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I suffered a spine injury training with Miami Beach personal trainer David Silva. He is now a trainer at David Barton Miami Beach, and while I can't verify this, I heard that he was hired through connections and never actually even passed the required personal training course at David Barton. That's a shame, because David Barton Gym at the Gansevoort is a swank place with lots of clients - not like David Silva Fitness, which was a private training facility.
At any rate, I worked out with him for about a year - and during that trying time - I watched his entire client base dwindle to near nothing. I can understand why - between his neurosis, bad hygiene, and constant inappropriate discussions with clients, it was not easy. But it was convenient and it was private, and finding that on Miami Beach isn't easy - heck, finding a reliable Miami Beach personal trainer isn't easy.
It got even worse when he was arrested for child molestation. From the news:
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — Police arrested a personal trainer after molesting a boy during a fitness work-out. According to Miami Beach Police, David Silva slid his hands down a 13-year-old boy and penetrated him during a work-out session.
I hear he was ultimately let off because there wasn't enough evidence. The bottom line, though, is that he injured me on two occasions with his unorthodox and dangerous training methods. I've also kept up with other trainers who worked with him and they say he injured many, many other people and that the way he trains is clearly wrong. How the heck was I (or any other client) supposed to know?
It often felt wrong. For instance, he would insist you breathe the opposite way when working out. So, for instance, if you were bench pressing and were about to PUSH the weight up - he would have you (insist actually) BREATHE IN instead of breathe out. I remember how strange it felt and would often feel dizzy. Finally, the other trainers convinced him how bad that was and he stopped.
Unfortunately, he injured me twice more. And the last one was the worst and I'm very angry. The bottom line: David Silva Fitness injured my spine, L5-S1 and he, David Silva, used dangerous training methods that could harm others. Don't get me wrong, though - I'm not some made-for-tv professional victim rolling around in a wheel chair or looking for disability. Not all. But what I have, every day, is chronic pain. And I wish he had not done this to me.
He wanted me to do military presses on a bench (a flat bench, no back) using the smith machine. That's fine, that's standard I guess. But right before I started pushing, he insisted that I move my butt back about a foot or a foot and a half. So I was seated, leaning forward, and pushing up.
Well, you can imagine what happened - I wish I had known better and knew more about the mechanics of training. I couldn't even leave my bed for a week after that. The other trainer saw it and was totally shocked, he could not believe he had made me do that. He said it was dangerous and he should not be allowed to train people - but he couldn't scream and shout because, after all, he was David Silva's employee.
So after everything, I wind up with severe back spasms and two annular tears to my L5-S1. PAIN EVERY DAY all because he was such an awful trainer. It makes me so mad that I have to live with this for the rest of my life, especially because putting up with his bizarre behavior was so hard in the first place. It was one thing to deal with how annoying he is - after all, the place was private and so convenient - but to have a lifelong injuruy now?!?! That's just too much.
Please exercise great caution in working with this personal trainer. He also stole money from a number of clients, lied to them, was ultimately evicted from his training center, and didn't repay anyone. He crafted a whole lie about he whole thing, so I'm sure that plenty of people don't even know. What's more, he appears to have no regrets about anything.
He is not just a Miami Beach personal fitness trainer, he is an accused pedophile, a bad trainer who uses destructive methods, and a con artist. Why David Barton Gym, a reputable organization, would hire this guy, I'll never know.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
To the previous post: Why did you take the ride then? I would never get in a car with someone that scares me like that. Also, I know him personally and I am almost sure that he would not hurt anyone, even less a child. He is an amazing human being, and although maybe anal about his work, so what?
Is time that we start separating gay from child molestation! the two don't go together at all, but do not get me started since I wont get into that subject, going back to David, in the short time that we met, I only heard good things about him, even people outside Miami Beach knew him and respected him. And in his community?! Well a very involved and dedicated citizen.. So stop talking trash about the guy..
I am a really lucky person, then. I went to Miami Beach last year to work as a model and I got a recommendation from a guy who lives there, to workout at David Barton Gym. When I got there they offered me a free week with David Silva and I took it, I mean, why not? Then I realized that his training methods were really unusual and, after that week, I stop doing that and started a new training. But what scared me the most was that news about the 13 y.o kid. One day, David called me and asked me if I didn't wanted to go to his apartment. Thanks to my good sense I said "No" because I was already convinced that he was gay. So, I escaped from a possible molestation. BUT, in the day that I was going back to my country, he offered me a ride and I took it, because I didn't have anyone to take me there and didn't have money for the cab. Fortunately, nothing happened. But it is scary just to think that anything could have happened to me.