks away from the Farragut North and Dupont Circle Metro Stations (Red Line) and Farragut West (Orange and Blue lines).

Our full service facility features:

• State of the art equipment from Cybex, Paramount, Invanko, Hampton, Magnum, Precor, Matrix, and many others
• BioMeasure Fitness Measuring System is a free-standing device that provides the user a customizable report detailing personal  health reading and suggested healthy weight and body fat ranges
• Street level space with natural lighting and high ceiling
• Shower and locker rooms for men and women
• Bench Gym Store includes bottled water, protein bar & drinks, shirts, shorts available for purchase
• FREE Internet Access and towel service

Jon Ponce has a diploma in Personal Training & Nutrition in 2002 from National Personal Training Institute (NPTI) in addition to his master’s degree in Industrial Management from the George Washington University. He also has a specialty certification in training older adults from Exercise Etc. and attended seminar on Exercise for Chronic Diseases & Disabilities . Jon has been in the fitness field continuously for the last 20 years and operates his own fitness gym since 2003. He shares with his clients his training techniques, his own personal experience in losing & gaining weight, his personal approach to motivating people and his experiences with clients with different fitness goals and limitations. "I always encourage our clients to communicate and give us feedback to better understand their fitness needs." The more we know our clients, the better we can help them achieve their goals. Jon started Bench Gym Personal Training because of his passion in fitness training and his caring personality. His hard work for helping others translate to the staff and clients thus creating an inspiring and motivating environment.

“Making people fit and healthy is a joy and my greatest reward”.

JON PONCE

Manager/

Fitness Director

DOMINIC CARDOZE

Fitness Coordinator

Since 2004

Dominic has a degree in Exercise Science from Johns Hopkins University and is certified with the American College of Sport Medicine. He also has training in Egoscue, an exercise training method for stopping chronic pain. He has worked for several years with Sports & Physical Therapist in Washington DC Area. Weight training has always been a part of his life and always includes core exercises in his exercise training. His sports activities include soccer, lacrosse, football, volleyball and mountain biking. As a Personal Trainer, Dominic’s exercise routines include cardio to strength training, functional to isolation, sport rehabilitation, weight loss and core training. He offers a holistic approach to personal training: For the Body, The Mind, and The Spirit. His fitness training philosophy is: Start by changing yourself from the inside out and you will be able to attain your fitness goals.

“Nothing can lift me out of a bad mood or stressful day than a hard workout. It never fails. When you workout, you have the possibility of feeling and being great.”

CINQUE “Q” Hyman

Sports & Self-defense Coordinator

Since 2007

Cinque or “Q” is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Personal Training Institute (NPTI) in Florida and has been active in sports since he was 12. He specializes in sports specific training, self-defense, functional strength training, bodyweight training, power training, and overall flexibility. In addition, Q currently trains Muay Thai at the Yamasaki Academy. Prior to joining Bench Gym, Q was a Personal Trainer at Gold’s Gym in Cary, NC. He also worked at Lifetime Fitness as a Rock Climbing/Swim Instructor. While living in Orlando, FL, he worked as a Personal Trainer at Champions Sports Complex, YMCA, and Lifestyles Family and Fitness. Q was first recruited by Performance Training, Inc. to work with athletes in sports specific training. He has trained and worked with professional athletes ranging from high school, college, and the Pro’s. In his spare time, he enjoys playing flag football on weekends and running obstacle courses such as Tough Mudder. Q’s fitness training philosophy is: Mind, Body, and Spirit is a means of living to the fullest and in order to function properly at your highest level, one must stay active. Fitness has to be a way of life.

“A Warrior’s code – no surrender; if his body says stop, his spirit cries never. The limitation a person has is the one he places on his self.”

Andon Kostadinov is a certified and licensed massage therapist with more than 10 years of experience. His focus is to assist in healing clients by reducing or eliminating adhesions, spasms, and tension due to stress related injuries. He is specialized in medical massage therapy as well as sports massage/active and isolated stretching. He was the leading massage therapist for the Bulgarian National Association of Field Hockey and the Bulgarian National Women's Soccer Team from 2001-2006. His education and training include Massage Therapy, Lower Back and Hip pain addressing, 2012 (Northern Virginia Massage School - VA, USA); Medical Massage Therapy, 2009 (LMT Success Group- Chicago, IL); Sports Massage Therapy, 2001 (National Sports Academy- Bulgaria); Bachelor of Science in Sports Coaching, 2001 (National Sports Academy-Bulgaria)

For appointment and consultation call: (202) 604-9786

Andy Dinh is a Licensed Massage Therapist and received his Massage Therapy certification from the Virginia Learning Institute of Massage Therapy in 2003.  His specialization includes sport & deep tissue, swedish, acupressure, reflexology, pre-natal massage and Thai stretching.  He incorporates medical and sports massage therapy and has a healing approach by combining eastern and western techniques.  He has worked for several spas in downtown DC for more than 10 years.  

For appointment and consultation call: (540) 435-1720

Chili Lati, MSPT, CSCS, is a highly experienced physical therapist with 10 years of practice in outpatient orthopedic injuries and rehabilitation. She has in depth knowledge and advanced training in manual techniques, targeted therapeutic exercise prescription, kenesio taping, Myofascial release and is well known throughout the medical community in the Washington DC area. Before founding VITAL PHYSICAL THERAPY LLC, she was the director of the large outpatient physical therapy practice at George Washington University Hospital. She trained at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NY and completed her Masters in physical therapy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.  She is also involved in research and has published a study with NIH.

For appointment and consultation call: (917) 667-3590