Our Team.
Here at Real Neal Sports, we hire elite coaches to help inspire clients to become elite athletes. We take our time but we also train hard. Here, We Do It Different. We aim to get Real Speed, Real Power and Real Results in all aspects when it comes to athleticism.
Sam graduated from De La Salle High School and went on to attend the University of Arizona where he earned my Bachelors in Physiology and Applied Mathematics. He holds ISSA Personal Trainer, Sports Nutrition, and Strength & Conditioning certifications. He is also a Certified aquatic fitness and hydrotherapy instructor and the current Head Coach of Indian Valley Swim Team in Walnut Creek.
Having participated in multiple sports, all introduced to him by his dad, Sam fell in love with swimming and later lifting. He competed in Junior National Championship meets for swimming until college. It was not until he was older that he truly realized the need for proper balance between health and fitness.
Sam’s drive for health has always been fueled by setbacks and criticism in a constant journey of self-improvement. His family and friends have been his greatest motivation and inspiration. His goal is to be able to provide and support his family like they have done for him and along the way change lives individually, either through healthy lifestyle changes or career choices.
Born and raised in the Bay Area Matt was a 1984 graduate of San Mateo High School where he began his
42 year and counting running, coaching and consulting career which included four years at the University
of Arizona, a twelve year professional athletic running career which included cross country, outdoor
track, indoor track and road racing. After retiring from professional running in 2000 he started his own
personal training consultant company, Five Rings Elite Fitness which specialized in cardiovascular endurance, running mechanics, and speed development for sports including soccer, lacrosse, cross-country, track, and basketball. Matt’s prolific running resume began when he won the Footlocker National Cross-Country Championship his senior year of high school which earned him an athletic scholarship to the University of Arizona and induction into the San Mateo High School Hall of Fame. At the University of Arizona, he was a 4-time All American in Cross Country and Track, including individual accolades of Pac-10 Champion in both Cross Country and Track, in addition to winning the 1988 NCAA Championship title in track in the 5000-meter event. His
Masters of Science - Biomechanics
Level 1 USA Track and Field Coach
NASM-PES Performance Enhancement Specialization
CSCS - Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
PCA Certified
NFL Certified Coaching Certificate
National Lacrosse Coaches - Club Coach Certified
Bay Area born and raised, Michael Neal Jr. dominated in sports at the youth and high school level. He played football at the City College of San Francisco where he won a state title with the Rams before earning a scholarship to the University of Nebraska at Kearney, where he was a two-time all conference defensive back and one time All American for the Lopers.
After graduating, Mike was hired full time as a sports performance and speed coach at Gamespeed. Three years later, and after years of tutelage from Aaron Thigpen, Michael started Real Neal Football at Gamespeed, a branch within Gamespeed geared toward
Michael's first love and passion, football. In 2012, Mike branched out with Real Neal Sports and formed the complete performance training business for all sports and fitness levels. He was also hired by International High School in San Francisco as the sole performance trainer for all the student athletes. There he created a comprehensive fitness and training program and conducted all aspects of conditioning and training for their student-athletes. After creating the physical education curriculum in its entirety, he went on to introduce sport-specific training for each sport on campus which included: Basketball, Volleyball, Track and Field, Fencing, Baseball, Swimming, Tennis, Badminton and Sailing. In 2016, Mike began Real Neal Academy, a program designed by athletes for athletes. Real Neal Academy works to help student-athletes accomplish their goals and provides training, tutoring, unofficial group college tours, and opportunities to work with top educators, athletes and community activists in the Bay Area.
collegiate success earned him induction into the University of Arizona Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduating from the University of Arizona in 1988, Matt began a twelve-year professional running career that included being a member of three World Cross Country USA national teams and three World Track and Field USA national teams. He won five USA National titles and was a four-time Olympic trials qualifier in track at the 5000m event (1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000), while making the 1996 United States Olympic Track and Field team in the 5000m event in Atlanta, Georgia. One of Matt’s most prized track accomplishments came in 1993 when he ran the first ever sub-4-minute mile in the city of San Francisco at Kezar Stadium. His time of 3:55 still stands as the fastest mile ever run in San Francisco. In addition to cross country and track Matt also competed in various road races throughout the world including San Francisco’s Bay to Breakers (4 th place) and winning USA National Road titles at 5k (3.1 miles) and 10k (6.2 miles) distances. His 10k Road National Championship winning time of 27:59 is the current American Record for the event. Upon his retirement in 2000 , Matt was inducted into the San Mateo County Athletic Hall Fame.