THIS IS US

our best for

your better

We’ve trained here, there, and everywhere in-between.

We were tired of watching people overpay to rent access to gym equipment, hire overpriced personal trainers, get slayed by another overemphasized high intensity classes, feeling broken post workout, and make little to no progress toward their ideal self.

The traditional process is broken, that’s why we created Ambitious Athletics. We’ve got the solution.

Our purpose is simple; deliver an outstanding coaching experience that cuts through the fad fitness and dieting marketing noise and eliminates the guesswork. Educate and equip individuals with practical skills and principles that will simplify their lives and provide a foundation for life long results.

We see life as our sport, which means that when we can live pain-free or overcome injury, the more prepared we can be for activity, the more fun we can have, the younger we can feel, and the more adventurous we can be. When our body doesn’t limit us, we can experience life without limits.

Meet your coaches

Carmen Sturniolo

Fueled by my passion for helping individuals move better, lose fat, gain muscle and confidence, I created Ambitious Athletics in 2010 to provide a better customer experience after experiencing glaring problems in the personal training field.

What initially started with training clients at their work, in their home, or in back alleys transformed into taking on and supporting organizations like the Travel Channel and the Optical Society of America to opening the Ambitious Athletics health and fitness facility in downtown Washington, DC.

I've spent the last 15 years working with a range of clients and producing numerous transformations which has allowed me to build Ambitious Athletics into a highly-rated Washington, DC fitness program, according to Yelp.

Other experiences:

From 2007 - 2010, big box commercial gym.

From 2009 - 2012, assisted the head Strength and Conditioning coach at the Landon school in Bethesda, Maryland, and also served as the assistant coach for the Landon Bears 6th grade baseball team.

2011 - ongoing, through the US Department of State with the Center for Sport, Peace, and Society champion the Empower Women Through Sport Initiative. I've had the great pleasure to help educate women from around the world about smart exercise, nutrition, and mental and physical health,  including children from: Maldives, Russia, Bolivia, Germany, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Africa, and the Palestinian territories.

Continuing education is and will always be important to me. I stay up-to-date with the latest athletic research and understanding of the human body. My certifications are world class and amongst the best in the field; accredited bodies include the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Additional approved accreditations include; IYCA Certified Youth Fitness Specialist II, Resistance Band Training, Precision Nutrition, TRX, Gray Cook Functional Movement Screening, Nutritional Coaching Institute, Annette Lang Integrated Stretch, AED/CPR.

Carmen is a #girldad x2, 2X Half Ironman finisher, Savageman brick holder, and a 2006 BA graduate of Penn State University.

Certifications include,

NSCA, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

NASM, Certified Personal Trainer

NASM, Corrective Exercise Specialist

Precision Nutrition, Exercise Nutrition Level 1 & 2

USAW1 Sports Performance Specialist

TRX Certified  

Connect with Carmen @Sturniolo on Instagram.

Kam Khoshneviss

I’ve been an athlete my whole life, and though a lot of the technical abilities in the sports I played came naturally to me, I never had the athletic ‘gifts’ that star players were allegedly born with. This bothered me as a kid growing up, but because I was so technically proficient, I accepted my athleticism for what it was, and coasted through every season, not really improving. 

Fast forward to my junior year in high school. After another long off-season of laziness and stagnation, basketball tryouts came. I was overweight and out of shape, but confident I’d still make the team. I hadn’t moved all summer, and it showed. I was winded easily, my knees and ankles felt weak and frail, and there was one point where I had to sit out from the pain of shin splints. Coach sat me down after and told me he just hadn’t seen any difference from the year before. 

Looking back, I remember feeling something that, at the time, I didn’t really understand. At 24 years old, it’s easy to see now that it was purpose. I realized immediately that I couldn’t be mad at anyone else but myself. I had a year to transform myself into a completely different basketball player. I knew what I had to do and I wouldn’t waste any time doing it. For 365 days, you could either find me in the gym or on the court. 

Senior year I made the team, I was starting point guard, and I had colleges recruiting me. My high school coach told me I was a completely different athlete, and that he’d never seen anything like it. 

I went on to play in college, and the importance of strength and conditioning became ever-more present. Everybody there was a star in high school, so what got me to that point had to be multiplied. One of my teammates, Tayquan, had the work ethic that I strove towards, so naturally we became good friends. I learned that he had a similar story as myself, and knew that hard work off the court (lifting weights) is what makes you great. He made shirts that had the letters BGNA on them, which stood for Be Great Not Average. Naturally, this resonated with me. Unfortunately, he passed away in a car accident, and ever since then I’ve sworn to live by and share this message. 

I realized my purpose was to give hope, guidance, and motivation to others.

In short, if I did it, so can you. I wasn’t naturally gifted. I was as average as average can be, but I got tired of it. Lifting weights and working on my athleticism was what made me great. I owe who I am to the gym. The lessons I learned in the gym that carried over into my life are immeasurable. Discipline, courage, decisiveness, patience, devotion, perseverance, and many more virtues were ingrained in me through exercise. I believe the same could happen to anyone.

Strive to be great, not average.