OUR COACHES
Niko Karavolos, NSCA-CSCS, NASM-CPT, Master Flywheel Trainer, USAW Coach Level 1
Coach Niko is an accomplished Strength & Conditioning Coach and Track and Field Coach at the high school, college and professional level with 13 years experience. Owner and operator of a Sport Performance and Personal Training Studio, Ignite Fitness for 9 years. Founder and Executive Director of a local youth development organization, Team Ignite, and founder of the Elmhurst Track and Field Club.
Coach Niko has extensive knowledge of the latest strength and conditioning techniques, team building strategies and innovative sports performance development training.
Coach Niko started his career at the University of Illinois at Chicago as a Horizontal Jumps, coach where he had 3 NCAA championship series qualifiers. Moved on to Roosevelt University as the head strength and conditioning coach for women’s soccer, volleyball and mens and women’s track and field. In 2021 he was appointed the sprints and horizontal jumps coach at York High School where he brought the team their first short sprint relay qualifiers since 2013.
In addition to working with high school and collegiate athletes Coach Niko had the honor of working with 3 professional track and field athletes as a strength and conditioning coach, two of which went on to complete in the Olympics. He currently owns and operates Ignite Fitness, a personal training and sports performance facility for the youth, high school, collegiate and professional athletes.
Brian O’Neill, License Massage Therapist, NPTI-CPT, USAW Coach Level 1
Coach Brian is an accomplished Strength and Conditioning Coach and Sports Massage Therapist at the youth, high school and professional level with 14 years experience. He has owned a holistic performance and recovery company, Peak Performance and Wellness for the past 8 years where he continues to empower individuals to test the limits of what they feel they are capable of.
Coach Brian has over a decade of experience and education in the field of Sports performance, Rehab/Recovery, team management and leadership. He started his career in the big box gym/corporate fitness at LifeTime Fitness, where he worked his way up from a personal trainer to an assistant manager. From there Brian transitioned from gym management to a live-in country club in Florida to bridge the gap between golf instructors and the fitness center. After 2 years working with amateur and professional golfers Brian moved back to Chicago to start Peak Performance and Wellness. Between 2014 and the present he has worked with numerous youth, high school, collegiate and professional athletes not only improving performance in the weight room, but also in the recovery room.
Coach Brian had a successful collegiate career, competing in the Decathlon; where he racked up honors such as: National Qualifier, Academic All American, All Conference honors and top 10 all time at Elmhurst University. He is a lifelong learner and competitor who still trains in the trenches with his clients, teams, and Coach Niko to test and progress his programs first hand. Coach Brian considers himself a hybrid athlete who loves to compete in track and field, but is also pursuing success in the weight room and on the BJJ mats.
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are correct”
-Henry Ford