Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Prestwich.
Hi Nathan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Fitness has been a constant in my life, but my foundation wasn’t typical. While most kids were just in a high school PE class, I was also teaching martial arts. From age 16, I was coaching everyone from four-year-olds to seniors in their 60s on how to move and control their bodies in very specific ways.
That experience, happening concurrently with my own foundation in the weight room, established my core philosophy: be well-rounded. I believe you can be strong, flexible, powerful, and enduring. You don’t have to pick just one.
Shortly after high school, I enlisted in the Army as a cavalry scout. Military PT is built to instill grit. While that ‘push-ups-on-end’ model isn’t my approach for sustainable, healthy living, that element of grit is critical for anyone pushing their limits, whether in a 5K, a HYROX event, or just in life.
After the Army, I returned home and, like many veterans, felt aimless for a time. Fitness remained my constant. My wife encouraged me to make it a career, and I decided to go all-in, using my GI Bill to fund my education.
I earned my A.A.S. in Physical Education, which gave me my first exposure to collegiate Strength & Conditioning. After my wife and I moved to her home in Houston, I continued my education, earning a B.S. in Exercise Science from the University of Houston. While at U of H, I began working as a personal trainer at the campus recreation center. I found that 1-on-1 coaching, and seeing direct, tangible results in clients, was far more gratifying than my previous work with large athlete groups.
After graduating, I worked in corporate wellness and community centers, but I wanted to be an independent coach. The logistics are a major hurdle for any trainer: finding a gym space, getting clients, developing systems. It’s not just coaching; it’s running a business.
That’s where Combined Arms comes in.
Combined Arms is a vital Houston-based veteran resource organization that connects veterans to partner organizations for any need they have. One of their flagship resources is an onsite gym, which is completely free for veterans and their dependents to use.
When the leadership at Combined Arms learned what I do, they graciously allowed me to train clients out of their gym. They gave me the space and the resource connections to launch my business. It’s safe to say Prestige Training would not exist without the opportunity Combined Arms provided.
Today, I operate Prestige Training full-time out of the Combined Arms facility. I offer 1-on-1 Personal Training, Online Coaching, and Small Group Training—with those small group classes being completely free for veterans and their families.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. It’s never a smooth road, and anyone who says it is isn’t telling the full story.
The first major struggle was the transition out of the Army. I was aimless, working different jobs, and trying to find my footing. Committing to a new career path meant going back to school, which set the stage for a very challenging few years.
We had our first son while I was a student in Washington. Then, right in the middle of the 2020 pandemic, we made the decision to move our young family to my wife’s home here in Houston. After the move, I enrolled at the University of Houston to finish my degree, and we had our second son while I was still a full-time student.
All of this created a constant, heavy internal conflict: Should I pursue the uncertainty of building my own business from scratch, or should I take a stable, 9-to-5 job to provide for my growing family? That doubt is a massive hurdle.
Even after committing to Prestige Training, the second major struggle became clear: being a great coach and running a successful business are two completely different skill sets.
I knew how to get results for clients, but I was facing the same practical barriers that stop most independent trainers. Where do I find a gym? How do I get clients? How do I build the systems and processes to be a self-sustaining operation? It’s not just coaching; it’s marketing, sales, and operations all at once.
Finding Combined Arms was the critical turning point. They solved the single biggest hurdle—access to a professional space—and provided the veteran-focused community and resources that finally allowed me to overcome that doubt and build the business of Prestige Training.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Prestige Training provides professional fitness coaching through three primary services: 1-on-1 Personal Training, Small Group Training (SGT), and Online Coaching.
My specialty is building well-rounded clients. There’s a pervasive myth in fitness that you have to choose: be strong, or have endurance; be powerful, or be flexible. My entire background, from teaching martial arts to earning a B.S. in Exercise Science, proves that is wrong. We train for all of it. We build people who are strong, mobile, and have the endurance to actually use that strength.
What truly sets Prestige Training apart is where we operate and the community we’re built around. We are based exclusively out of the Combined Arms (CAX) center in East Downtown. This is not a commercial gym; it’s a vital resource hub for service members and veterans, and we are an active partner in their ecosystem.
This partnership is the key to our mission and allows me to focus on giving back to those who have served. The most important expression of this is that all of my Small Group Training classes are completely free for veterans and their dependents.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of our professional and educated approach. The fitness world is flooded with influencers, trends, and quick fixes. We are the antidote to that. My style is relaxed and supportive, but the method is direct and grounded in exercise science. We don’t just run you through a workout; we teach you how to move correctly, build sustainable habits, and develop real-world capability.
What I want your readers to know is this: Prestige Training is a mission-driven business, and our doors are open to everyone. We are proud to be located at Combined Arms and to serve the veteran population, but we train civilians, veteran dependents, and service members side-by-side. We provide the structure, accountability, and expert coaching you simply won’t find at a typical gym.
Whether you are a civilian who wants the dedicated focus of 1-on-1 Personal Training, or a veteran looking to join our free SGT community, we are here to help you get serious, sustainable results.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was the youngest of four kids and definitely the quietest of the bunch, which is something that still persists to this day. I was also the one who eventually grew to be bigger than all of them!
Interest-wise, I was into a lot of things that weren’t as mainstream then as they are now: anime, Hong Kong kung fu movies, sci-fi, and fantasy. And, of course, video games—I was great at rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero. It’s cool to see how it’s all grown since the late 90’s and early 2000’s
That combination of being introverted but also curious is probably what defined me. I liked to try new things, whether it was different foods, activities, or sports. I tried a few instruments and took a few language classes.
This last part is key to who I am today: I’ve always loved to learn, but I was never great at traditional school. I found that school often gets in the way of actual learning. I’m much more interested in gaining a practical understanding of how things work and then applying that knowledge. That curiosity has served me far better as a coach than just being good at taking tests.
Pricing:
- Free Small Group Training (SGT): All Small Group Training classes at our Combined Arms location are 100% free for all veterans and their dependents.
- Community Discount: We proudly offer a significant discount on all 1-on-1 Personal Training and Online Coaching for our entire veteran support community. This includes active service members, veterans, their dependents, and any staff or volunteers at a Veteran Service Organization (VSO) like Combined Arms, the VA, Wounded Warrior Project, etc.
- Personal Training (For All Clients): Our 1-on-1 Personal Training is a premium, customized service available to both civilians and our community members. Pricing is based on the specific needs and goals of the client. We invite all interested individuals to contact us for a direct consultation.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.prestige-training.com
- Instagram: prestigetraininghtx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prestigetraininghtx/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/prestige-traininghtx
