Become a Paddle Fused Fitness Certified Coach

My name is Rachel Cantore, owner of Stand and Paddle and founder of Paddle Fused Fitness. I am a NASM Master Certified Personal Trainer with a BS in Movement Sciences, Exercise and Fitness, and PaddleFit Coach. I was first introduced to stand up paddle boarding about 10 years ago at the IDEA World Fitness Convention where I signed up to stand up paddle board in the San Diego Bay Area as an add-on activity.

I fell in love with SUP then, but it took me til almost 5 years later to really get involved when I signed up for a SUP course up with Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina to learn the basics of SUP and SUP fitness.  I wanted to do something with stand up paddle boarding and fitness, but I didn’t know exactly what or more importantly HOW to do so.  I didn’t have my own equipment, and it was going to be a decent investment that I wasn’t ready to make at the time.

Later that year, I connected with the former owner and founder of Stand and Paddle, Roddy, here in Bluffton, South Carolina who had an idea which upon seeing me paddle during a team outing and learning of my being a personal trainer in the fitness industry he approached me about.

Roddy proposed us working together to start a SUP fitness class where he would provide the boards, equipment and SUP instruction, and I would step in to run the fitness and workout component.  We both had our own following, own strengths and sets of skills. I named the class Paddle Fused Fitness (named for the fusion of paddling and fitness, and Fusion Fit’s brand concept and vision).  We started out that summer with just a few pop up classes, but after only a few classes, we were nearly maxing out!

Fast forward to the year Covid hit and everyone wanted to be outside, either walking, biking or on the water paddling.  Paddle Fused Fitness was an even greater hit that summer, in fact, it saved my business after losing over half my clients to in-studio training and fitness options.

Since then, our Paddle Fused Fitness classes continue to remain on the lineup at Stand and Paddle.  During the summer, we run classes on the May River.  In the off-season, we offer land-based and indoor pool variations of the signature class.

I also created an entire Paddle Fused Fitness Certification for other coaches, personal trainers, and instructors to take which they can earn CECs and start their own similar PFF style classes or join the Stand and Paddle by Fusion Fit Team and work with us. The exercises and program design structure that encompasses our PFF classes is meant to provide a core and total body workout, improve balance and stability, increase strength and fitness, and boost confidence.  The movements performed will benefit anyone from the average Jack or Jane on land, to SUP athletes to recreational paddlers and newbie to paddling.