Dan has been a Starting Strength Coach since 2016. Prior to opening 51 Strong, he spent 8 years in Division 1 athletics as a strength and conditioning coach. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 2010 and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in Applied Kinesiology with an emphasis on coaching. He has held certifications through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.
Dan lives in Fargo with his wife Jenna, 3 kids (Marcella, Isabelle, and Leonardo), and their dog Bailey.
Small group training
-Starts at $225/month
-Access to the gym 24/7
-Access to small group strength training sessions
1 Day Clinic
-Covers the squat, press, deadlift, and bench
-lasts about 3 hours
-Covers the basics of programming, general nutrition, and managing minor aches/pains
-$200
1-on-1 Online Coaching
-Initial consultation to discuss your goals, training history, and any injuries/aches/pains
-Individualized programming is delivered weekly via TrueCoach.
-Smi- daily communication on technique, programming modifications, concerns, aches/pains
-1 monthly Zoom call to review your past training, reassess goals, and discuss the next training cycle.
-Free in-person training. If you're in the area, come train with us once per month at no charge. In-person, we can dial technique in even better in real-time.
-General nutrition recommendations
$149/month
Email Dan@fiftyonestrong.com for more information
Click the links below to read about those we've worked with:
Cathy's Story- https://fiftyonestrong.com/cathys-story-my-first-month-of-training/
Cathy's Story Part 2- https://fiftyonestrong.com/cathys-story-part-2/
Brendan's Story-https://fiftyonestrong.com/brendans-story/
4 Principles of Strength Training- https://fiftyonestrong.com/4-principles-strength-training/
To read more short articles by Dan, check out the Strength Journal at https://fiftyonestrong.com/strength-journal/
Starting Strength Articles: "The First Rep" https://startingstrength.com/training/from-the-archives-the-first-rep
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11 Reviews on “Daniel Raimondi, M.Ed., SSC”
Dan has coached me since October 2016. It was a tough start because I had blown a disc during a deadlift a month prior. I had been attempting my workouts without a coach and as a result my form was terrible. I recall being lopsided and having a rounded back and half way up the lift I heard/felt the pop and went down in agony.
Dan has been fantastic. He provides very regular feedback, asks questions and answers questions. He is available when needed and has a great demeanor. Before working with Dan I had a right knee problem (now gone), elbow tendinitis (now gone), and a left shoulder problem from an old injury. The shoulder problem persists but the way I am coached keeps it in check and I do not have to miss any workouts. I am recording new PR’s and can absolutely attribute strength and my lifting health to Dan’s coaching.
Dan is a tremendous coach! It had never entered my mind, ever, to lift weights. However, when I retired my son, who had been lifting weights for a number of years, thought it would be a good way for me to gain strength and improve my overall quality of life. He had followed the Starting Strength methodology and was looking for a Starting Strength coach and found Dan. Dan is always so positive and encouraging. He starts you out at very low weights and a program that is very doable. At first I thought it was too easy. However, it quickly became apparent to me that building slowly was key; not only to building muscle and strength, but it also made being consistent easier. Lifting was not a chore I had to do but rather a challenge for the day. I have never dreaded going to lift. I credit Dan with a big part of the success that I have had. I recommend him wholeheartedly 100%.
I highly recommend Dan as a coach. Initially when I first started working with him, I was only looking for some form critiques as I was already following a program and seeing decent results. However, after talking with him about my goals and what I wanted out of my training going forward, I decided to have him program for me as well. I’ve made the most progress of my lifting career since working with Dan. I’ve been working with him for about 10 months and he’s taken my 1 rep max on my squat from 275 to 405, my deadlift from 350 to 470, my bench from 195 to 240, and my overhead press from 120 to 155.
He is a great communicator of his knowledge and has always been concerned with what my goals are as an individual. I plan on continuing to work with him and seeing just how strong I can get as time goes on. If you’re looking for a high quality coach and are anywhere in the midwest, it would be worth your time and money to work with Dan.
I’ve been coached by Dan since about May of 2018. He’s the closest StartingStrength coach to me. (I’m in Canada, and a 3 hour drive to Fargo)
Obviously I can’t drive to and from Fargo (6 hour round trip) 3 days a week to train in person so Dan coaches me online. I augment the online coaching with 3-4 in person trips to Fargo per year.
I highly recommend Dan as a coach. Great guy, and the online method is fantastic. I open my email, and there’s my workout. I upload video footage for Dans observation and within 24 hours (usually the same day) he responds with his feedback.
The monthly Skype session is nice, and the in person training is a nice bonus. Dan has always been able to accommodate my travel schedule.
As a disclaimer, I’m the same Brendan linked above in “Brendan’s Story”. Go have a look. I still stand by everything I wrote.
Everyone should be doing resistance training, no matter your age or sex! Dan is a great coach. He knows his stuff and is a very positive coach. If you’ve been wondering about lifting, give him a try. I do online coaching with him and go to Fargo once/month for one-to-one training. I send videos of all my workouts and he is very prompt in his critiques. Starting Strength is a great program and I cannot say enough good things about the program and Dan. Try it, you definitely won’t regret it!
I started working with Dan in march of 2020 with the main goal of getting stronger. Dan did not disappoint. In these 5 months Dan managed to not only help me out with my form on the basic barbell lifts but even The Olympic lifts. My strength has improved tremendously working with Dan. With daily form checks and weekly programming your bound to have success and reach your goals working with such a knowledgeable coach.
I cannot recommend Dan enough. I have struggled with many injuries and lifting fatigue over the years. Under Dan’s coaching guidance I have resolved all previous injuries. all while becoming stronger. His communication and feed back is excellent.
I’ve been working with Dan since the beginning of 2021, and I can’t recommend him enough. Dan really cares about his lifters, and takes the time to guide them through sticky patches (such as injuries, yuck!). He’s very laid back and flexible, and keeps the workouts challenging yet do-able, enabling a recreational lifter like me to make slow long-term progress, which is what I’m looking for as a masters lifter. I’ve only been working with him online, but I feel as though I have a personal connection with him through our monthly Skype calls. I hope to do this for the long haul and Dan makes the process enjoyable.
For the time I worked with Dan, he was very reliable and consistent in his coaching. I appreciated his goal oriented apporach and his focus not only on the lifts, but also what happens outside of the gym and helping shape a healthy mindset for training for strength. He was able to give cues to allow me to perform the movements properly, especially the squat, where I was getting issues with my back previously.
Thanks! 🙂
Dan is an awesome coach, and his programming helped me get over a really nasty case of tennis elbow in both elbows. He listened to my feedback, and provided video and written feedback in a timely manner, as well as providing cues at-a-glance in the text under workouts. His monthly video calls were also a great way for us to stay in sync with my goals. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
I really appreciated having Dan as my coach. He helped me refine my form in the squat, overhead press, deadlift, and bench press, and gain confidence in those movements. I especially enjoyed our monthly 1-1 conversations which were included in the online coaching membership. Dan answered all of my questions, and provided valuable insights. He also help me adapt some of my technique as needed to address issues I had. For instance, I had an issue with feeling my elbows during squats and pressing. Dan showed me a new way to hold the bar for the squat that eliminated that issue all together. In addition to being a great coach, he is also a likable and kind person, which makes a big difference. I would strongly recommend him as a coach.