"Nick brings a genuine, infectious, and positive energy to his coaching that makes everyone around him want to be their best. He leads from the heart—driven not only by a passion for what he does, but by a deeper passion for the athletes he serves. Nick pushed me to reach my full potential and perform at an elite level, while also being there for me whenever I needed support beyond the weight room. He was more than a coach—he was a mentor to us all—and I am a better person because of it. His belief in me never wavered, and his heart for people is as big as his drive for excellence!"

“While training with Nick I was playing the best baseball of my career, and it was no coincidence. He knows how to get the most out of his athletes and has a passion for what he does.”

“Nick was great during my career at NU and as I was training for my professional career. He’s very knowledgeable and will have you ready to perform come game time.”

"Nick was instrumental to not only my athletic development, but also trained me to develop the grit, will and mental toughness to tackle the competition at the Division 1 level."

“As a pro athlete you’re looking to try and work and be trained by the best of the best. Nick is hands down the best strength coach I’ve ever had and that includes in professional baseball. He understands how to communicate and get the most out of everyone he gets to work with. His positivity is contagious and that’s why I always look forward to get to train with him every winter.”

”Coach Nick was an incremental part in helping my football career thrive at Northwestern University. From being patient with me while teaching different lifts, to motivating and pushing me harder in conditioning, Coach Nick made me a better overall football player. I was able to take what he taught me all the way to the National Football League. Thanks Nick!”

“My 7 years with Nick were so impactful, that I can confidently say without his coaching I would not have made it half as far as I did in my career.

Not many individuals possess the expertise he has, being one of the few that can actually explain the WHY behind each exercise/plan in the short and long term. I challenge anyone to ask their S&C coaches the why behind everything, not many have the capability to break it down and relate it to real life scenarios like Nick can. The funny thing is, personally I was slower than most to comprehend new exercises. After a few words and a demonstration or two, I started to connect the dots. He has an uncanny ability to adjust to each athlete’s learning style. Most of all, he has each athlete’s best interest in his heart. 

There is ton of information on the web nowadays, as a competitor you want to educate yourself as much as possible to grant any sort of edge. Nick has that same edge, always educating himself further to give his athletes the best opportunities to succeed. I was extremely lucky to have spent as much time working with someone with as high of character and extreme wealth of knowledge. 

Words are truly just words unless true action is taken to see results you desire. Here is a synopsis of my results with Nick:

2011 (Fall): 6’3, 180lbs with minimal understanding of proper movement through honestly all athletic motions, not just in the weight room. Multiplied by a mediocre dieting and recovery plan equals in simple terms- I did not take good care of myself! This led to getting arthroscopic surgery on my left elbow.

We took all of this in hand, as Nick held me accountable to get all of this right.

2015 (Senior Season-Spring): 6’3, 215 with a much better understanding of each category I lacked above. A lot of hard work was put in to get to this stage by both Nick and I. With a much more powerful frame and the overall awareness of how to use it correctly from Nick, I had a serious uptick in my stuff (Fastball 2011: 87-89, 2015: 93-99) and was selected in the 9th round by the White Sox. 

I am forever grateful to have worked with Nick. I would have never had a chance to even play pro ball, let alone get drafted if it was not for him. With that being said, I am excited to hear about more success stories from more athletes of his in the future. His resume speaks volumes, he knows how to get results as he has unlocked serious opportunities for numerous athletes!”

“Hi guys, my name is Ryan Campbell and I am currently a pitcher in the Cincinnati Reds organization. I first met Nick when I transferred to UIC as a junior in 2016, and I have been working with him as often as I can since. Nick immediately made a good first impression on me because he didn’t just throw us to the wolves when we first came in. Nick made sure we were all comfortable and actually good at the lifts. 

You may think this is expected by all strength coaches but its more rare than you think. Nick is all about safety first gains second and if you listen to him you will be able to achieve whatever it is that you are after. 

Over the past four years I have gotten to know Nick more and more and he is one of the most genuinely good people I’ve ever met in my entire life.

He not only helped me reach a new level in the weight room that helped me get drafted, but he continues to help me to this day to no benefit of his own other than just helping us pro ballers out. He has no requirement in his job  at UIC to help us out but every offseason he schedules us into his already crazy busy schedule and not only just lets us come in but he still makes our programs and lifts with us.

Mostly I’ve just talked about Nick's character which is reason enough to work with him, but his knowledge about the weight room and health is elite as well. Nick adapts all the exercises specifically for you and what you are training for. If you don’t like something, you’re doing in the weight room he will change it in a heartbeat and make it work for you. In the weight room you are continuously learning and growing together. No matter what topic you bring up to him he will either give you a well thought out unbiased opinion or he will go research it until he has an answer. Nick knows when to push you and he will motivate you with a smile on his face, and he brings that kind of energy and positivity every single day. This is all true 100% of the time whether he is with a group of 30 or just 1 on 1.

Nick is one of the greatest strength coaches and people ive ever been around and there is a 0% chance you will regret working with him.

Thanks for listening guys have a good day!”

“I had the opportunity to work with Coach Nick during my college career, and he made a lasting impression on me.  He cared so much about how we were doing personally and always made sure our culture and morale felt the right way to help us work toward our goals.”

“From the very first day that I met Nick at UIC I knew right away that he was going to be somebody who was going to push me to the highest level possible. I have known Nick now for 7 years and I am extremely blessed to have had him as a strength and conditioning coach during my collegiate and professional career. When I think of Nick, I think of a tremendous leader and motivator, but most importantly an incredible human being. Nick brought his A game to every single workout which made it so enjoyable to work with over the years. If I could, I would go back to the college years and wake up for a 6am lift with Nick because I know he would be ready to get after it. You are truly the man Nick and I thank you so much for all the hard work and time you put in with me.”

“I started getting workouts from Nick to help my 2 mile run time.  I am active duty military with almost 19 years of service.  I have always been a good runner (when I am in shape).  I was running around 14.5 minute two miles for most of my late 20's / early 30s.  After using a tailored run program from Nick I went from good to great.  At the age of 35 I ran two sub 13 minute two mile runs, 6 months apart.  With permission, I shared my program with my co-workers.  One of my co-workers was a bodybuilder and basically lost his ability to run.  He is an extremely talented Sergeant who was on the verge of being discharged due to continuous 2 mile run failures.  When he started using my programming, he went from a 17 minute two mile down to a 14.5 minute in two months.  He kept his job and has had continued success on his 2 mile tests.  Three other co-workers saw substantial decreases to their overall times.  I asked them what they did to bring their time down and they all responded with "We did that running program you gave us".  I can't recommend working with Nick enough!”

“Nick Zostautas was one of the best strength and conditioning coaches I’ve ever had. During my college career, he significantly helped  my strength, power and explosion. His energy and attitude is contagious and he helps bring the best out of you. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be trained by Nick. I would recommend any athlete that is looking to gain strength, explosion, and power to be trained by Nick Zostautas.”

“Nick Zostautas is a superb motivator, technician, and coach. With his guidance and energy, I broke several Northwestern weight room records, was dubbed a NSCA Strength & Conditioning All-American, and went on to make an active roster with the Indianapolis Colts. Nick has a sincere ability to get the most of his athletes both on and off the field.”

“I spent 7 years training under Nick Z and can honestly say he changed my athletic career and life. When I first entered the weight room, I was insecure, unsure, and lacked confidence. Nick created an environment that pushed me and helped me get over my road blocks. Nick has a unique ability to connect with people from all different backgrounds. His uplifting excitement for strength and conditioning goes unmatched. Nick takes an individualistic approach to every athletes needs for their specific goals. Through Nick’s culture and programming, I was able to take my body, mind and athletic ability to places I never thought were possible. Not only is Nick a great teach, he is a constant student of strength and conditioning and has a burning passion to develop his craft. His openness, attention to details and ability to communicate are just some of the short list qualities that makes him an amazing coach. I recommended Nick to any person who is looking to set fitness goals and crush them.”