Meet My Team - Trainer Edition

My trainer, Cassiano Costa, has graciously agreed to answer some questions and share about his experience as a professional trainer. I have worked with Cassiano and his team at Costa Performance since 2020 and their influence has helped me to become the fittest I ever have been in my career. In addition to being a world-class trainer and walking encyclopedia, Cass is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, and he always knows how to brighten my day. Since Cass will be working with me in Europe for the next several weeks, I thought we could shed some light on the man, the myth, and the legend that you often see in my Instagram stories and in my player’s box.

Note: I didn’t have Cass go through his full resume during our cool-down interview, but I wanted to set the scene with his official bio to explain why his Instagram handle is @thetennisphd. Spoiler alert, Cassiano is always studying. He is the former Head of Tennis Performance at IMG and Evert Academy. He holds a Doctorate in Biomechanics and a Masters in Exercise Physiology from the University of São Paulo (Brazil), along with a Masters in Injury Prevention from the University of Galicia (Spain). He is currently working on an extension in Cognitive Science and Biomolecular Technology at MIT.

Sloane: Hi Cass, thank you for agreeing to sit down with me to do this interview.

Cassiano: Thank you for inviting me to sit down with you, Sloane and also, you’re welcome, because I think your posts with me in them perform the best. *laughs*

Sloane: Oh, here we go. *laughs* Alright. Let’s get started with an easy one. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Cassiano: I’m originally from Brazil, a father of two, and owner of Costa Performance, a high-performance training gym in Boca Raton, Florida. I had dreams of pursuing a professional sports career, but after experiencing too many injuries playing soccer, I decided to pivot and study everything I could to help athletes stay healthy and elongate their careers. I studied Sports Science, Exercise Physiology, Injury Prevention and Biomechanics. Oh, and wine. I study wine.

Sloane: Well, we’re just going to skip over that wine part and use that as a hook for people to join the next Wine Down with Sloane fundraiser this winter. I think it’s really great that although you couldn’t participate in sports the way you hoped, it didn't keep you from creating a career and business in sports. So, you enter this training space and start to blaze your own trail. I’ve heard many trainers speak about having a training philosophy, do you have one?

Cassiano: I don't believe in one size fits all. So, I like to understand player preferences, player needs and then combine that with a plan and strategies I believe will match best with his or her development. As we work with people, I am constantly reminding myself and telling my team that we must connect the goal of the client with the proper plan of attack or action. We have to do more than just provide a generic training regimen.

If I could add one more piece to that, it’s that this one thing is always true, there is no secret, without sacrifice there is no improvement, “there is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs"

Sloane: Oh, I like that one! “There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs." That’s a quote! What does a normal day look like for you?

Cassiano: Wait, did you use normal and day in the same sentence? *laughs* When I’m at home, take my son to school, go to my gym, do 3-4 sessions in the morning, have a few meetings, get in my own workout, have 3 to 4 sessions in the afternoon, sometimes pick up my son from school, make time to play with him, work on my clients schedules and plans, indulge in some wine, sleep, then I look up at the clock, wait it’s already one in the morning?! My ideal day would include some surfing, but that’s not always something I can do these days.

Sloane: Honestly, sounds like my life, minus all the wine *laughs* The days and hours just run together, because we’re always doing something!

Sloane: Do you feel drawn to a certain specialty of clients?

Cassiano: Definitely athletes. I think that’s because of my competitive nature. If I can’t play the sport, I want to at least be around the sport. I also prefer to work with junior athletes, because I’m able to participate in their development more broadly and be a role model, modeling good habits, or at least, less bad habits, if that makes sense.

Sloane: When did you begin working with tennis players?

Cassiano: Since 2005. I added tennis players to my client list, then I was at IMG and Evert Academy. I kept gaining experience with so many amazing athletes, and here I am.

Sloane: How do you keep all of your clients motivated and engaged?

Cassiano: First, always keeping my energy level high. If you want a smile, you better smile first right? I try to assess what triggers the client and explore that. Not everyone is happy to be working out, so I also try to explain the process and set realistic goals. I feel if the client is informed and educated, he or she tends to commit more calmly.

Sloane: Although you love what you do, I know there are times where you’re like, “I’ve had it!” How do you handle conflict or working with challenging clients?

Cassiano: Well, I am not gonna lie, I like a challenge. Being patient and trying to understand the client's background is also an important part of the job. I keep positive, I communicate clearly but also respect the client’s time and agenda. Reading the situation and observing the client's personality helps me make the decisions that I believe will cultivate a successful working relationship.

Sloane: The way you keep your clients motivated and deal with challenges really speaks to why you’ve had so much success in your career. What do you attribute that to?

Cassiano: I believe it’s my adaptability and flexibility. Now more than ever, these are very important skills. I want to believe I read people well too. Not only do I need to have a training plan for the day, but especially in a tournament setting I need to understand what the mood is that day, what are the other factors at play, and create a routine where the client feels prepared.

Sloane: How do you think your team or clients would describe you and what would they attribute your success to?

Cassiano: Well, the ones I pay well, *laughs* Joking. I believe they’d say I lead by example; modeling the expectations I have for each of them. I’d hope they say hardworking, generous and of course good looking *laughs*

Sloane: We have a budding influencer on our hands here in Madrid! *laughs* So flipping that lens back on yourself, how would you describe yourself?

Cassiano: Stubborn, optimistic, fearless, relentless, and again great looking…

Sloane: I’m sending a theme here… Moving right along, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone who is considering working in your field or starting their own physical wellness company?

Cassiano: Connect to people; listen to them. In order to be a good coach you gotta understand your population. It's not your method that is good, it’s how you apply it on every single person, attending to their own needs.

Sloane: I love all of that. That’s advice that can be applied to so many other areas of life. What are your professional goals for the next 5-10 years?

Cassiano: Develop my business internationally and be able to produce more academically as well as be more involved with the medical field.

Sloane: Last question!

Cassiano: No, already? I was just starting to have fun.

Sloane: We have to go to dinner! But ok, where can people find you?

Cassiano: My business is @costaperformance on Instagram. I have an awesome team of coaches who are better with technology than me, so they’re always posting helpful training tips and updates on our clients. Of course if anyone is local to Boca Raton or interested in becoming a client, they can reach out via our website or social media. For more about me and life on the road and at home, I’m at @thetennisphd or via my talent agent, Sloane.

Sloane: Wow, ok. I think we’ve accomplished a lot here. Thanks for giving the fans what they’ve been waiting for, Cass! Maybe it’s time I post some of your serving videos again…

What follow-up questions do you have for Cassiano? Would you be interested in more training-specific content? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!