


Hi, I'm Craig, Founder of Z-Line Fitness LLC
I began learning about kinesiology and biomechanics while pursuing a dance degree in college. Unfortunately, this is also where I logged many hours in physical therapy due to multiple injuries, including a knee injury that almost ended my dance career. This experience led me to collaborate with the Midwest Sports Medicine Clinic to develop a program at my university focused on keeping dancers in optimal condition and reducing injuries.
After college, I studied injuries and special populations, earning my Stott Pilates certification. I moved to Los Angeles and joined Rapid Rehab International, a physical therapy center in Santa Monica, California, where I became the director of Pilates-based physical therapy programs. There, I started collaborating with doctors from the Spine Center at Cedars-Sinai and the Spine Institute in Santa Monica, along with chiropractors and alternative healthcare professionals, which enabled me to develop both a scientific and holistic approach to physical rehabilitation and preventive healthcare strategies. I treated a wide range of injuries and conducted seminars on my unique rehab techniques. In 2011, I ventured out on my own, founding Z-Line Fitness LLC. However, there was one more life-changing hurdle that would evolve my approach to healing.
After a routine dental procedure, I experienced facial paralysis. For six years, I struggled to understand what had happened and sought a proper diagnosis and treatment for my worsening condition. During this time, I immersed myself in alternative health measures, learning how emotional and mental states could affect our physical health. Eventually, I identified the cause of my paralysis—a rare brain tumor. Fortunately, I underwent a surgical procedure that stabilized my condition. If you see me winking at you in my videos, it’s just a lovely byproduct of my condition.
Through my challenges, I’ve developed a deep empathy for those who struggle to find solutions to their pain and injury, and how debilitating it can be emotionally. In 2024, I relocated to Bend, Oregon, where I continue to empower others to heal themselves, giving them the tools to discover the answers to their physical ailments and treat them.
In addition to working one-on-one with clients, I teach master classes, provide online courses and live video sessions, and maintain a YouTube channel. I am also the author of "The Office Effect Handbook - easy solutions to work-related pain and poor posture," and I’ve been featured in OK! Magazine, The Doctors Show, and CBS, KCAL 9 News.




What sets Craig apart from other trainers:
His training and background
Craig has a full Pilates certification in basic, intermediate, and advanced exercises, as well as Special Populations. Where most instructors only are certified in one or two Pilates apparatuses, Craig is certified in all - Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels. He not only has been training clients for over 25 years but he has been teaching other Pilates instructors and Physical Therapists his physical rehabilitation techniques. His Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance has given him an intricate understanding of the body and its movement, helping him create hundreds of specialized exercises. Vast knowledge of Biomechanics and Kinesiology gives him an uncanny ability to pick out the body’s imbalances and understand the motion and movement of the body in a way that sets him apart from the usual fitness instructor.
He works hand in hand with doctors
Craig has worked with doctors from The Santa Monica Spine Institute, Source Healthcare, and Cedars-Sinai Spine Center such as Dr. Timothy Davis and Dr. Michael Kropf. His book, The Office Effect Handbook, is in doctor’s offices, such as Todd H. Lanman, MD, and Physical Therapist offices too. Craig can speak directly with your doctor to understand best how to treat your injury. Craig’s not your typical Pilates instructor, or trainer, as he has a vast knowledge of the body, understands all types of surgical procedures, and personally knows what it’s like to have gone through Physical Therapy for all sorts of injuries and surgeries.
He has been through the struggles of pain and injury
Craig’s had to battle through knee surgery, which was supposed to end his dance career. After going through Physical Therapy for a full year, he bounced back and continued to dance professionally for five years. Throughout his dance career, Craig also battled a shoulder dislocation, a ruptured hamstring, a high ankle sprain, and umbilical and inguinal hernias. It wasn’t until he found Pilates that he was fully able to keep his body from falling apart, due to the stress of being a professional dancer. The biggest challenge, however, came when Craig had to overcome a brain tumor. He knows how difficult it can be to battle through the depression of adversity. Best of all, he can get you through it.
His clientel
Craig’s clientele is diverse, ranging from individuals with Parkinson’s, hip and knee replacements, and spinal injuries, to corporate executives, Olympic athletes, professional golfers, and celebrities. They ranging in age from twelve to their nineties, and most of his clients have worked with him consistently for over 15 years. He tends to see clients after they have already seen multiple physical therapists, had surgery, or tried other healing methods, to no avail.

Craig's Podcast Interview
Bob interviews all kinds of people in the fields of personal growth, health and healing, alternative therapies, psychology, spirituality, environment, and the future - looking for the answers that make life better for everyone.
Episode 107
Check out Craig on The Doctors Show

TESTIMONIALS
See What Clients are Saying


"Craig is one of those people that understands the body. I have worked with Craig for over 5 years. Not only as a previous spine patient, but as a health care practitioner taking care of spine patients, I know quality when I see it."
Cheri Phillips
Physicians Assistant at The Spine Institute
"Craig worked with me throughout my entire pregnancy and it’s because of him that I felt amazing the whole time. I have a desk job, but Craig has taught me how to take care of my body so that I can live without pain, and THAT is a huge blessing."
Lisa Williams,
The Doctors Show
"I’ve been working with Craig for nearly twelve years. He’s helped me rehabilitate two hip replacements and gotten me back out on the tennis courts. Working with Craig has given me confidence, made me look fabulous, and kept me from feeling like I’m in my golden years."