Meet Abe Al-Baba | Neuro Sports Performance Specialist, Trainer, Sports Nutritionist & Author

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abe Al-Baba and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abe, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I believe the most important factor behind my success at 3 in 1 Elite is blending my three core values: education, application, and customer service. These factors are all interdependent.  I lacked passion for education through my elementary and high school years, however, in the last decade I realized I craved knowledge and growth, constantly seeking more. The more I learned, the more I realized I actually did not know. It’s been a crazy journey and never in a million years would I have thought I’d be close to finishing an entire curriculum in Neuro Sports Performance. The ironic part is that my weakest subject in school was science; showing that interest, dedication, and passion can conquer all, allowing you to achieve your dreams.  Throughout my journey, I learned that having a plethora of knowledge does no good unless you can apply it in a manner that resonates with the client. So the next step with each client is digging deep into what that person truly wants from you (as their trainer) and why did they reach out and seek your service. It’s not just about finding the surface solution but creating a connection to the client’s why. This is truly important and makes the difference between a good trainer and an excellent one.  Typically for me, clients seek my service to fix a pain-induced problem (low back pain), enhance performance (like a vertical jump), increase speed and strength, or help them lose weight, but those are surface level problems or enhancements. A good trainer wants to get to the root cause and asks “why” five times to eventually get the individual’s true motivation. For example, someone may come to me with shoulder pain and when I ask why they want it fixed, they say “because it hurts”. I continue to ask “why” and by the fifth time, their answer is now that the shoulder pain is so bad that it is preventing them from playing recreational beach volleyball with their kids. For them, it’s not just about the pain but the fact that it has taken away a joy in their life involving their family and friends. Getting this time and feeling of joy back is a true motivator and creates salience. I then continuously remind them during drills that it not only heals their shoulder pain but gets them time back on the beach and with their family, bringing back emotions that make them feel good. Now that person is driven to see results, and fast! Lastly, customer service, which should go without saying. For me, it’s providing quality service, not quantity. It’s not only about being courteous, showing up on time, providing attention and focus, but truly caring and listening to a client’s story and needs. The little things can really matter and add up. I am constantly sending follow-up texts, like “Hey, how are you feeling?” or just remembering key details like “Hey, how did your game go?”. It’s not only sending texts like these but also when receiving a text, email, etc., promptly responding to the best of ones ability; it makes a difference.  I believe these three core values: education, application, and customer service are the key ingredients to a successful business and brand.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I never could have dreamed of being where I am today, a published author of Fuel Your Performance and a Neuro Sports Performance Specialist. I’ve always just been “that dude” obsessed with the human body and a constant drive to learn. This journey all began while playing sports in high school. I never just played one sport, I had a constant rotation between football, wrestling, lacrosse, boxing, and kickboxing. When I started college, I had no idea what I wanted to do and like most freshman college students, I just took a bunch of random classes. I then met a girl who was a track and field runner, introducing me to Kinesiology. In 2006, this field of study was not very popular and I had no idea my school even offered exercise and wellness as a major. I immediately signed up for a few of the classes, beginning my career and passion for this industry. Once I graduated college, I moved to San Diego, California, because the industry was more advanced. I was fortunate enough to shadow some of the brightest minds early on. One individual was a Molecular Physiologist (now Molecular Oncologist) who at the time trained some of the highest performing athletes with the most scientific approach. Another individual was a Naturopathic Doctor and Medicine Chef who had reversed cancer and disease in over 600 patients with just nutrition. These individuals set the bar high for me, initiating my research in the latest in the sciences surrounding health and fitness. In 2014, I started my certifications with Z-health Performance and applied neuroscience, completing their entire curriculum of twelve courses. This is when my career and new brand began to take off. Fast forward nearly 15 years, here I am, a published author and Neuro Sports Performance Specialist. However, this journey has not been a straight shot. There have been moments where I wanted to give up and let myself fail. My family claimed bankruptcy when I was 15 which has largly impacted my entire family to this day. I have had one too many family members and friends pass away, each time leaving me feeling a little lost, yet I never gave up. In Charlotte, where I’m from, I knew everyone. It was a smaller city and it helped that I was born, raised, and went to college there. I already had a reputation and found it pretty easy to quickly become successful. When I moved to San Diego, I only knew my brother and a few of his friends. I had to start from the ground up again, building a new reputation and network. Multiple times I interviewed at some of the top training facilities with seven-step interview processes, and each time would make it to the last step, and then never hear back. This was extremely frustrating. Nevertheless, I continued to train at studios, parks, beaches, and wherever else I could to make ends meet. I had mastered what I call, “balling on a budget”, or, in other words, being extremely frugal. I quickly grew obsessed with building my brand and didn’t make time to build close relationships. I lived for a while in San Diego having few friends and a small network. However, I was so appreciative to live in such a beautiful city with so much surrounding nature, I continued to stay humble and trust the process. Even when I began to make some money, I found myself struggling because I continued to re-invest $2,500 on new Z-Health certifications. I would try and cut down costs while attending these courses by carpooling, picking up strangers, and staying at frat houses. My book, Fuel Your Performance was no easy feat either, it took me about five years to complete with almost every problem imaginable occurring. There were problems with everything from finding quality editors, graphic designers, marketers, printers, to being lied to, not meeting deadlines, having shipping delays, making unnecessary payments, getting books stolen, the list goes on. Yet I never gave up and knew in the end, it would be worth it. I knew what I was learning was priceless and no matter how much time I spent, it was not wasted time. My struggles have made me who I am and looking back, I know each problem only made me that much stronger. I am insanely proud of myself for publishing my own book as well as completing the Z-Health curriculum. When I began focusing more on the brain, I immediately saw groundbreaking results with me and my clients. Around the same time, Pacific & Discover SD Magazine named me one of the top trainers in San Diego. It seemed a little funny considering I’ve just been the strange trainer in the corner making clients do vision drills, sticking their tongues out, and touching my finger. But oddly enough, it works shockingly well. At 3 in 1 Elite, we train smarter by taking a three systems one athlete approach. Every athlete has three main input systems the brain communicates with at all times. Based on these unique inputs, people produce output. Outputs can be our physical performance like our speed, strength, or conditioning. It can also be our mental performance like having an A+ day at work where we’re full of energy, have full brain power, and feel our best. If we improve our input of moving, seeing (and balancing), and ultimately feeling well, we can unlock our full output potential. This is what sets us apart from others in the industry. It’s ultimately how we can reduce pain rapidly, increase athleticism instantly, and cut traditional rehab time in half. It’s indescribable the feeling I get when I’m able to help people regain control of their lives. One of my most proud and extreme cases was a young man who had brain AVM which put him in a wheelchair for two and half years. I had him do very simple joint and visual drills and by our fifth session, he was walking and has not needed his wheelchair since. In a way, I feel it’s my duty to share these simple drills and my knowledge with the world, especially since there are only a few hundred people who have finished the Z-Health curriculum. My company is one of the first to apply these methods to athletes on a larger scale. My vision and reasoning behind why I wrote my book was to share my knowledge, which I feel has great power, globally. As previously mentioned, my journey has not been easy and the most valuable lesson I had to learn was that no one will ever care about your brand and business more than yourself. Accepting this truth and instilling my core values of education, application, and customer service are key in sustaining 3 in 1 Elite’s success.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Within my first year of moving to San Diego, I can honestly say that I had a friend or friend of a friend visit every other weekend. With such frequent visitors, I created the ultimate San Diego itinerary. Let’s start fresh off the flight: Monday afternoon we could drive across the street from the airport, finding a spectacular view of the skyline where we can have lunch at Coasterra for mexican or C Level for american cusines. Then we can stop in liberty station for a local craft beer at Stone Brewery followed by a walk along the liberty station boardwalk or even go for a hike at the Cabrillo National Monument. In my opinion, Cabrillo has some of the best views of the city. Then we can settle in a nice airbnb in Pacific Beach. Dinner on Firehouse PB’s rooftop is a must. Tuesday would consist of either a surf or bike/skate ride on the boardwalk. Breakfast at The Mission afterwards with a walk around Belmont Park, maybe even a quick roller coaster ride 😉 That afternoon, a scenic drive to La Jolla, which takes us through Birdrock/Windansea Beach, arriving at Duke’s for lunch on the water. For dinner, we would venture into Ocean Beach to grab calamari tacos for Taco Tuesday at South Beach Bar & Grill followed by live music at Winston’s. Wednesday could consist of a light hike at Torey Pines followed by breakfast burritos from Taco Surf in north PB. Caching the Farmer’s Market in OB during the day is a must, followed by an early dinner at OB Noodle House for pho. Thursday we could walk around the downtown harbor beginning at the convention center, marvel at the Midway, eventually making our way down to Portside Pier for lunch at the Brigantine which is right along the water. Dinner and drinks in Little Italy. Little Italy has the best restaurant scene in San Diego. Ironside, Herb & Wood, Farmer’s Table are some of my favorites. Friday we can get a taste of California’s birthplace, Old Town. Walk around the historical neighborhood with it’s mexican influenced shops and thrift stores. Continue the drive into Coronado Island and have a bacavo burger at Nickey Rotten’s. Venture into the historical landmark, Hotel Del Coronado. We can have a beach day and watch the sunset on the extra wide, white sandy beaches of Coronado. In the evening, we can catch drinks downtown at one of my favorite rooftop bars/lounges, The Nolan or Rustic Root. Saturday can start off with San Diego’s largest Farmer’s Market in Little Italy followed by brunch at Morning Glory. Take a walk through Gas Lamp during the day. Then back to the beach to quench your water sport and/or a beach day thirst in Mission Bay. You can rent a boat for a few hours or go paddle boarding, kayaking, jetskiing, etc. options are endless! Dinner in North Park or Hillcrest at my favorite Lebanese restaurant, Michoz, followed by drinks at True North Tavern or Bar Pink for live vinyl DJ sets. If you want to really get into the nightlife scene, venture into Gas Lamp on a Saturday night. Sunday begins with brunch at Truck Stop, Fig Tree Cafe, or Breakfast Republic in PB. Then we can explore the north beaches and cities for the day like Del Mar, Carlsbad, and/or Encinitas. Wrap up your epic San Diego visit with a light acai bowl snack from pretty much anywhere, as acai is a San Diego staple. With this itinerary I’m confident you would have seen much of what the beautiful city of San Diego has to offer.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shoutout a special thanks to my parents, Ahmad and Ahlam, for always believing in me and supporting my aspirations. For showing me that no matter the circumstances, be grateful and always nourish your body with positivity. None of this would have been possible without your courage and sacrifice. Thank you to all of the industry’s forward thinkers—your wealth of knowledge and experience has been invaluable—Dr. John Berardi, Dr. Eric Cobb and the entire Z-Health team, my mentor Chad Macias for getting me to think outside the box, and Tina Martini for showing me the true power of nutrition.

Website: https://3in1elite.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/3in1elite/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abe-al-baba-ep-c-lpsn-74a97b39/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/3in1elite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/3In1Elite
Other: https://www.facebook.com/Fuel-Your-Performance-103245854954534

Image Credits
Corey Jenkins Robert Wittstadt