About the Gym
Training Ground is a private gym in the middle of Arlington that is exclusive to personal training clients with a motivating environment and state of the art equipment.
About Sophia Neff, RN, BSN
I became a certified personal trainer and registered nurse in 2017 after graduating from Boston College with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. As a nurse, I’ve seen first hand what can happen when inactivity, injury, and chronic conditions debilitate the human body. I believe nutrition and fitness education services are at the foundation of wellbeing and healthcare. Over the past 6 years, I have had the privledge of helping over 30 clients of every age and ability improve their health and achieve their goals.
Client-centered personal training and health coaching.
You body is unique. My programs will motivate you, strengthen you, and help you achieve your goals

TOTAL BODY AND HEALTH TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM
ALL-INCLUSIVE PERSONAL TRAINING AND HEALTH COACHING FOR EVERYONE
- Science-based fitness training
- Professional and motivational health coaching
- Transformative nutrition education
- Effective Lifestyle Change strategies

POST-REHAB AND INJURY RECOVERY PROGRAM
KNOWLEDGEABLE REHABILITATIVE TRAINING FOR INDIVIDUALS AFTER CONCLUDING PHYSICAL THERAPY
- Research-based strength training
- Experienced and encouraging coaching
- Progress based on safety and comfort level
- In-person AND virtual opportunities available
Client Testimonials

I’ve worked with Sophia for almost 2 years now and it’s been an absolute pleasure. I’m in my 30’s and in pretty good shape but the exercises I was doing weren’t necessarily best for me and my body. She takes into account your body type, injuries, goals/objectives and capabilities to tailor a program suited to you. Many exercises can cause more harm than good if not done properly (or not suitable for you) and she will either replace those or reach you the correct way to do them. I’ve learned a lot since working with her — what exercises best suit my body type, what’s wrong with what I’ve already learned and have been programmed to do. It helps that she’s a Registered Nurse with intimate knowledge of the human body (think skeletal system and muscular system). Ill continue to work with her until I’m confident I can consistently follow through on a workout regimen of my own.
I am not exaggerating when I say that Sophia helped change my life. From our very first session, her professionalism and friendly demeanor made me feel comfortable. Sophia is a nurse and certified personal trainer. Because of this powerhouse combination, she was able to use her extensive knowledge to modify weight lifting the moves I had trouble with so I was able to do them. Not only is Sophia incredibly knowledgeable, but she also was the perfect balance between drill sergeant and cheer leader. She believed I could push myself farther than I thought I could. As a result, I was able to achieve more of my goals than I thought possible. Sophia is thoughtful, smart, friendly, and inspiring. Thanks to her, I can move forward confidently in pursuit of physical fitness. The only reason I am not still seeing her is because I moved out of state. If she and I still lived in the same state there is no question that I would still be seeing her. Cannot recommend highly enough! She is worth every penny!
Sophia is absolutely the BEST!! She is totally dedicated to helping you with your own personal fitness and training needs and with her guidance, you will surpass even your own expectations. She provides encouragement, motivation, lots of variety in routines, fun doing it (!) and expects you to work hard. I have been working with her for more than a year already, and she has changed my life.
Sophia is such a wonderful personal trainer and I miss her dearly. I, too, planned on hiring her just for a few sessions and ended up training with her every single week for over a year, up until she graduated. Sophia did an amazing job with me: I became stronger and more toned and flexible than ever. Sophia taught me what training properly really means. I had never sweat doing fitness on my own. Since the first session, my body became responsive to her training and I started to experience right away the benefits and satisfaction that come with a good sweat. I wish I could have moved to D.C. at the same time than Sophia in order to continue my weekly regimen with her: I cannot compliment her enough: she really helped me change physically and psychologically. I wish Sophia all the best in D.C.! See less
I’m a Boston College employee and regularly work-out at the BC Plex. During the summer of 2015 I had two knee replacements. In January, 2016 I hired Sophia, with two requests—help me learn to get up and down off the floor (the thought of getting on my knees frightened me) and help me stay limber (I’m 66 years old.) I planned to hire Sophia for the Spring semester only, but ended up keeping her until she graduated. Each week she would research exercises for my specific needs, then have me do different variations of the exercises, thus work-outs were never boring. Since working with Sophia I’m enjoying the Plex more because she taught me exercises I never dreamed of doing. I’m stronger, sitting up straighter, walking taller, and able to go up and down stairs easily. And best of all, I don’t hesitate getting up and down off the floor. I feel very fortunate having found Sophia and believe anyone hiring her will feel the same way.
Outstanding master of her craft; incredibly bright with a treasure trove of health and fitness knowledge; expert in running, weight training, TRX synergy training; and a warm, spontaneous personality that make workouts fun. Being a Nursing Student and BC, she used her nursing knowledge and combined it with an customized training for us, Sophia is brimming with the brains to help anyone achieve the fitness level. She’s the real deal in an industry full of wannabees and is the standard by which any trainer should be measured.”
Sophia was one of two trainers in an exercise program I joined over a year ago. I joined very hesitantly as I had not formally exercised in years and was dealing with hip and foot problems. Sophia was the perfect mix of “encouraging coach” and “demanding drill sergeant”. She demanded, and got from the group, physical milestones that I don’t think any of us thought were possible. She was extremely knowledgeable and always cognizant of our safety. What was most impressive to me was that she was always 100% invested even though I happened to know that she was balancing a full academic schedule, several extracurricular activities, clinical responsibilities and work assignments at the same time. Sophia is an extremely hard working, intelligent woman who is passionate about her work. I am happy to endorse her!
Sophia was my Personal Trainer from September through May, and she was a tremendous help to me. She was always professional, competent, and patient – a pleasure to work with. She knew when to prod me to try harder and when to add the right level of encouragement. My health improved; my diabetes numbers improved; my outlook on working out improved. In the relatively brief time that I knew her, Sophia made a qualitative difference in my life. I wish I could move to Washington to continue working with her!
Sophia was an excellent personal trainer. She always kept me motivated, treated me professionally and showed genuine interest in my progress. She made sure to diversify our routines to make them fun and doable and always accommodated to my schedule. Besides being knowledgeable about the exercises and the science behind them, Sophia helped me identify exercises to help me achieve my specific goals. She helped me stay positive and made sure I learned everything properly so that I could continue with her routines once our time together ended. I REALLY recommend her as a trainer!! Thank you for everything, Sophia!