kc gripz team 

RUBEN PAYAN JR.

MICHAEL SANTINI

TWO FRIENDS, ONE BALLZZZY VISION

KC GRIPZ is the result of more than a decade of friendship and collaboration between two guys who really know their stuff when it comes to functional training and working with elite athletes. Fitness experts Mike Santini and Ruben Payan, former co-partners in a successful personal training business, recognized a common need in two very different sports. Mike is involved in the youth and pro baseball community, while Ruben is an avid climber and mountaineer.
Both Mike and Ruben saw that grip strength was being underutilized and often under trained. As passionate industry innovators they discussed possible solutions and training scenarios. From this, the vision for KC GRIPZ emerged.
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About Ruben Payan

In addition to climbing seven of the world’s eight highest mountains, Ruben owns an award-winning fitness studio in Beijing, HUMAN IN MOTION, named China’s best by Men’s Health magazine in 2013. Ruben is also a motivational speaker and regularly travels around the world to address audiences as a successful mountaineer, functional training expert and fitness industry innovator. He is about to take on the deadliest, and most technically difficult mountain in the world to complete his mountaineering journey K2 in spring 2018.   






About Mike Santini

​Mike is a leader in sports performance training for youth, high school, college and professional athletes in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is a motivational speaker that helps youth athletes overcome their fear of failure, and positively reinforces their ability to succeed. He is now taking on the role for KC GRIPZ, as the company's primary instructor for training the body to prevent injury during sporting activities. Mike has coached the McCormick Ranch Little League Bulls; who under his leadership were the 2012 All Stars District 6 Champions, and finished 3rd in the state against 140 plus Little Leagues. Mike is an outstanding athlete with a very competitive fire!  He has taken up Rock Climbing, and Obstacle Course Racing. He was a competitor on season 6 of American Ninja Warriors as an extreme athlete.