Juan Pablo Perez Builds Strength for the Life You Want
A Tufts physical therapy student and Seattle trainer, Juan Pablo Perez helps clients build muscle, strength and confidence for the lives they want.
Seattle Fitness Magazine · 18 Oct 2026
From Rambo to the Weight Room
Juan Pablo Perez became serious about lifting after watching Rambo for the first time.
Growing up, he was fascinated by sports movies and action films, and in awe of the stunts and strength on screen. He wanted those abilities himself, and at first his focus was building muscle.
In his undergraduate years, skateboarding and martial arts turned that interest into a deeper passion for movement. By his junior year he was training people professionally, gaining hands-on experience to bring strength training into a future physical therapy practice.
The Wedding Lift
The client result he is proudest of began with a bride-to-be who wanted to look and feel her best for her wedding and return to tennis. She was unsure of her exercise form and worried about injury because of her hypermobility, so they built a foundation in movement, technique and strength. As her confidence grew, she reached personal records in squats and deadlifts and moved into sport-specific training.
Then her fiancé joined in with a goal of their own: an overhead lift during their first dance. With a month before the wedding, the couple was struggling with the strength it required. Juan Pablo added targeted exercises, and on the wedding day, he says, they pulled it off. To him, it showed training going beyond aesthetics.
Coaching Built Around the Client
His clients come for the strength and physical capability to live the lifestyle they want, whether that means building muscle, returning to a favorite sport or feeling more capable in everyday life. What sets his coaching apart, he says, is the emphasis on the client experience: training should be collaborative, not one-size-fits-all.
He takes time to understand each client's goals, preferences and concerns. As a certified trainer and Doctor of Physical Therapy student, he also emphasizes technique, movement quality and evidence-informed strategies to build strength and reduce injury risk.
Learning to Care Sustainably
Juan Pablo has learned firsthand how essential it is to practice what he preaches when it comes to making time for health and wellness.
As both a grad school student and a trainer, keeping his physical and mental health in check is imperative for sustained performance across all areas of life. Beyond physical benefits, he has found that the discipline, consistency, and resilience developed through regular exercise directly spill over into academic, personal, and professional success.
As a Pacific Northwesterner, whenever the sun comes out, you will probably find him skateboarding, playing a round of golf or perfecting his skills behind the grill.
A Week of Balance
A typical week for him is an ongoing practice in balance and time management.
He structures his weekdays by dedicating mornings to online coursework and lectures for his doctoral program, followed by coaching clients and leading group classes in the evenings. Once his client sessions are complete, he makes a point to prioritize his own training, using his personal workout as a dedicated way to decompress and end each workday doing something positive for his own well-being.
Where It Leads
Finishing his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at Tufts University, which he expects to do in 2027, is his biggest priority.
He wants to apply what he learns about movement, rehabilitation and exercise science to become a more well-rounded coach, and long term hopes to build a practice where physical therapy and personal training work hand in hand.
He is an ISSA-certified personal trainer who has been training clients for 3 years. He is also a second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy student at Tufts University. He trains clients at Taylor Crow Studio.
