Our Approach
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
Train hard, train smart, and have faith. The key to any goal is persistence and it’s no different in athletic goals, weight loss, muscle gain or whatever the goal is. And we’ll be there, every step of the way. Nutritional guide, workout plans, whatever it takes.
We believe in the total training package. With over 12 years of experience in athletic performance and goal oriented training, anything can be achieved.
Our clients range from high school freshman basketball players who want an explosive first step or the vertical power to dunk or spike to high end business owners who want to live a healthier lifestyle. We have been blessed with the opportunity to work with an immense group of people that have entrusted us with their personal goals.
I challenge you today to get started, don’t hold back because every day you wait is a day wasted. So make your day count, make your minutes count.
Our Story
After finishing college, Ben decided to open his own performance training facility in the heart of Pasadena in 2012. His team called it AST (Advance Skills Training). With the guidance of his team and friends, AST was a huge success, incorporating five different travel teams under the AST banner, twenty plus athletic clients, and four part time coaches. The gym was thriving until the untimely death of business partner and friend Mike Leong in 2015. It was then when Ben left AST to pursue higher education to help strengthen his background in performance training.
In 2018 Ben partnered with El Matador Performance, an elite gym in Altadena that has all the requirements to build a solid athlete. Bringing back Crossfit, nutritional, and strength and conditioning knowledge, we are now ready to serve your athletic needs or goals.
Meet the Team
Ben Quek
Founder
Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, Ben found a passion in fitness and sports. He started playing basketball at the young age of 5 for the local YMCA recreation league. From that point on, his love for the game only grew. Seeing this, his mother signed him up for more competitive play. He played for such teams as the Pasadena Bruins and Alpine Striders. He then played 3 years varsity basketball for Bosco and Gabrielino High School and won all league second team and MVP honors his sophomore year and all league first team his junior and senior year.
Before his transition to Division 2 basketball, Ben played a season overseas for the People to People Sports team where he represented the USA in basketball. From then he played three seasons for Abilene Christian University were he averaged 14 points 4 assists and 2 steals his final year.
It was in college where Ben found his love for fitness and training. The training regiment consisted of two different training times plus practice per day six days out of the week for basketball. Over time Ben developed a 48 inch vertical jump which gave him the ability to dunk. Now, his goal is to pass on the training he received to his athletes. Having a Kinesiology background, first hand training experience, and receiving magna cum laude through applied studies Ben decided to take his experience and knowledge into training athletes and clients alike.