Chris Cundari, (Owner of DSFN) grew up in Villa Park, IL. He began playing football at the age of six and participated in several other sports throughout his high school career. It was his participation in sports as a child that sparked his interest in training for performance. As a child, Chris noticed that the kids that were bigger and faster, despite not having a high skill level, tended to be on the field the most often. In high school, when Chris was introduced to the weight room, he soon realized that physical attributes were somewhat modifiable. These attributes were not strictly performance-based, they also affected appearance.
Working out in the weight room most days of the week to improve his physical performance and appearance, Chris struggled with his body image into adulthood. He often wondered why others naturally looked lean and muscular without having to lift weights as much as he did. This curiosity would eventually push Chris to challenge himself by enlisting into the most physically demanding task he was aware of at the time of his high school graduation – becoming a United States Marine.
Chris served in the United Sates Marine Corps from 2006 to 2010, where he completed two combat tours, achieved the rank of Sergeant and received multiple awards for leading and motivating others to uphold the physical fitness standards of the Marine Corps. The time spent in the Marine Corps taught Chris an abundant wealth of knowledge, especially pertaining to training people and motivating others. Most of all, the time Chris spent as a Marine only furthered his obsession with learning more about the human body’s responses to physical stimuli. The Marine Corps was layered with men and women exposed to the same physical training, relatively similar diet and living conditions, yet, all these people were different shapes, sizes, strengths and speeds. It was this great exposure that led Chris to pursue a formal education in health and human sciences.
In 2014, Chris graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington with a Bachelor of Science with Latin Distinctions in Exercise Science. Upon completing his B.S., Chris studied the sciences of resistance training, plyometric training, speed, agility, speed-endurance development, and aerobic-endurance exercise training in preparation to becoming a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Most recently, in December of 2016, Chris graduated from Benedictine University with a Master of Science in Nutrition and Wellness with a concentration in Health Education. During his graduate studies Chris researched the effects of bone health and exercise. In addition to this, he focused his studies on applying nutrition science principles into the daily diet of individuals in order to achieve personal and performance-based goals.
Upon completing his MS, Chris has furthered his training repertoire and has developed strong relationships through reaching desirable results with sports teams, athletes, fitness-enthusiasts, people looking to a make a lifestyle change, and even other trainers. As a nutritionist, Chris has worked with athletes needing to optimize performance capacity, athletes needing to gain and lose weight for competition, and many people looking to lose unwanted fat and keep it off. Whether an elite athlete, or someone looking for a higher quality of life, Chris opened DSFN to share his knowledge and experience with those in need of it.
AbdAllah Mitchell was born in Omaha, Nebraska before moving to Baltimore, Maryland and eventually Plainfield, IL in 2005. An avid basketball player, AbdAllah found the joys of competitive sports at an early age. As a teenager he discovered how performance training enhanced his play on the court. Soon the weight room became a home away from home.
In 2014 AbdAllah moved to St. Louis, MO to attend Webster University. A 3 year student-athlete, he studied biology in health & medicine with plans to pursue dentistry. Each summer AbdAllah would come home and continue training with Chris—having met through a mutual friend—to prepare for the upcoming season. This is where his interest shifted to health and fitness—good thing a bio degree can help. During his time at Webster, AbdAllah was on the 2017 Academic Dean’s List and a presenter at the HHMI bacteriophage conference in Virginia. In 2018, he left collegiate athletics to intern for Elemental Enzymes as a lab assistant while completing his senior thesis.
Eventually returning to Chicago, AbdAllah struggled to meet dentistry as a career path. Realizing he was happiest in the weight room and in the kitchen, AbdAllah dove into personal training at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Juneteenth of 2020 he officially earned his CPT license with NASM, and a week later began interning with DSFN and Chris Cundari—fitting given his interests in fitness and nutrition excelled after meeting Chris.
At the tail end of the summer in 2020, AbdAllah was accepted to Benedictine Universities Master of Public Health (MPH) program with an emphasis in Health Education Promotion (HEP). In the Fall he moved to Madrid, Spain to learn Spanish, immerse himself in a new culture, and see the world while studying. The first year was such a thrill AbdAllah returned to Madrid for a second year, continuing his studies in public health and Spanish. In the Spring semester of 2022 he took a job as a group fitness instructor. Seeing the do’s and dont’s of a group fitness studio, AbdAllah realized there’s more to health than just working out.
In the summer of 2022 AbdAllah attained his Corrective Exercise Speciality (CES) and returned home to Chicago to complete his MPH while working at DSFN—solidifying his passion and career for health and wellness. As the journey continues, AbdAllah plans to pursue fluency in Spanish, complete his MPH, and make a push to the next level in health and wellness.
Adam Prahl was born and raised in Prospect Heights, Illinois. Growing up in a neighborhood with many boys of similar age, he was constantly immersed in all types of organized and neighborhood competitions, challenges, and other high-energy community activities. It was a delightful way for him to stay active and avoid a sedentary lifestyle.
Adam's passion for sports began at a young age, and he became a lifelong soccer player, starting at the age of five and continuing through high school. In addition to soccer, he was also a four-year member of both the cross country and track teams during his high school sports career. In his junior year, he joined the high school's volleyball team in its inaugural year, expanding his athletic pursuits.
Despite being a long-time sports fan, it wasn't until the late 90's, during his freshman year of college, that Adam began investing in daily exercise and weight lifting at a gym. It was during this time that he started a job that caused him an abnormally high amount of stress, anxiety, and unease. Seeking relief, a childhood friend mentioned how he had overcome similar issues by hitting the weights first thing in the morning.
Taking his friend's advice to heart, Adam soon realized that physical fitness and weight training were so much more than just aesthetics and competition. They became a way of life for him, providing a means to relieve stress, gain confidence, and improve his overall health and wellness. This positive transformation inspired him to pursue personal training as a career.
In 2004, Adam befriended Dan, a personal trainer at Bally's, who introduced him to various training techniques and methods to properly train the body. Adam was captivated by the idea of personal training, and he soon started working at a personal training facility owned by two of Dan's former managers. He was even able to continue his studies while working, obtaining his first certification through the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA). Since then, Adam has never looked back and continues to work as a personal trainer, helping others achieve their fitness goals and improve their overall well-being.