Amanda Capritto

Amanda Capritto is a journalist, fitness expert, and peak-bagger. She has extensive experience writing about fitness, performance nutrition, and outdoor recreation, including thorough gear coverage in all of those arenas. She has spent the last seven years working as a gear tester and writer for these niches, and has a total of 10 years of experience in editorial publishing.

Capritto’s work has been published in global and national outlets including Health, Shape, Lonely Planet, Matador Network, BarBend, Muscle & Fitness, Garage Gym Reviews, Reader’s Digest, CNET, LIVESTRONG, Health Journal, CleanPlates, Verywell Fit, Verywell Mind, and more.

As a certified personal trainer and certified sports nutrition coach, Capritto has a particular interest in the intersection of physical fitness and outdoor recreation. She believes mountain-specific strength training, conditioning protocols, and careful nutrition planning are a foundational survival element for backcountry adventurers; she writes about these topics on her blog at Smarter Sweat.

Currently, Capritto travels in a campervan full-time with her husband, two rescue cats, and fiery German Shorthaired Pointer. Most days include writing and one of the following: hiking, mountain biking, trail running, paddling, sightseeing, and (fruitlessly) attempting to cold-plunge in the nearest alpine lake.

Background

• Topics of expertise: Gear reviews,hiking trip reports, road trip itineraries, fitness for mountain sports
• Years of experience in these topics: 10
• Favorite topic to write about: Fitness for mountain athletes
• Favorite piece of gear you’ve ever tested: Kula Cloth
• Favorite travel destinations: Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, southern Utah, Florida’s Everglades
• Past applicable professions: I worked several years as an in-person personal trainer and a stint as a strength and conditioning coach for youth athletes

Education and Experience

• Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 2014-2018; Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication; emphasis: print journalism; minors: sport studies, nutrition science
• 10 years of print/web journalism experience
• 7 years of dedicated health/fitness writing experience
• 7 years of gear reviewing/writing experience

Certifications

• Certified Personal Trainer, American Council on Exercise, Nov. 2017
• Certified Health Coach, Institute for Integrative Nutrition, July 2019
• Certified CrossFit Level-1 Trainer, CrossFit Inc, July 2019
• Functional Training Specialist, American Council on Exercise, Oct. 2021
• Certified Nutrition Coach, National Academy of Sports Medicine, Jan. 2022
• Corrective Exercise Specialist, International Sports Sciences Association, June 2022
• Certified Sports Nutrition Coach, National Academy of Sports Medicine, Aug. 2023
• Adult First Aid, CPR, and AED

About the Writer

• Location: Full-time van-lifer traveling with a German Shorthaired Pointer and two rescue cats
• Places You’ve Lived or Extensively Traveled: Born and raised in Louisiana; lived a few years in Ventura, CA and a few in Miami, FL; at this point, I may be an expert in road-tripping the American southeast, southwest, and west coast
• Preferred Pronouns: she/her
• Check out her website at https://www.smartersweat.com/ or follow her on Instagram