Joe Palmieri (The Rhino)

The year was 1973. There were names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Franco Colombu, Lou Ferrigno, and Frank Zane making their way out of obscurity and into the public eye. There were also names like Chet Yorton, Sergio Oliva and George Eiferman that had been there awhile. There was a young man, still in high school, who wanted to get rid of the "baby fat" and gain more muscle and strength for his shot at being a high school wrestler. The images of these literally larger-than-life muscle men were more than an inspiration for this youngster. They were a goal. And so The Rhino was born. From that point on, this young Rhino ate, drank, slept and lived for weight training. "Weights before Dates" was the mantra of the day, and The Rhino stuck to it almost religiously. A membership first at Chet Yorton's Body Shop and then at George Eiferman's in Las Vegas was the first real step. Not having any real guidance from anyone, The Rhino fell victim to just about every promise of strength and size that came along. Luckily, he was able to trudge through the muck and survive without any lasting (hopefully) bodily damage. After a brief but satisfying bodybuilding career, The Rhino thought he would try his paw at power-lifting. It was right about the time The Rhino discovered the wrong way to do heavy squats that his power-lifting career was over. But his love for weight training never waned. Over the years, he continued to workout whenever and wherever he could, even going so far as to design and build his own personal gym within his garage. His workout intensity was so contagious that while in the view of the general population at the gym, people began to ask how they, too, could be a Rhino. What started out as basic guidance soon became training, and before long, The Rhino was "designing" workouts and planning "diets" (as we called them then) for half the gym's clientele.

Fast-forward to the present time. The Rhino is a little older and a lot wiser. His skin is thick as boot leather. He has seen a lot of fads, tricks and magic bullets come and go. He has been there and done that. His only desire now is to keep others from making the same mistakes that he made while trying everything to get big. There is definitely a right way and a wrong way to improve one's physique. And The Rhino knows.

Loy Palmieri

Loy's personal trainer career began as a client. She consulted the services of her husband, The Rhino, to help her lose the weight that she had gained as the result of the medication she was taking. Loy has a genetic disorder that affects her body in numerous ways. She began taking the medication several years ago, and while the medication was helping her to be healthy, it also caused her to gain some weight. She had always been a person that loved to workout. In fact, despite her medical condition, she worked out with her husband on a regular basis and managed to maintain some respectable muscularity for her small frame. But the medication caused her bodyfat ratio to raise, and she decided that she needed to do something about it. She embarked on a high-energy program that involved weights and cardio and managed to get her weight back to a level with which she is very happy. Loy continues to lift and with every workout, sees new improvement which gives her the motivation to continue, though the workouts are not close to being easy.

Loy has become so motivated and energized by what exercise has done for her, that she is now studying to receive her degree in physical fitness and is working on two separate certifications in addition to the certification she already possesses.

If you are needing some real motivation, come see Loy, her true life and death story is incredibly inspiring and along with her infectious attitude, will give you the motivation you need to succeed.

Donna Bowman

Donna has been in the fitness industry since 1995. After the birth of her second child, she decided she was finished buying larger and larger size clothing. She joined 24 Hour Fitness and successfully lost weight and toned muscle through both group classes and gym equipment. The head of the aerobic department approached her with a teaching position, which after some thought decided she would like to share her enthusiasm for fitness with others. After teaching for several years at this facility, she was asked to run the department. Since those early days, Donna has taught in smaller, indepentdent gyms, such as Lady of America, Fire House Fitness and is still teaching at the Norco/Corona YMCA. One of her passions is working with seniors to help them stay fit and active. Donna met Joe and Loy, the owners of Rhino Fitness, at a new member dinner sponsored through the Corona Chamber of Commerce. They became fast friends and Donna was offered a teaching position. She was eager to join"the team" and has been with them since their grand opening.

Kari Whipkey

After having my 2nd child I started packing on the pounds. When my daughter turned two I was a size 16 and very unhappy. I knew that I wasn't healthy and needed to do something about it. I didn't like exercising so my motto was and still is... work out hard, make every minute count! I had 2 more kids and struggled with pregnancy weight gain each time but I kept exercising and educating myself with how to be fit and healthy. A love for exercise was formed, I was addicted! I loved reading up on nutrition and new exercises, anything to make my workouts harder or change it up. I had a friend that was struggling with losing her baby weight ask me to teach her some workouts and that was the start of my career and passion. Others got word of us working out at the park and started coming. People were getting results quickly from my classes and I loved it. So I took it to the next step and got certified to teach through AFAA. I then started my own outdoor bootcamp in Arizona that was very successful. I had women and men come to my bootcamp all different shapes and sizes and I was able to see drastic improves in all of them... one client was a size 22 and in 4 months was down to a size 12, she has continued her weight lose journey and is now in a size 10. Another client was in decent shape but through the months of coming to my class she lost 7 inches and had amazing muscle definition. One of my male clients loved that he was able to lift more weight and get more reps out then he could in years. Many other clients saw the weight fall off but more importantly they gained self confidence, felt stronger, more empowered, their lives were changed. We just moved here from Arizona in June, it was hard to leave my bootcampers, I had developed strong friendships with my clients but I am so excited to join the Rhino team and help you achieve your goals! My classes are hard, I will work you to your max in every class, but you are stronger then you think and I want to prove that to you!