TOPS Athletics

TOPS Athletics & Synergy ONE are a team of multidisciplinary Allied Healthcare & Fitness --- Professionals. Our staff is comprised of:
Certified Personal Trainers (CPTs)
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialists (CSCSs)
Performance Enhancement Specialists (PESs)
Corrective Exercise Specialists (CESs)
Licensed Athletic Trainer (LAT) (Injury Prevention & Rehabilitation)
Registered Dietitian (RD)
Our programs are modeled around evidence-based methods from level 1, quantitative research studies. We apply the science & state-of-the-art technology, along with some comical motivational tactics (with a smirk), to deliver our individual clients the results that they seek.

TOPS is an educational organization. We work in partnership with the National Academy of Sports Medicine & UNCW’s Exercise Science Department. We are an Academic Partner Host Facility for NASM’s Associate Personal Trainer Program, & we also host interns from UNCW’s Exercise Science Dept. Jeff Smith, M.S., CSCS, Owner/GM of TOPS, is on faculty at UNCW in the Exercise Science Department teaching EXS 349: Physiology of Exercise & Sport and EXS 470: Exercise Prescription & Assessment. We provide future fitness professionals with observational opportunities and hands-on practical learning experiences. This gives us the opportunity to impact the future of the field of health & fitness professionals, which aligns with our mission to change the landscape of how professional health & fitness services are delivered.

TOPS Athletics is the fitness and strength & conditioning element of our organization. Synergy ONE is the clinical element, which provides clinical metabolic testing services via indirect calorimetry and individualized nutrition programs designed by our Registered Dietitian, Veronica Hayes, RD, LDN. Through metabolic testing, we can determine anything from the Resting Metabolic Rate of a client (or patient) for use in determining their daily caloric intake target for their goal-specific nutrition plan, to Aerobic Threshold, Anaerobic Threshold (often referred to as Lactate Threshold), VO2max, & HRmax of an athlete, which our partners at Without Limits Coaching use to design individualized, event-specific endurance training programs. Our metabolic equipment is mobile, so we can actually conduct RMR testing onsite for our Corporate Wellness clients.

For gold-standard measures of body composition, or precision body fat % measurement, we have an exclusive relationship & access to UNCW’s Exercise Science Lab directed by Dr. Wayland Tseh.