The Midwest Strength and Performance Story

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Our founders

Mike Sell, TJ Lawson, JT Baginski, Zane Roebuck, Jimmy Walker & Ashley Sell

MSP GYM was founded in 2017 with the specific goal of becoming the most client-centric and results-driven gym in the Greater Wheaton Area. Corporate gyms are known for penalizing clients financially for the silliest things, offering impersonal workouts, and putting profit over people. We are different. Our boutique fitness facility combines client-centricity and intelligent programming. We fervently believe that everyone can reach their unique fitness goals, and all of our fitness offerings are organized so that each and every movement can be customized and modified based on fitness history, age, goals, abilities, etc. We use evidence-based programming principles to help our clients succeed, and we meet with all of our members individually at least every quarter to ensure they’re making progress. At MSP, you are not only joining a gym, but a united community that is here to have fun and support you each and every step of the way. Get ready to join the most goal-driven gym family in the Midwest!

Our coaches

JT Baginski coach at Midwest Strength and Performance Wheaton

JT Baginski

OWNER + TRAINER

Specializations: Powerlifting & Bodybuilding Adult Semi-Private Fitness Athlete Semi-Private Fitness.

JT was born and raised in DuPage County. He is a certified personal trainer and strength coach (CSCS), and has been working in the fitness industry since 2013. JT is a former athlete in football and wrestling, as well as a former youth wrestling coach at Hadley Jr. High and has been active in sports and fitness since an early age. In his spare time, JT competes in USA Powerlifting (USAPL) as a drug free powerlifter and has also competed in The National Physique Committee (NPC) in the classic physique division. JT founded the MSP Lisle location, which is a 1,400 square foot private fitness facility equipped for any and all fitness goals. Through fitness, JT seeks to motivate and educate our clients, challenging them with an ever-evolving repertoire of fitness techniques and cutting-edge fitness equipment. As part of the MSP Family and Methodology, MSP Lisle clients include all ages and experience levels, however, share the common ground that every client receives equal thoughtful fitness and guidance. Whether your goals are functional, aesthetic, or sports-performance related, JT takes pride in actively working with MSP clients to help them achieve their maximum physical potential.

Abby Rutledge

PERSONAL TRAINER, NUTRITION COACH + COMMUNITY SUCCESS MANAGER

Abby is a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and nutrition coach. She is certified as a  Level 1 USAW Coach and Renaissance Periodization Nutrition Coach. She is passionate about nutrition coaching for individuals who are overwhelmed by information and feel hopeless to make body composition changes. She prioritizes a focus on slowly changing habits for long term success. She is also passionate about strength for women who feel overwhelmed by a gym environment! Abby is dedicated to motivating all of her clients to reach their goals. She loves being part of the MSP team because each team member is committed to excellence and is truly invested in their clients lives and fitness journey!

Coach Abby received her bachelor’s degree in Biology and Spanish at Wheaton College. Additionally, she was a competitive swimmer at Wheaton College, finishing with All-Conference Honors throughout her college career. Outside of the gym, Abby loves to try new restaurants and spend time with friends.

At MSP, Abby wears many hats: Personal Trainer, Nutrition Coach and Community Success Manager. In these roles she can curate custom programs for her clients and dive deep into optimizing our community experience!

Tyler Hosman

PERSONAL TRAINER

Tyler is a personal trainer and a certified functional strength coach (CFSC) who specializes in adult semi-private fitness, athlete semi private fitness, sports performance, and personal training. No matter if you’re a busy professional or athlete, Tyler is committed to helping you achieve your goals!

Tyler is passionate and dedicated to helping his clients grow stronger physically and mentally! His favorite part about fitness is that each workout is another chance to prove to yourself that you’re capable of so much more than you think.

Tyler found his love for fitness while playing football at Elmhurst University where he also received his Bachelors degree in secondary education.

Outside of the gym Tyler enjoys cooking, spending time with friends/family, and going to the lake.

Victoria Cazares

PERSONAL TRAINER

Victoria is a Personal Trainer who specializes in athlete semi-private training, sports performance, and adult personal training. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science from North Central College, IL. Through her coaching experience, Victoria has trained individuals and groups ranging from collegiate athletes to senior citizens.

Victoria enjoys educating and empowering her members to move forward with a healthy lifestyle to perform at their best. Her exercise programs are modeled off of the Scientific Principles of Strength Training and her experiences as an athlete, strength coach, personal trainer, and physical therapy rehab aide. She is passionate about all types of movement, nutrition, and the mind-body connection, helping others to achieve their goals in the health space.

She joined MSP because of the close-knit community it portrays and its ability to create a positive coaching environment where individuals can reach beyond their perceived limits.

Outside of the gym, Victoria loves to travel, bike, and cook new recipes!

Kael Gannon

PERSONAL TRAINER

Kael is a certified trainer who specializes in Personal Training, Adult Semi-Private Fitness, Athlete Semi-Private Fitness, and Kettlebell Training.

Kael was born and raised in Delaware, Ohio. He is driven to help each client reach their goals but also wants clients to enjoy the training process. He utilizes the Scientific Principles of Strength Training to ensure every client reaches their potential.

Kael is currently a Senior student athlete at Wheaton College. He is finishing his Bachelor’s degree in History and Secondary Education. He is on the Varsity Men’s Swim Team and developed the Strength and Conditioning program for his team. He focuses on sprint butterfly and freestyle events, is an All-Conference performer, and winner of the CCIW Respect Award. Additionally, Kael works as a swim coach and instructor on the side.

In high school, Kael was a swim captain and MVP, a football and track athlete, Scholar Athlete award winner, and an Archie Griffin Sportsmanship Award winner. Outside of the gym, he enjoys playing the violin, watching movies, playing any competitive games, and cheering on both the Ohio State Buckeyes and Chicago Bears.

Mike Settle

PERSONAL TRAINER – ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE SPECIALIST

M.S., USAW, CSAC, CSPC, CSNC, CPDS

Raised in Lombard, IL, Mike loved sports as both sides of his family were heavily involved in football, basketball, baseball and swimming.  At four years old he began playing basketball and soon added baseball to his repertoire.  In high school he played football, wrestled, and threw shot-put and discus for the track team.  Mike was a 2-year starter on the varsity football team and played in college as well.

Mike received his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from Northern Illinois University and his master’s degree in Exercise Science from Concordia University Chicago. During his time at NIU he interned with Coastal Carolina University’s Speed, Strength, and Conditioning Department under the Direction of Antwan Floyd.  He then Interned at Northwestern University working with the football sports performance staff as well as the University of South Carolina’s strength and conditioning departments with a focus on football and track athletes.  Mike later coached at Kent State University as the Assistant Strength Coach.  While spending time at the collegiate level was rewarding, Mike left for the private sector and spent time at both sports performance facilities as well as physical therapy clinics focusing on developing strength and conditioning programs for athletes at various levels across multiple sports.

Mike’s interest in the recovery side of the sports performance led him to seek a certification as a Fascial Stretch Therapist (FST). Mike is also certified with USAW, CSAC, CSPC, CSNC, CPDS.   It was the combination of FST and Strength and Conditioning Certifications that led him to determine his NFL and MLB players were missing key recovery modalities.  Mike uses FST on his high school, college, and professional level athletes as he works with them on their strength and conditioning programs in order to increase their strength and range of motion while decreasing muscle soreness and the chance for injuries.

Mike continues to coach high school football and is always looking at new and improved ways to help speed up the recovery process.  He looks to make his athletes the best they can become in order to advance their athletic careers.  Mike’s goal is to create athletes which have strong, fast, fluid movements while concentrating on the overall health of the athlete.

Coastal Carolina University Strength and Conditioning 2014

Northwestern Football Strength and Conditioning 2015

University of South Carolina Football and Track Strength and Conditioning 2016

Kent State Football Strength and Conditioning 2016

Fit Speed Athletic 2016-2017

Michael Johnson Performance 2017

Illinois Tech Basketball Strength and Conditioning 2019-2020

Glenbard East Football 2015-2021

Marist High School Lacrosse and Volleyball Strength and Conditioning 2018-2022

Benet Academy Lacrosse and Basketball Strength and Conditioning 2019-2022

Maine East Football Strength and Conditioning 2021-2022

Aurora Central Catholic Strength and Conditioning 2022

Providence Catholic Strength and Conditioning 2022-2023

Saint Francis High School Strength and Conditioning Coach

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