Coaches
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Jon Kalnas, BS, USAW-1
Owner, Director of Training
Owner of Critical Mass, Jon Kalnas, has an extensive background in training people of all ages and abilities. He graduated from Monmouth University with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, with a focus on Child Development. While in school, he earned All-American honors in track and field three times, being the first at Monmouth University to do so. Since 1995, Jon has been ranked in the top 30 in the country at the USA Track and Field Championships. His personal bests are finishing fourth indoors and eighth outdoors. As a competitive athlete, Jon also pursued long snapping at the NFL level with Gary Zauner, a 13-year NFL Special Teams Coordinator.
As a Sports Performance Coach, Jon uses his expertise and past experiences to create programs for a wide variety of athletes, with a specialty in working with track and field athletes. Jon is certified through USA Weightlifting (USAW-1). Over the last 6 years, Jon has helped athletes find homes at some of the best universities in the United States, with his athletes receiving over $1 million in scholarships. Many of these athletes have gone on to become some of the best in the NCAA. Outside of the gym, Jon enjoys pursuing his own shot-put career, reading, and spending time with his wife Caitlin and two sons, Jude and Wyatt.
Kelly Altenau, BS, BSN
Owner, Director of Operations
Kelly joined the Critical Mass team in the fall of 2016. Kelly graduated from West Chester University in 2015 with a degree in Biology and Psychology. Kelly is also a 2020 graduate of Villanova University’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing. Kelly enjoys combining her science background with organizational and problem-solving skills to excel in the position of Director of Operations at the gym.
Kelly’s roots to Critical Mass are deep, as she was the first athlete Jon trained in 2008. After being trained by Jon her entire shot-put career, she jumped at the opportunity to share ownership in the business with him. She is responsible for all operations in the gym, outside of training. In her free time, Kelly enjoys playing golf, going to the beach, reading, and traveling.
Ken Potis, BA
Director of Group Training
Ken has been a trainer at Critical Mass since 2015. Ken grew up competing in a variety of sports, including baseball at the high school and college level. His love of competition soon evolved into a love of coaching, as he began coaching youth baseball camps through high school, college and beyond. Ken applies these experiences to his coaching today, believing that strength training should be treated as a skill learned like in any other sport- with practice good form, and lots of patience!
Ken graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2012, with a B.A. in Communications. He received his certification as a Fitness Trainier through World Instruction Training Schools and is also an advanced practitioner of the Steel Mace. He currently trains for strength and competes in power-lifting events. His favorite part of coaching at Critical Mass is helping clients build confidence and seeing that “ah-ah” moment when they learn a new movement or achieve a personal best. Ken currently teaches strength classes, HIIT classes, and Personal Training sessions. In his free time, Ken enjoys training, learning and spending time with his wife Meaghan and his dog Duke.
Dan Kiningham
Trainer
Dan Kiningham joined Critical Mass in 2017. He is a retired CEO of a printing company and has been working as a personal trainer since 2003. Dan is a World Class Masters track cyclist. He is a 3-time Masters National Champion, a 2-time Masters World Bronze medalist, and has won over 15 State cycling championships.
Dan especially enjoys training seniors. Age should not keep you from being strong and leading an active life. His goal for his clients is to add life to their years. Whether you want to discuss training or just talk about cycling, he would love to hear from you. Dan's son Sam, also works at Critical Mass as the head of the Critical Mass Heroes program.
Andrew Mallin
Trainer
Coming Soon
Sam Kinningham, MS
Special Needs Fitness Coordinator
Sam Kiningham has worked with athletes for over 13 years and became a Personal Trainer when he graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2008. Sam has worked with clients of all ages and fitness levels, including professional athletes. Sam also has extensive experience working with the special needs community and started the special needs fitness program at Critical Mass in 2010, called CM Heroes. Sam was a personal trainer until 2013, when he became an assistant football coach for The College of New Jersey.
During his time away from training, Sam has been a Head Coach, Coordinator, and a Position coach at the college, prep and high School levels. Sam also worked with the USA Football league. He currently coaches football for the Township of Ocean High School. Sam attended Concordia University where he received a Masters in Sports Leadership. Sam resides in Ocean Township with his wife Lindsey, and their four children Joyce, Joseph, Kaylin, and Chase. He has been back training at Critical Mass since 2018.
Niki Dellera, MAT, 200 RYT
Niki joined Critical Mass in September, 2019. She developed a passion for all things fitness and nutrition back in high school. She likes to keep things zesty with a variety of interests, including heavy lifts, yoga, bodybuilding, boxing, and hiking. Niki loves food, and is constantly coming up with different, nutritious recipes that fit her needs. She loves to create meal plans with whole foods that satisfy everything from vegan, to fat loss, to muscle building diets.
Niki is certified to teach yoga and has completed various training certifications through NASM, as well as worked with NASM certified Fitness Nutrition Specialists to continue her education on Sports Nutrition. Niki graduated from Seton Hall with a B.A and Monmouth University with her MAT. Niki is fluent in Spanish and eagerly welcomes clients of various backgrounds.
Aiden Murphy
Trainer
Aiden came to Critical Mass in 2017, in search of the best strength and conditioning coaches around. He has always had a passion for all types of sports and played lacrosse throughout his high school career. He found a new passion for fitness during his time at Critical Mass and became a training intern in 2018. He spends most of his time working with the athletes in our Athlete Development Program and special needs fitness program, CM Heroes. Aiden is currently pursuing a Bachelors degree at Rutgers University.
Dr. Tyler Horton
- Doctor of Physical Therapy
-Neurological Clinical Specialist
-Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist
Dr.Tyler graduated with his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Ithaca College in November 2009. Since graduation, his clinical focus has been geared towards the treatment of neurological diseases and disorders. With over a decade of experience in working with these patient populations in a variety of settings, he has achieved designations as an ABPTS Board Certified Neurological Clinical Specialist and Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist.
Dr. Tyler’s treatment approaches are deeply rooted in the evidence based concepts of motor learning and neuroplasticity. He is currently certified in performing the LSVT-BIG® program and the PWR! program for individuals affected by Parkinson’s disease. In addition, he is certified in Balance-based Torso Weighting (BBTW®), an intervention geared towards improving stability and decreasing the risk of falls.
When he is not in the clinic, Dr. Tyler enjoys spending time with his wife Liz, his son Quinn as well as his doodle Brody. He stays active in many ways including running, cycling, rucking, and skiing.
Jon Kalnas, BS, USAW-1
Owner, Director of Training
Owner of Critical Mass, Jon Kalnas, has an extensive background in training individuals of all ages and abilities. He graduated from Monmouth University with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology with a focus on child development. While in school, he earned All-American honors in track and field three times and was the first at the university to do so. Since 1995, Jon has been ranked in the top 30 in the country at the USA Track and Field Championships. His personal bests are finishing fourth indoors and eighth outdoors. As a competitive athlete, he’s also pursued long snapping at the NFL level with Gary Zauner, a 13 year NFL Special Teams Coordinator.
As a sports performance coach, he uses his expertise and past experiences to create programs for a wide variety of athletes with a specialty in working with track and field athletes. Jon is certified through USA Weightlifting (USAW-1). Over the last 6 years, Jon has helped athletes find homes at some of the best universities in the United States with over $1 million in scholarships and many athletes becoming some of the best in the NCAA. Outside of the gym, Jon enjoys pursuing his own shot put career, reading, and spending time with his wife Caitlin and two sons, Jude and Wyatt.
Kelly Altenau, BS, BSN
Owner, Director of Operations
Kelly joined the Critical Mass team in the fall of 2016. A 2015 graduate of West Chester University with a degree in biology and psychology and a 2020 graduate of Villanova University’s M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Kelly enjoys combining her science background with organizational and problem solving skills to excel in the position of Director of Operations at the gym.
Kelly’s roots to Critical Mass are deep as she was Jon’s first athlete he trained in 2008. After being trained her entire shot put career, she jumped at the opportunity to share ownership in the business with him. She is responsible for all operations in the gym outside of training and enjoys every minute of it. In her free time, Kelly enjoys playing golf, going to the beach, reading, and traveling.
Ken Potis, BA
Director of Group Training
Ken has been a trainer at Critical Mass Training Systems since 2015. Ken grew up competing in a variety of sports, including baseball at the high school and college level. His love for competition would soon evolve into a love of coaching, as he began coaching youth baseball camps every summer through high school and college and beyond. He applies these experiences to his coaching to this day, believing that strength training should be treated like a skill in any other sport– with patience, good form, and lots of practice!
Ken graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2012 with a B.A. in Communication Studies, and is a Certified fitness Trainer through World Instructor Training Schools. He currently trains for strength and competes in power-lifting events. His favorite part of coaching at Critical Mass is helping build confidence in his clients and seeing that “A-ha” moment when they learn a new movement or achieve a personal best. Ken currently teaches strength classes, HIIT classes, and one-on -one sessions and is an advanced practitioner of the Steel Mace. In his free time, Ken enjoys training, learning, and spending time with his dog Duke and wife Meaghan.
Dan Kiningham
Trainer
Dan Kiningham joined Critical Mass in 2017. He is retired CEO of a printing company, and has been working as a personal trainer since 2003. Dan is a world Class Masters track cyclist. He is a 3-time Masters National Champion, a 2-time Masters World Bronze medalist, and has won over 15 State cycling championships.
Dan especially enjoys training seniors. Age should not keep you from being strong and leading an active life. His goal for his clients is to add life to their years. Whether you want to discuss training or just talk about cycling, he would love to hear from you. Dan's son Same also works at Critical Mass as the head of the Critical Mass Heroes program.
Andrew Mallin
Trainer
Coming Soon
Sam Kinningham, MS
Special Needs Fitness Coordinator
Sam Kiningham came to Critical Mass with over 20 years of working with the special needs community. Sam also has been working with athletes for over 13 years. Sam first became a personal trainer when he graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2008. During his time as a personal trainer he has worked with clients of all ages from the general population and top level professional athletes. When he was a personal trainer he started the special needs fitness program, which is now called CM Heroes. He was a personal trainer until 2013 when he became an assistant football coach for The College of New Jersey.
During his time away from training Sam has been a Head Coach, Coordinator, and a Position coach at the college, prep, high School levels, along with working for USA football. He currently coaches for the Township of Ocean High School. Sam Kiningham attended Concordia University where he received a Masters in Sports Leadership. Sam Kiningham resides in Ocean Township with his wife Lindsey and their four children Joyce, Joseph, Kaylin, and Chase.
Niki Dellera, MAT, CPT
Niki joined Critical Mass in September 2019. She developed a passion for all things fitness and nutrition back in high school. She likes to keep things zesty with her wide variety of athletic interests, including heavy lifts, yoga, bodybuilding, boxing, and hiking. Niki loves food, and is constantly coming up with different, nutritious recipes that fit her needs based on whatever goals she's currently pursuing. She knows how to create meal plans that incorporate whole foods, and function for everything from vegan to fat loss to muscle building diets, that work synergistically with workouts that excite each of her clients to help them reach their goals.
Niki has completed varios PT trainings through NASM, as well as worked with NASM certified fitness nutrition specialists to continue her education on sports nutrition. She has also completed several fitness and nutrition courses at Seton Hall University where she attained her BA, before acquiring her MAT at Monmouth University. Niki is fluent in Spanish and eagerly welcomes clients of various backgrounds.
Aiden Murphy
Trainer
Aiden came to critical Mass in 2017 looking for the best strength and conditioning coaching available to him. He has always had a passion for all types of sports, playing lacrosse throughout high school.
He found a new passion for fitness through his time at Critical Mass and became a training intern in 2018. He spends much of his time working with the athletes in our youth development and special needs fitness program, CM Heroes More than anything, Aiden enjoys staying active, joking around and making new friends.
Dr. Tyler Horton
- Doctor of Physical Therapy
-Neurological Clinical Specialist
-Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist
Dr.Tyler graduated with his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Ithaca College in November 2009. Since graduation, his clinical focus has been geared towards the treatment of neurological diseases and disorders. With over a decade of experience in working with these patient populations in a variety of settings, he has achieved designations as an ABPTS Board Certified Neurological Clinical Specialist and Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist.
Dr. Tyler’s treatment approaches are deeply rooted in the evidence based concepts of motor learning and neuroplasticity. He is currently certified in performing the LSVT-BIG® program and the PWR! program for individuals affected by Parkinson’s disease. In addition, he is certified in Balance-based Torso Weighting (BBTW®), an intervention geared towards improving stability and decreasing the risk of falls.
When he is not in the clinic, Dr. Tyler enjoys spending time with his wife Liz, his son Quinn as well as his doodle Brody. He stays active in many ways including running, cycling, rucking, and skiing.
