How This Trainer Redefined Strength After A Traumatic Brain Injury

At 13 years old, Cassidy Kmetz was on track to be an Olympian. She spent hours in training as a member of the Olympic development program for soccer, and was nominated to try out for the U.S. women’s national team. 

But her life took an abrupt turn when she tumbled off her pennyboard and was rushed to the hospital for a traumatic brain injury. Her injuries were severe—she suffered a fractured skull and cochlea (a bone in the ear), a subdural hematoma, and internal bleeding and bruising—she ended up being intubated and in a coma.

When Kmetz woke up from her coma, she was missing a piece of her brain. Most people only use about 85% of their brains their entire life, so a new part of her brain was able to activate. But this didn’t come without its difficulties. She had to learn how to walk again, and reckon with a new personality.

“I had new talents and new interests, but also I was a new person, “ she said. It was a struggle to get through her high school schedule of honors classes that she had been in before the accident. Her new cognitive fatigue meant she would have to go to the nurse and take a nap in the middle of the day. Other times, she just skipped school to sleep for 12 hours. 

Kmetz’s soccer career also came to a halt after the accident. “I didn't lose any of my talent, but random health things would come up, like a leaky heart valve or sports-induced asthma, right before a game or a tournament. I just took it as a sign,” she explains. 

But without soccer, Kmetz didn’t have anything to work toward. She wasn’t able to follow the training regimen she had previously done with her soccer coaches, and she began to gain weight. “I didn't like how I looked. I looked bulky, and I didn't know how to eat. And I just wanted to look better and feel better.”

When Kmetz began working out, she was simply pulling up videos on YouTube. She followed along with trainers from Popsugar fitness and tested out workouts posted by her favorite Victoria's Secret models.

“I started with just resistance bands, because I was afraid of lifting weights for at least three years,” Kmetz said. She didn’t want to get bulky, and she didn’t see the women around her or in the media lifting weights.

But, at a certain point, Kmetz realized she was hitting a plateau. She had seen so much progress in her physical strength and body composition, and wanted it to continue. So, she finally began doing more structured strength training. She started lifting weights and following the principles of progressive overload. 

As she saw the way her body responded to the strength training routine, Kmetz became increasingly interested in personal training. She wanted to learn how she could support herself and other women in meeting their goals, whether they be physical or mental. 

Now, not only does Kmetz have a booming personal training business with clients both in-person and online, but she’s also garnered over 500k followers across her social media accounts. 

She’s known for her signature Core-to-Glutes method, which focuses on slow, controlled movements, precision, and glute isolation. She helps women target different regions of their glutes to not only build strength, but get the lifted, sculpted look they’re after. 

Kmetz also makes sure she teaches her clients how to support their bodies outside of the gym. 

“Something that a lot of fitness programs neglect is the overall lifestyle aspect, especially with such a male-dominated culture within fitness,” she said. “I’ve learned through trial and error that it all works together in harmony. You can't have a good workout program without having your nutrition dialed in and understanding how your cortisol levels are affected.”

Cassidy Kmetz shows us that building strength and taking care of your body goes way beyond the gym, and that sometimes your health and fitness journey will take an unexpected turn.