Meet the Coaches

Tony Bonvechio
Owner, Head Coach
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Tony is the founder, owner and head coach of Bonvec Strength, the premiere strength training gym in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

Tony began competing in powerlifting in 2010 and has posted competition personal records of a 578 squat, 405 bench press and 589 deadlift. He has earned an elite total in the 198-pound weight class and a master total in the 220-pound weight class.

Previously, Tony co-owned The Strength House in Worcester, where he trained powerlifters, team sport athletes and strength enthusiasts from all walks of life.

Prior to that, Tony spent three years coaching at Cressey Sports Performance in Hudson, Massachusetts, where he worked primarily with professional and amateur baseball players.

Tony is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and earned his Master’s degree in exercise science from Adelphi University in 2013.

Tony is an avid writer, and his articles have appeared in various written and digital publications such as Yahoo Sports, Testosterone Nation, MyFitnessPal and Bodybuilding.com.

Prior to his coaching career, Tony played baseball at Saint Michael’s College, a small Division II school in Vermont, where he played catcher and led the team in home runs and slugging percentage as a senior.

When he’s not coaching or lifting, Tony enjoys fishing, drinking craft beer and playing guitar. Most importantly, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids.

Chris Parent
Strength Coach
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Chris began his tenure with our community as an intern in 2020 on his way to becoming a full-time coach in 2021.

Prior to Bonvec Strength, Chris worked as a personal trainer at Dexter Training Concepts in Rhode Island and Equinox in Boston.

Chris earned a Bachelor’s degree at Salve Regina University where he served as the president of the men’s rugby team and assistant coach of the women’s rugby team. He is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

Chris began competing in powerlifting in 2018 and has earned personal bests of a 413 squat, 270 bench press and 485 deadlift in the 125kg class.

Chris’s calm demeanor and unique ability to help new lifters feel comfortable in a strength training environment is second only to being the loving dad of Snickers, everyone’s favorite gym dog.

Ryan Ohnemus
Strength Coach
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Ryan joined the Bonvec Strength coaching staff in 2023 after many years as a member of our community as an online client.

Ryan is a graduate of Westfield State University with a Bachelor’s degree in exercise science. He is a certified USAPL club level coach and a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Prior to his time at Bonvec Strength, Ryan worked as a sports performance coach at Athletic Based Training in Milford, MA and 5 Tool Performance in Dedham, MA.

A seasoned powerlifter, Ryan has a clean sweep of our gym record board in the 125kg class with personal bests of a 440.90 squat, 303.1 bench and 534.6 deadlift.

8 thoughts on “Meet the Coaches”

    1. Tony…Thanks for designing a program for Addison at Cressey! It’s been a major component for him to compete in baseball at the high school level as a freshman!

      He’s looking forward to to many more years of your coaching and advice!

      Dave

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  3. Billy and I were just looking over your website – nice job! I will sign up for your newsletter. Your parents, sister and fiancee must all be very proud! Heck – I feel proud of you, too!!! I love that you love to write, but I also recall that at a very young age you were pretty talented in drawing. Do you ever do that? Good luck, Anthony, and we look forward to your wedding!

    1. Hey Robyn –

      Thanks for the kind words! I don’t draw anymore, unless drawing on my hands with chalk counts.

  4. A huge price will be paid one day for heavy lifting. I am paying that price now at 56.
    Don’t lift heavy if not needed. My 2cents from 45yrs of iron moving.

  5. Tony, I’m a former powerlifter whose looking to get my squat back to 600lbs. What is your email, I’d love to chat. I’m from Sterling

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