Meet the team

MEET THE BEST TRAINERS IN WEST CHESTER

THE OWNERS

Matt April

Matt April _ Bent On Better _ best gym in west chester near me
Co-Owner, Personal Trainer

Matt founded Bent On Better in January 2015 after realizing there were not enough fitness professionals who truly cared about their clients’ success and their journey to a stronger, happier, and healthier life.  Matt made it his mission to make fitness fun, to make strength beautiful, and shift the mindset from “weight loss” to “healthy weight management.”  When Matt is not working with the team or coaching the B.O.B. members, he’s a full time work-at-home dad with his 2 little boys Joey and Jonny.

Professional Facts About Matt:
- B.S. from Millersville University
- N.A.S.M. Certified Personal Trainer
- Started in 2010 coaching athletes ages 7 - 18
- Functional Movement Screen Specialist  

Extras:
- Placed 1st in Powerlifting (2016)
- Lover of sushi & decaf coffee
- Music: 80s/90s/00s hip-hop, rock & pop, boom-bap, & heavy (HEAVY) metal
- Movies: Wedding Crashers, Cool Runnings, All Marvel Universe Movies
- Completed two Half Marathons (2021)

LYNN APRIL

Lynn April _ Bent On Better _ best gym in west chester near me
Co-Owner, Director of Pre/Postnatal Fitness, Personal Trainer

Lynn, by trade, is a biologist. She spent 2008-2019 working in an immunology lab, but left that career to turn her side hustle (Fresh April Flours) into a full time job. As an athlete from a young age, Lynn has always carried an interest in fitness and health, and utilized strength training and spinning through both of her pregnancies. It only made sense to turn her experience into a focused specialty at Bent On Better. Lynn is a certified personal trainer and a certified pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach. With her pre/postnatal fitness program, Lynn hopes to help moms who want to maintain their athleticism through an adaptive and transformative approach while pregnant and help them get back into their athleticism safely postpartum.

Professional Facts About Lynn:

- Bachelor’s degree in biology
- NASM Certified Personal Trainer
- Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism Certified Coach

Extras:

- Lover of coffee, cheese, sprinkles
- Favorite exercise: hinges
- Favorite creation: Joey and Jonny
- Full Time Job: Food Blogger (www.freshaprilflours.com)

MEET THE BEST PERSONAL TRAINERS IN WEST CHESTER!

CASS BYRNES

Team Members _ Bent On Better _ best gym in west chester near me
Athletic Trainer, Personal Trainer

All About Cass

Prior to joining Bent On Better in the summer of 2022, Cass worked as a certified athletic trainer in the collegiate and orthopedic clinic setting. She spent from 2013-2021 working in the division II college setting as an athletic trainer for a variety of sports teams. During her time there she helped student athletes with injury prevention, pre/post surgical rehabilitation, strengthening and conditioning and emergency care. In December 2021 she began working as the assistant for an orthopedic surgeon, helping with pre/post surgical planning and treatment. Cass currently resides in Philadelphia with her boyfriend, Joel.

Professional Facts About Cass:
- Bachelor’s degree in Athletic Training
(West Chester University)
- Master’s degree in exercise and sport physiology
(West Chester University)
- Licensed Athletic Trainer since 2013

Extras:
- Favorite color: teal
- Favorite sport: basketball
- Enjoys golfing, reading mystery/thriller books,
& spending time with family
- HUGE 76'ers fan

NICK APRIL

Nick April __ Bent On Better _ best gym in west chester near me
Adult Fitness Program Director, Mobility & Movement Specialist

All About Nick

Nick began working at Bent On Better as a fitness and mobility coach in September 2018. He combined his passions for movement science, strength training, and education with his medical expertise as an athletic trainer and made it his mission to teach people how to live, move, and exercise pain-free. He currently lives in Chester County with his wife, two dogs (Butterfly and Brandy), and two cats (Jersey and Morris).

Professional Facts About Nick:
- Licensed Athletic Trainer since 2016
- Master’s degree in Kinesiology with a Concentration in Athletic Training from Temple University (2018)
- Undergraduate degree in Athletic Training from West Chester University (2016)
- StrongFirst SFG1 Certified Instructor (2021)
- Flexible Steel Certified (2022)

Extras:

- 100% Plant-based diet
- Lover of craft beers and coffee beans
- Enjoys listening to rock, metal, and jazz
- Favorite book: Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)
- Favorite exercises: Kettlebell Swings & Turkish Get-up

MOLLY JANSCO

Molly Jansco __ Bent On Better _ best gym in west chester near me
Head Coach, Personal Trainer & Athletic Program Coach

All About Molly

Prior to joining the team in Winter of 2021, she was a student athlete at DeSales University where she led her team to the NCAA tournament, for a third time, as the only captain and senior in 2020. Molly grew up loving sports (basketball, soccer, softball, and track and field) which lead to her passion for fitness and nutrition. While at DeSales she had the opportunity to work with Lehigh University and DeSales University’s Strength and Conditioning Programs.  She currently lives in the Exton area with her sister and their dogs (Checkers and June-Bug).

Professional Facts About Molly:
-B.S. from DeSales University in Sport & Exercise Physiology
-Working towards obtaining her C.S.C.S. certification
- Functional Movement Screen Specialist

Extras:

- Favorite Color: Orange
- Favorite Music: Country
-Enjoys hunting, fishing, camping (anything outdoors), and spending time with her family
- Has a passion for cooking and baking

About The Aprils

best personal trainer in west chester - matt april and lynn april

Hi - My name is Matt!

I’m the owner & founder of Bent On Better in West Chester, PA where we specialize in PRE-hab fitness and health + nutrition coaching.

Our Mission:
To make strength beautiful, fitness pain-free, and healthy weight management simple and sustainable for busy adults.

 

We are a family owned and operated local gym, Bent On Better was originally created by me (Matt) in December 2014 (launched in January 2015) as an online resource for health, fitness, and overall wellness.  After college, I was stuck in a job I didn’t enjoy, which overtime led to poor mental and physical health for me (and even those around me).  I was working part-time as a trainer (and a MANny, yes, you read that correctly, a man-nanny...ask me about it, some of the best memories of my adult life to be honest, the family was amazing!).

After realizing there were not enough fitness professionals who truly cared about their clients’ success and their journey to a stronger, happier, and healthier life, I made it my own  mission to make fitness fun, to make strength beautiful, and shift the mindset from “weight loss” to “healthy weight management.”

With the support and encouragement from my life partner, spouse, and now business partner and co-trainer Lynn April (writer behind Fresh April Flours), Bent On Better is now (one of) our full time job(s), (when we’re not working with the B.O.B. team, or training, we’re full time work-at-home parents to our 2 little boys, Joey and Jonny).

When I say family owned and operated, it’s not just me and Lynn, but also my brother Nick April who is here full time.  But we can’t forget our super terrific and caring head coach Molly Jansco or our knowledgeable newest member of the team Cass Byrnes who are part of the fam!

Collectively, we exist as an answer to anyone who has ever tried a boot camp boutique, big box fitness centers, clubs that are open 24 hours a day, free access classes with a bajillion people in them, anytime fitness workout DVDs, fad-diets (or a combination of the aforementioned things!), and did not have success (or just flat out did not enjoy the experience).  We are essentially just a small group of personal trainers who want to make personal training fun, PERSONAL, and for real people who can see real results accomplished with their fitness goals (and maybe some free weights).

Sound good? Click the link below and let's chat!

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