Cascioli Strength & Conditioning
Testimonials
Lily Wu
I’ve been working with Steve online for over a year now. Steve is a great athlete, an amazing coach and an awesome friend. His program is specifically tailored to each person. He has helped me improve my strength and overcome my weakness. I did a meet at the end of last year and hit a 22.5kg meet PR. Steve was there for me at the meet (in Seattle). He’s a great handler! Steve is also helping with my nutrition for my upcoming bodybuilding show. With his knowledge in nutrition, I don’t have to starve to drop body fat. Overall, I’m very happy with having Steve as my coach. Highly recommended!
Nicola Paviglianiti - 52 kg Elite Jr. Powerlifter
I began working with Stephen 7 months ago after being selected for a high performance opportunity he was offering. I was very new to the sport of powerlifting with only a couple local meets under my belt, and I had never been coached before nor had I ever followed a program – I was in need of a lot of help! Stephen worked with me for 12 weeks until Ontario provincials where I competed as a 52kg junior female. At only my third meet I broke all the provincial records, and ended up winning with an over 400 wilks. Without a doubt I hired Stephen to coach meuntil Canadian Powerlifting Nationals in Regina, where I placed 1st and qualified to be a member of Team Canada 2016 to compete at IPF Worlds in Texas. I never would have thought I could be where I am now in only a year in the sport, and again I have chosen Stephen to coach me until Worlds. I can not think of anyone better for the job.
As a busy university student, Stephen is flexible and understanding and is able to adapt programs and workouts to an athlete’s needs. For example, the week prior to Canadian Nationals my grandma passed away, and immediately Stephen was able to alter my program and guide me to ensure I was prepared and could get all my training in. He puts an unbelievable amount of work towards providing immediate training feedback and constant communication, which as a new athlete is invaluable in order to learn and improve every single session and to build awareness into personal strengths and weaknesses. Confidence has always been a struggle for me in terms of lifting, and the support, guidance, and encouragement Stephen’s coaching has given me has allowed me to be a better individual both in and out of the gym.
Stephen is an inspiration to all his athletes and practices what he preaches, and above and beyond his knowledge of strength and conditioning it is evident he loves what he does. As a coach he always puts in the extra effort to get to know a person and build a relationship with his athletes, and I am convinced that he could improve the abilities of any athlete no matter the sport. Not only is Stephen an excellent coach and athlete himself, but he is an incredible friend and person too. I can honestly say that working with Stephen has been a pleasure, and I look forward to continuing to train under him, learn from him, and watch him break records in the coming years.
Alex McQuillen - Elite Powerlfter
I recently competed in my third powerlifting meet and I would not have had the success I had without the programming and assistance from Stephen Cascioli.
After the completion of my second powerlifting competition over the summer I knew I needed to change something in my training. I had my eyes set on nationals which was only 3 months away. I hoped onto a program that didn’t really work to well for me and ended having to take 2 weeks off due to some exertion headaches. Now I was just about 8 weeks out from the biggest meet of my life with no plan for training. I contacted Stephen and he set me up with week by week programing
Stephen is great with communication and is always quick to reply to emails with questions and concerns. Stephen tailored the program to my feedback each week, my goals and previous frequency on the big 3 lifts. Sessions during the program were challenging at times but well worth it as I became more confident handling heavier weight, especially on the bench press.
In the 8 weeks that I followed his programming I added 5kg to my squat, 7.5 kg to my bench and 10kg to my deadlift! This is just under 50lbs added to my total in only 8 weeks of training! I can’t be happier with my performance and how I felt with my training and I look forward to continuing to work with Stephen. I would recommend Stephen’s training services to anyone who wants to increase their strength potential!
James Abraham - Masters Lifter ( Raw & Equipped )
I've worked with Stephen for about 6 months now and have improved in all my lifts. My bench press hadn't moved in two years! His training routines with the weekly updates push you to try personal bests in volume or intensity. I'm working harder now with great success than when I was training 20 years ago.
As a master lifter in my 50's my training needs to be altered at times based my your personal life and work schedules. Stephen's programs allow you to alter your training based on how you feel each week. Stephen has also assisted me with special exercises and nutrition to help me with my injuries, so I can continue training. It's not fun getting old lol.
Stephen lives what he preaches to his clients. He is a inspiration to us all with his recent World Record Squat.
Catherine Setacci-Drapeau - Fitness Enthusiast
I met Stephen Cascioli at a local fitness facility. I remember him well. His training methodology stood out. Over the years, I’ve been to many gyms, and I’ve had all the best trainers from Garage gyms, Crossfit boxes and the traditional gyms. You come to recognize the people who train and the people who recreationally work out. That’s why Stephen stood out. Watching him work out, his desire and mental toughness, using his own body as an experiment and the results would speak for themselves.
I love to train. I train to live. We are a select group. We love to push our bodies and we love to move. I like to think of myself as driven and self-motivated. I’m always competing against myself. Stephen is equally if not more driven and has a sense of discipline second to none.
When I heard that Stephen had moved and developed his own strength and conditioning business, I was ecstatic. This was the opportunity I was waiting for and craving.
I talked to Stephen over a few emails and discussed what I would like to work on. I had specific goals and a specific direction for my health and fitness. He programmed a specific training regime for me that is functional and with variety. He is concise, specific, keeps me accountable and keeps me committed. He pushes me hard, he gets right under my skin, and I often curse his name during a workout. But when I’m done, I’m praising him. Thanking him for pushing me so hard. I don’t know how he manages to do it every week, but I feel stronger, fitter and unstoppable. My strength, endurance and power results speak for themselves. I feel much like a kid in a toy store unwrapping the next week’s programming. When completed, I hand in the results and patiently await his feedback.
During the course of my training, an unrelated injury flared up and Stephen expertly adjusted my programming to reflect the injury. He was able to work with my Doctor and Osteopath to modify some movements. Stephen daily checks in with my progress and listens intently. He really cares about my success.
If you are serious about training and want the best person to tailor a program for your specific needs, I would recommend Stephen. His professionalism, attention to detail and genuine passion will make for a great training experience.
Catherine Setacci-Drapeau
Jesse Moores - Elite Powerlifter
I would like to give a huge thank-you to Stephen Cascioli for setting up my programming as well as assisting me at the Ontario Provincial Championship.
I had just competed in my first powerlifting meet and was eight weeks out from the Provincials. It was at this time a friend of mine suggested to speak with Stephen due to his knowledge and experience in the field of strength and conditioning.
Stephen provided me with a week-by-week schedule with realistic but challenging training sessions in order to optimize my results on the platform. Due to my knee and low back pain, as well as my indecision to pull sumo or conventional, I did not make it easy on him. With that being said, Stephen was able to make adjustments to the program tailored specifically to me (based on my previous training programs and methods, as well as current injuries).
Before I knew it, the 8 weeks had passed me by. On his program, I was able to increase my squat by 7.5kg/17lbs, bench press 5kg/11lbs, and deadlift 7.5kg/17lbs, for a total increase of 20kg/44lbs…in 8 weeks!
I can’t thank Stephen enough for his programming as it was honestly the best decision I could have made leading up to Provincials.
I definitely give him two thumbs up and will be recommending him to anyone that has questions/is in need of programming.
Justin Pychel - NLL Player ( Rochester Knighthawks )
After training at the same gym as Steve for over a year, I saw his programming and hard work translate into major strength gains. I started to ask myself if he could take my strength and conditioning to the next level and help me excel in my lacrosse career.
I spoke to Steve about designing a lacrosse-specific workout regiment that prepared me for my upcoming training camp and National Lacrosse League season. The program Steve provided was a week-by-week plan that was tailored and closely monitored to meet my needs.
Given the long time frame before my training camp and season started Steve was able to implement various phases to my program focusing on power/strength, conditioning, and balance/stability.
With the continuous support from Steve and his highly planned training programs, I entered training camp 15lbs lighter than I was the year before and I was in the best shape of my life. I was quicker, stronger, and confident that Cascioli Strength and Conditioning helped me secure a position on the Rochester Knighthawks roster.
Not only is Steve a great strength and conditioning coach but his passion and care for his clients has led to us becoming great friends as well.
Thanks for everything you have done to help me achieve my goals.
"After 7 years avoiding workouts due to various health complications, I reluctantly called Steve for help. It’s the best I could have ever made! I’ve had only 20 sessions so far and he’s already progressed my workouts far beyond my goals. I have severe joint pains and a variety of other complications; he’s worked very carefully to craft a program that takes all of this into account. I can’t wait for the next 20 sessions. By the way, Stephen worked just as attentively to help my son through a serious spinal diagnosis; he couldn’t work out at all and now exercises 5 times per week."
Neena
Great program. Over the weeks I never failed a rep once, but felt challenged every session by the weights and sets laid out by Stephen Cascioli. This was especially a relief after an unsucsessfull stint of "rpe" style training to which I was not prepared for. The lack of unnecessary accesory moments reminds you of what the goal ultimately is. I made rougly 15kg of progress on my total and am continuing to run it again. Cheers bud.
Devon Caley
I've worked with Steve for a total of 72 weeks. In that time we've added ~135lbs to my squat, ~70lbs to my bench, and ~100lbs to my deadlift. I highly recommend Steve's coaching services to anyone looking to get bigger, faster, or stronger. The programming isn't magical, or pretty, but if you put in the work and trust the process, the results will follow.
Brodie Burdeny
When I started with Stephen Cascioli I told him that I was thinking about competing in a powerlifting meet in the next year, but that I didn’t think my numbers were anywhere close to where they needed to be (Squat 440, Bench 300 and Deadlift 500). Steve assured me the first day we talked that if I stuck to his programming and put in the work that I would get to the point I could be competitive on the platform. After working with him for 24 weeks I have seen a 130lb increase to my total (Squat 500, Bench 320, Deadlift 550). You see there are lots of people who can write give you a solid program out there, but what separates Stephen in my opinion is that he is not simply a programmer, yes he designs custom made plans to fit your goals and lifestyle (and he really does know his stuff) but he is also a coach. He is personable, very easily accessible, he is always there when you need motivation and he truly cares about his clients and their success… That is what I believe puts Stephen over the top as a coach. Without Stephen I would not have the confidence to step on the platform, with him pushing me every day in the gym through amazing programming and continually seeing my numbers go up I know I will be successful.
Trent Wayne
"Stephen helped design a program for me that has allowed me to get back into weightlifting after a 7-year hiatus caused by severe spinal stenosis and degenerative disc disease. I highly recommend him for anyone looking to figure out how to work around any long-term injury or permanent disability."
Mehtab