In Chelsea, Michael Wood built a name for himself early on as a left-handed pitcher in the Chelsea Little League. During his time at the Shurtleff School, he studied alongside future Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash and Boston College graduate Paula Bradley Batchelor, among other notable classmates.
Standing 6 feet, 5 inches tall, Michael is the son of James and Joann Wood. He went on to compete in basketball and baseball at Saint Dominic Savio, where he helped the Spartan basketball team reach the Division 2 state final.
Now 57, Wood has maintained his connection to athletics while establishing himself as a nationally recognized expert in strength and conditioning as well as nutrition.
The release of his new book represents the culmination of three decades spent working as a personal coach.
“People were always asking me to write a book and I went for it,” Wood stated. “Last year we published a book and we now have a 240-page second edition: TBC30: 6 Steps To A Stronger, Healthier You, that will be released in July. It’s basically a six-step plan that I’ve used over the years with my clientele to get them in better shape.”
Throughout his career, Wood, 57, has earned recognition as “a trainer to the stars”. National radio personality Chris Lydon describes Michael as “the Bill Belichick of personal trainers: smart, tough, a scientist, and a motivator.”
Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet offers his own assessment: “Thanks for the body.” Actress Lindsay Crouse counts herself among his admirers. Internationally renowned violinist Itzhak Pearlman has been a long-time client. Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, has worked with Wood for personal training.
From 2001 to 2002, Wood served as assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of Connecticut, where he worked with All-Americans including Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Swin Cash, and Caron Butler. The athletics director at that time was Lew Perkins, a former Chelsea basketball standout.
His work has earned recognition from major publications. Men’s Journal recognized Michael Wood as “one of the top 100 trainers in America.”
Wood’s approach to personal training combines a step-by-step methodology with the same nutrition and exercise strategies that have made him one of America’s most respected personal trainers.
“I teach people how to eat better and how to exercise more efficiently,” Wood explained. “This whole approach is to get people over the course of a 30-day plan, called Phase 1, to get their body stimulated, to get them eating the right way, cutting back on their sugar. All these tidbits of information that I’ve learned over the years are in the book.”
Wood remains in excellent physical condition and can still dunk a basketball. He takes great pride in his daughter Julia, a basketball standout at Foxboro Regional Charter School who recently graduated from Fairfield University, where she competed in Division 1 cross country and track. Julia is now employed as an emergency medical technician and hopes to become a physician’s assistant.
Michael’s wife, Robyn Wood, teaches and was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Stoughton High School.
“Robyn started on the basketball team as a freshman in high school, so she was better than me,” Wood remarked with the humor that endeared him to his Chelsea peers. “I know [former Chelsea resident] Danny O’Callaghan scored 1,000 points at Savio, but I just missed.”