Testimonials
"Dan has helped me discover new ways to diet and train using unconventional methods over the last 10 years. The workout routines he writes for me are easy to follow, and execute, plus I always see immediate results. He's been a very positive influence on my life when it comes to helping me live a healthy lifestyle. I would recommend his services to anyone that wants to get into shape fast!"
- Daniel Istvan - Runner
“Dan stoked the fire in me to become strong. As an "Extreme" athlete, it is imperative that I be in top physical health when engaging in any of my top three sports. As a surfer, licensed skydiver and snowboarder for over 16 years, I have never performed better and stronger than when well prepared physically with Dan. In sports where it is inevitable that you will get hurt, its’ nice to know that your body is as strong as it can be.”
- Justin Hollander - Surfer, Vasa Athlete
“"As someone who has a chronic disease, for almost two decades now, I can say first hand that my reliance on the medical profession has decreased dramatically in the past several years, since training with Dan. Like Jeremy Lin's transformation, it may not have happened overnight, but Dan's persistence in making me think about how to best fit diet and exercise into my life has been transformational. I am fortunate not to have any severe flares since we have been together, and part of that may be just good luck, but I firmly believe that a good part of that is due to his influence on my overall health."
- Edward J. Kennelly, Ph.D. - Runner
“The smartest, the most professional, and the most talented strength and swim coach I have ever worked with. He helps with all aspects of staying strong and healthy. I have made great improvements with swimming, biking and running. My customized lifting and swimming program has made a huge impact with my road and trail half marathons and triathlons. There isnt’t anything that Dan dooesn’t help me with. I highly recommend Dan.”
- Kirsten Weaver - Triathlete
“I am very fortunate to have trained with Dan on many occasions. Work with him and his passion for health and fitness will be very obvious. Not only does he know how to make you stronger and leaner, but his knowledge in the many other areas of fitness such as stretching, flexibility, core stability, and healthy eating habits make him the most well-versed trainer I have ever met. Whatever your goals are, Dan will make a program for you that will allow you to efficiently and effectively meet and exceed those goals. Dan stays with the trends, tests them out personally, and only uses those that have been proven. I credit him for my focus and dedication to lifelong fitness and healthy eating”
Tanner Smith - Surfer, Swimmer
“Dan Daly's expert swim coaching has given me the confidence and skill set that I've needed to become a swimmer- a skill I never learned as a kid and have taken up in my early 40s. One of the best coaches/trainers around- his accolades are well deserved. Dan is patient- committed- motivating and encouraging- and has a great sense of humor making the experience fun- stress free- and successful. In a relatively short time I've seen significant improvement and without Dan's coaching- I would have quit one week in. Dan's the man!”
Mike L - Swimmer
“Dan is a fantastic trainer who is willing to dedicate his time to making sure your fitness goals are achieved. He's great in person, but also puts in time outside of session to put together a plan and workout schedule you can tackle on your own. He's always available and tailors his workouts to meet your exact fitness goals. Couldn't recommend enough!”
Chris G - Runner, Hypertrophy
“I've worked with Dan regularly for a number of years for personal training in the gym as well as an intense swimming training schedule to prepare for an open water swim. Dan takes into consideration any injuries I've had in the past, while still pushing me to go beyond my comfort zone. He takes accountability seriously and has the ability to help me focus on my goals while keeping track of my original agenda.
During our first week of swimming I could hardly swim four laps. A year later, I am easily swimming 84 laps in an hour, and was more than comfortable completing an open water swim. His ability to communicate concepts in the pool and about swimming, along with his observations of my strengths and challenges made every pool session feel like I was achieving something very specific. Dan is a dedicated trainer. So much so that he agreed to accompany me on the open water swim to make sure I didn't drop out of it mid-year. Dan is a patient and conscientious professional in everything he does. He takes a holistic approach to fitness and is always aware of what I'm doing in our training sessions as well as checking in about my diet and outside practices for muscle recovery. I would highly recommend him for any kind of training.”
Brian Dorsey - Swimmer
“I've been training with Dan for several years now, and he has been instrumental in keeping me healthy and fit. I can't recommend him highly enough. Thanks to his strength training and fitness programming, I've achieved a marathon PR and successfully completed numerous road races, triathlons and bike tours. More significantly, though, Dan helps me keep on track with healthy lifestyle habits in the gym and out. He is broadly knowledgeable in the field of health and fitness, and is also responsive and able to adapt programming if I have an injury or other issue. Best of all, he has a balanced approach and a sense of humor.”
Rebecca Neary - Runner
“I've been Training with Dan since 2011. His Tier X program is amazing! From nutrition, strength and recovery, I'm very happy with my results. I Highly recommend his expertise and super friendly professionalism”
Ariel Anaya - Hypertrophy, Fatloss
“I've been training with Dan Daly for over a year and he has expertly helped me meet my health and fitness goals. He is exceptionally professional, listens well, and is no nonsense. Dan's own fitness and lifestyle choices are inspirational, and if asked, he can share his own keys to physical success as well as how to form healthy lifestyle and eating habits. I've had a few trainers in my life, and Dan ranks at the top.”
Dana Conley - Swimmer, Kettlebells
“I have trained with Dan for over 3 years. He is amazing and dedicated. Always asking what we should work on to make me feel better and stronger . He’s very conscious of all aspect of my training, my health , eating and sleeping habits. Always watching so I stay strong and never hurting or sabotaging my workouts.”
Jan H - Strength
“A consummate professional I have been training with Dan for almost 10 years. He has increased my strength and flexibility. This is a person that takes hsi craft seriously - which is what I want I would recommend him to anyone that is serious about realigning their training.”
Marc Goldfarb - Surfer, Mobility
“I trained with Dan for six consecutive years. In that time, Dan helped me put on 20 pounds of lean muscle mass. He was responsive to my evolving training goals both in and out of the gym often emailing or texting me off hours to encourage me to get a run or a lift in. We shared workouts on our Apple watch which added inspiration to stay active. I have trained with many different personal trainers over the years. Dan is the Harvard of personal trainers. He carefully plans workouts with specific training goals in mind. I suffered a non-gym related elbow injury. My doctor thought I needed surgery to alleviate pressure on the ulnar nerve. I wanted to try to train through it to avoid surgery. Dan crafted workouts around my elbow (I wasn't able to bend the elbow). Within three months, the ulnar nerve pain was mostly resolved thanks to Dan's custom-crafted workouts. I highly recommend Dan as a personal trainer.”
Robert Miller, Esq - Swimmer, Strength
“I have been training (swimming) with Dan since the beginning of 2019, Dan’s knowledge, passion, commitment, and professionalism are admirable. Dan motivates me to want to accomplish more, along with adjusting and modifying the sessions to my wants and abilities. Dan’s commitment goes beyond the sixty minutes sessions, as he devotes time to film and analyze my progress. Along with supporting, answering, and advising any question or concern I have. I can tell that Dan’s focus and dedication helped me progress, as my swimming became more efficient hence, easier and faster. I highly recommend Dan’s private training to anyone who desires to have an effective, educational, and enjoyable sessions that will motivate and push one past one’s limits.”
Yifat Lar - Swimmer
“I have worked with Dan Daly for about 5 years. In a word, he is excellent. In my experience, Dan is an unusual combination of intelligence, ability, to articulate often difficult concepts clearly, and concretely, and knowledgeable - deep knowledge about optimal training form and technique, about anatomy and musculature, and about how to avoid injury and most effectively to recover from soreness and occasional overtraining. Working with Dan is not simply about building strength and endurance but doing it intelligently, in a way designed to build long-term strength and cardio endurance while minimizing the risk of injuries that can derail training for days or weeks. Dan has an uncanny sense of when a client is ready to increase weight/resistance, when it makes sense to “de-load” before moving to the next leve, and when it makes sense to build strength in a linear fashion and when it make make more sent to vary loads and number of reps (either during an individual session or across a series of sessions.) His nuanced understanding of technique as well as human anatomy and muscle structure shapes the training program he designs and drive a balanced approach that develops a strong core while also building the other major muscle groups that make up the “kinetic chain.” Dan is also not a “one size fits all” trainer, as many unfortunately are. He customizes training for each client to focus on areas of weakness or imbalance (as well as areas of importance to the client given that clients specific fitness goals or competitive efforts). And on top of all of this he is fundamentally a nice person - easy to work with and flexible in terms of scheduling. And he is focused on the whole person, including sleep habits, nutrition, and recovery. I feel lucky to be working with Dan.
- Brian P, Esq - Kettlebells
“I have been working with Dan for over a year and I regret not doing it sooner. The word “train” does not adequately describe him, as he’s so much more. He is an incredibly knowledgeable and focused coach, with a keen eye for what clients need. His approach is straightforward - he knows what works to get results. Because of Dan, I work out smarter and lift heavier than before, without injury. The cherry on top is his knack for helping me uncover and focus on new goals. I should add that I have trained with many fitness professionals in the NYC area before I stared with him and he is the best of the best. A class act. “
- Daniella Novak - Kettlebells
"I started working with Dan about a year ago when I turned 40, had a mid life crisis (ish) and wanted to get serious about my health and fitness. With Dan's guidance, I changed not only my body, but my state of mind. He's much more than just a trainer, he offers holistic coaching for all areas of your life. I was constantly impressed by his knowledge and expertise across so many disciplines - from anatomy and movement, to diet and nutrition, to recovery and mindfulness. He's patient, extremely clear, sets realistic (but challenging) goals, highly communicative and smart. He's extremely focused on helping people get to their goals and has no ego - he's introduced me to so many great specialists within his network (body workers, nutritionist, yoga, meditation) all in service of helping my succeed. And it's amazing to see his range of clients - from uber fit athletes (not me) to regular people who want to become uber fit athletes (me). He's the real deal."
- Aaron Kennedy - Strength, Mobility
“Dan is the best trainer I've ever had. He is very serious and persistent. After 4 months of intensive training, the results are amazing. Lost weight, built muscles, quit smoking and feeling great! Can't wait to see the results in the next 4 months."
- David Rubin, Esq - Strength, Power
"Dan is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced trainers I've met. His passion to stay on top of the research and studies in the fitness industry makes him one of the best trainers for anyone who's looking to improve their quality of life. His drive and dedication are truly inspiring"
- Gibson Kim - Personal Trainer, Soldier, Power Lifter
"Dan is an amazingly knowledgeable and friendly personal trainer. He made working out challenging and fun and created strength training routines that really maximized our time together. His overall approach, with training & nutrition information, assisted me with making a lifestyle change that has helped me lose weight and build my confidence in the gym. He also emailed me all of our workouts and created additional workouts that I could do on my own. I really like the fact that I can continue with my progress beyond our sessions together. I also love that Dan was patient and thorough and available to answer questions even after our training had finished. Dan is a wonderful professional and I truly value the experience that I had with him."
- Teresa Stewart - Fitness Enthusiast, Nutrition
"As a mother of four, I did not have time to make it to a gym often. Dan helped me get back to my prebaby weight four times over by designing an at home workout schedule utilizing the minimal equipment that I have at my home. He stressed the importance of diversity to keep me motivated- (a few workouts even included the baby as weights). Dan also helped me stay in shape during my pregnancies. I was always impressed with his (clearly researched) knowledge of limitations of pregnant (and post pregnant) women and workarounds that will give me the results that I want. His nutritional advice kept me on track to getting back into my jeans. Dan kept it fun and was a pleasure to work with."
- Marie Sung - Runner, Nutrition
"As an accomplished collegiate athlete and top trainer for the premier health club in NYC, a combination of experience and expertise make Dan Daly one of the most highly referred fitness professionals for my clients. I trust Dan to bring me the latest pertinent information as new research is released, and I always find his insight valuable."
- Frank J. Baptiste - Personal Trainer, Athlete
“Dan brings a fresh approach to personal training that delivers results. He creates tailored plans based on your objectives with a focus on total health. Truly a cut above and the consummate professional. I highly recommend Dan.”
- Chris Holdren - Strength
"Dan has a knack for staying ahead of trends and always staying up with the latest in health and wellness. His clients, some of whom I have personally worked with in the past, are always satisfied and continually seeing results. Great trainer!"
- Thomas Weaver Jr - Personal Trainer
"A year ago, I had been plateaued on my stale routine that I was stuck in since college. Dan showed me how to start seeing results again, most of all by knowing more about nutrition. He has shown me how to vary my workouts, and even just making simple changes, it's impressive how much more I get out of them. He has an unusual ability to communicate what true fitness is about and he has the patience to make sure I get it right. He's a genuine guy and he takes the time to explain the 'how' and the 'why' behind everything. I'm glad I know him!"
- Nicholas C. Byrnes - Citi
"Dan has shown me how to workout smarter, not harder. After swimming in college, I no longer had time to train 4 hours a day, but wanted to maintain the same level of fitness. Through an improved diet and smarter workout routine, Dan has shown me how to maximize my time and results in less time. His training is (abs)olutely results oriented. In many ways, I'm fitter now than I was at the peak of my swimming career."
- Eszter Balazs - Swimmer
"Dan Daly's expert swim coaching has given me the confidence and skill set that I've needed to become a swimmer- a skill I never learned as a kid and have taken up in my early 40s. One of the best coaches/trainers around- his accolades are well deserved. Dan is patient- committed- motivating and encouraging- and has a great sense of humor making the experience fun- stress free- and successful. In a relatively short time I've seen significant improvement and without Dan's coaching- I would have quit one week in. Dan's the man!"
- Mike Lubin - Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
“Dan is an excellent training professional. Our sessions were always varied but targeted to the specific areas we both agreed needed to be toned and strengthened. Dan also helped me to reduce a lot of stress by incorporating yoga into our routine. But most important is that people can’t believe I am in such great shape for my age. Thanks Dan!!!!!!”
- Merle Greene - President - Jonathan Roberts Associates Inc.
Bio
Dan Daly, CSCS, helps swimmers train better. The performance coach, who has over 15 years of experience in the personal training industry and over 30 as a swimmer, aids endurance athletes of all ages and abilities in realizing their potential. He is passionate about helping people improve their technique and swim stronger through dryland strength and conditioning.
Swimming has long played an important role in Dan’s life. He began competitive swimming as a child and was a high school All-American sprinter. Later, Dan went on to become a Division I scholarship athlete and school record holder, as well as a Division II All-American and national finalist. He also captained the Men’s Varsity Swim Team at West Chester University, where he earned his degree in kinesiology and nutrition. The sport even connected him with his wife, Eszter, another decorated swimmer. Today, Dan is a competitive open water and masters swimmer who trains and races everything from 50m to 10k.
Dan’s interest in personal training came later in life as he began helping college teammates with various aspects of their training. Eventually, he extended his advice to others and started exploring best practices of athletic development, expanding his knowledge and skill sets beyond traditional strength and conditioning and into areas such as functional training, kettlebells, nutrition, and recovery. At the outset of his training career, Dan focused on these and other modalities rather than swimming, but he ultimately returned to his roots as he discovered the combined power of dryland training and swimming for improving elements of client performance like technique, strength, and speed.
Today, Dan lives in New York City with his wife and son. As the founder of coaching business Train Daly, he works with a wide range of clients, including world-class competitive swimmers, athletes aspiring to swim in college and seeking national qualifying cuts, and beginner- to intermediate-level swimmers. He also helps people target various distance goals, from triathlon, Ironman, and channel swimming lengths to 50-meter sprints. Additionally, Dan’s family frequently travels to Hungary, a swimming powerhouse and his wife’s home country, where he works with international clients in some of the best pools and open water venues in the world.
Outside of his work with individual athletes, Dan mentors coaches looking to pass their national certifications or establish personal brands and businesses. He is also sought after for dryland, technique, and programming workshops and presentations and is consulted as an expert source for publications such as Women’s Health Magazine, Men’s Health, Shape, and Muscle & Fitness. Currently, Dan maintains brand and content partnerships with Vasa Trainer, TheMagic5, 80/20 Endurance, Speedo, and Zygo, among others, and he welcomes new opportunities for collaboration.
Dan is proud to have a number of professional accomplishments and accolades to his name. He’s worked alongside professional athletes as well as major players in the training industry, particularly as the co-creator of Equinox’s dryland and swim technique program, EQX H20. He also holds several honors there, including three-time Personal Trainer of the Year and two-time Educator of the Year nominee. Further, Dan’s clients have achieved various impressive feats, including record-setting open water swims and completion of the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming (Catalina Channel, English Channel, and Manhattan Island). Ultimately, he continues to be driven by a love for the sport and a profound belief in his trademark method of swimming alongside dryland strength and conditioning.
Learn more about the services Dan offers here.
“Dan coached me remotely for an endurance swim event (10K open-water swim). I hadn't swam seriously since high school, and Dan put together a challenging program than allowed me to swim the event well. Dan has extensive coaching expertise and education, and I'll be continuing to have him coach me in the future.”
- Tom Bell, Phd - Triple Crown Channel Swimmer, and Pennsylvania Swimming Hall of Famer