Experienced Strength Trainers

The force behind Gridiron Inc - Frank Savino

A former All-New York State and All-New York City defensive lineman at Holy Cross High School, Frank Savino knew he needed to get the most out of his 235-pound frame to cut it in collegiate football at Hofstra University.

Using high-intensity training, he developed into an All-American defensive tackle and nose guard. At 285 pounds, he had a brief professional career with the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football (which became NFL Europe), and he had an invitational tryout with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Frank worked with NFL, Olympic, and collegiate athletes from a number of sports at Dr. Ken Leistner’s facility for 4 years. In this role, he prepared top-level competitors for the rigors of their respective careers.

Frank completed postgraduate degrees in counseling and higher education administration, and then served as an associate dean of student affairs for 15 years at St. John’s University. He left the field of college administration in 2003 and founded Gridiron Inc.

Gridiron Inc is a strength and conditioning facility that specializes in high-intensity training. Frank directs program development and supervises the training of many top high school athletes in the New York Metropolitan area – as well as professional and amateur athletes from around the sports world.

Niko

Nicholas has been at Gridiron as a client since he was 11 years old and has been a personal trainer at Gridiron for over 6 years. During that time, he has trained many athletes including the Garden City High School Football Team’s offensive and defensive linemen as well as several high school and collegiate athletes on all levels. In addition to training sports specific athletes, he has experience training clients whose ages range from six to 70 years old. 

He also participated in powerlifting and strongman competitions, during which he placed as high as 2nd place in the 2017 Titex East Rockaway Powerlifting Classic. He is certified by NASM as a Personal Trainer and a Stretching and Flexibility Coach. 

Nicholas has dedicated more than half of his life to his training and furthering his knowledge of fitness. He shows the same dedication to his clients and has done so since he was a teenager

Max

Max and Gridiron’s owner Frank share a common connection to their mentor, the late Dr. Ken Leistner. He started training with Dr. Ken at the age of twelve and was with him up until his passing in 2019. During his time with Dr. Ken Max learned the value of high intensity training, the proper execution of each exercise and the value of hard work.

Max also played football at Oceanside High School, where he was named 2nd Team All-State and was the runner up for the Martone Award. He was recruited to play football at Tufts University, where he earned a degree in biology with a focus on Pre-Medical Studies. 

Max is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a previous EMT. He uses his knowledge of the various biological systems and experience training under Dr. Ken to help our clients meet their goals and perpetuate the Gridiron culture.