Episode 28: Central Valley Performance & Recovery
Jeanette Forni and guest co-host Justin Duncan welcome Kyle Alexander, owner of Central Valley Performance and Recovery in Manteca, for a conversation about what actually gets people to stick with fitness.
Kyle's story starts at Sierra High School, where he lost weight wrestling and then took his coach's advice to get strong — seriously enough that he began breaking the school's lifting records. An English teacher nicknamed him "Mr. Squat-A-Pony" because he lived on a horse farm, and that nickname became an Instagram handle, then a following, then a business. Along the way he traded plans for aerospace engineering for a career in strength, recovery, and physical therapy work, mentored in a garage by lifters in their 50s and 60s while learning the modern science in college.
He and Jeanette get into why most people frame fitness around appearance when weight loss and muscle gain are really side effects of getting healthier, why perfection from day one is the fastest route to quitting, and why the goal should be a lifelong practice rather than a finish line. Justin shares his own 100-pound weight loss and the challenge of staying healthy behind the wheel of a truck. Kyle also explains why he assesses new clients through movement rather than conversation, how grip and overall strength predict longevity, and how he keeps a gym environment that feels welcoming instead of intimidating — from open gym and one-on-one sessions to small morning and evening group classes.
Central Valley Performance and Recovery is located at 1051 Hacienda Avenue in Manteca. Call Kyle at 209-481-2045, visit centralvalleyperformancerecovery.com, or find him on Instagram at @mr_squat_a_pony.
