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
Amanda Capritto