Genetics Used to Train Smarter
By William Newton
June 6, 2023
Daniel Guzman ’18 did not expect to study at John Brown University. Growing up in California’s Santa Clarita Valley, Guzman attended Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, majoring in kinesiology and minoring in economics and business. During his four years at Westmont, Guzman was a prominent men’s varsity soccer team member. After graduation, Guzman pursued a master’s degree in organizational leadership at JBU.
“I appreciated the Christian liberal arts education at Westmont. I worked as a professional strength-conditioning coach with pro soccer, and I had learned so much of my craft already on the ground floor that I didn’t want to go deeper into strength conditioning,” Guzman said. “Instead, I wanted to learn how to grow, both as a person and as a teammate for my organization, and I thought studying leadership was the way [to do it]. So I talked with my pastor, who was looking for a similar experience, and that’s how we both got connected to JBU.”
Since earning his master’s in 2018, Guzman has applied his degrees in many different areas. Over 10 years, he has been a strength-training coach for various California-based athletic organizations, including LA Galaxy, the LA Football Club, EXOS, the U.S. Soccer Federation and the self-started Guzman Performances. He worked with athletes from all sports but mainly focused on soccer players, including Robbie Keane, Stephen Gerard, Ashley Cole and Christian Pulisic.
In November 2022, Guzman decided to switch gears and began working for 3X4 Genetics, a company that powers GENEFIT, which Guzman describes as the world’s first human optimization software. GENEFIT performs intricate genetic testing, allowing people to see just how substances such as caffeine and gluten can affect their bodies. This information can then be given to a trainer or dietitian to help a person recover from an injury or a health complication much more efficiently.
“The world of genetics is a huge opportunity because in pro sports very few teams look at genetics, let alone know how to quantify it. So, I’m taking my background in strength conditioning and human performance and using it to quantify sports training,” Guzman said. “We’re learning what our clients’ genetic insights tell us, and from there, we can apply training methods in a much more specific model.”
Guzman deals more with the physical side of recovery. He uses the information that GENEFIT provides for his clients to create an intricate strength training regimen to efficiently accomplish his clients’ goals.
Going forward, Guzman’s primary plan is to continue committing his life to God daily.
“If I can stay committed to God’s purpose for my life, then wherever that takes me in the next year, five years, that’s what I want to do,” he said.
