Our Team
Chuck Bixby, M.A.Ed.,M.S.
ASCM-CEP, EIM-III
training director
Chuck Bixby finished his graduate degree in Primary Prevention & Cardiac Rehabilitation in 1985 and is currently certified through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) as a Clinical Exercise Physiologist and has an ACSM Exercise is Medicine Level III credential. Having worked in clinical exercise programs, run corporate fitness programs, and managed commercial fitness enterprises he found a great passion for strength training.
In 1989, while training on MedX Rehabilitative Exercise Equipment at the University of Florida he met his mentor Roger Schwab who instilled in him the value of safe, sensible, and meaningful exercise known as High Intensity Training, i.e. the very same methodology practiced at Live Oak Strength. At the time not only did it empirically make sense, but the science continued to demonstrate in subsequent years the plethora of health benefits for just about anyone.
Chuck has promoted this type of efficient, slow motion, and evidenced based strength training for over 30 years in its various forms. Chuck thrives on being a service oriented person especially in an environment of like-minded individuals. He brings a depth of knowledge and experience that makes him a great technician, teacher, student, and relationship builder. Plus, he practices what he preaches! Of course, Live Oak Strength has a solid philosophical foundation which provides a framework to operate that aligns to his own belief system and he is thrilled to be a part of this dynamic team.
Irina semEnova, MMsc., A.A.
NASM CPT., ACE
Instructor
Irina came to the US from Russia 13 years ago with a dream to make use of her medical degree. While raising and homeschooling her 3 kids, her dreams and values significantly changed, but her passion for helping others take control of their lives is stronger than ever.
As a certified personal trainer and a health coach she enjoys the process of helping people to be free of unnecessary health struggles. She sees that a lot of health problems prevalent in modern society are related to muscle loss. She strongly believes if people are free of diseases and physically strong, it is easy for them to stay mentally strong, regulate emotions, and most importantly be able to show kindness toward others.
Irina is an incredibly popular coach at Live Oak Strength and has a special way of bringing out the best in every client she trains. When she is not working, she enjoys teaching swing and tap dance classes in the East Bay with her husband.
jeff Bott, B.A., NASM CPT., ACE.
instructor
Jeff is a Bay Area native with over fifteen years of personal training experience. After graduating from the University of Washington, he moved to San Francisco and started working as a trainer. He received experience working with various outdoor training companies, boutique gyms, and physical therapy clinics. After working with a broad spectrum of clients and training methodologies, he started his own independent training company. He partnered with different peers, and ultimately became co-owner of two successful facilities in the east bay. Like many, when the pandemic hit, Jeff reevaluated his priorities and values and decided to take a step back from the responsibilities associated with the managerial components of running a brick and mortar facility. By doing so, it allowed him to focus on the part of the fitness industry he enjoys the most, which is working directly with clients. Helping people get the most out of the time they spend training is his true passion!
Jeff first came to Live Oak Strength as a client. He immediately recognized the value in what was being offered. After several months of training at Live Oak Strength with Owen and the team, it quickly became apparent that Jeff and Live Oak Strength shared many of the same core values and...well, the rest is history. He is excited to be a part of such an amazing organization and team, and loves incorporating his own expertise to help enhance the training experience at Live Oak Strength.
Jeff currently lives in Alameda with his wife, four year old son, and rescue pit bull. He has over twenty five years of martial arts experience, but doesn’t practice as much as he once did, due to the high impact of combat sports. Instead, he spends much of his extra time and energy trying to keep up with his son, which provides him with plenty of challenges and excitement. He also enjoys cooking and spending time outdoors with his family and friends.
OWEN DOCKHAM
Founder
Owen opened the first Live Oak Strength in 2016 with one goal: make people strong in the safest, most time efficient and evidence informed way. Spending years of frustration and downright disgust with the dishonest nature of the fitness industry, he knew he had found the solution so many people sought when he stumbled upon Body by Science and adopted the high-intensity training principles to his own workouts and his existing personal training clients. Fast forward to today, Owen has personally supervised over 15,000 high intensity strength training workouts, and mentored 10 successful trainers at Live Oak and other facilities across the country. He is absolutely committed to helping ensure all Live Oak Strength clients receive the absolute best workout experience and results possible, and is grateful for the opportunity to help improve the lives of those in his beloved east bay community.
Owen graduated in 2005 from Cornell College as a double major in Psychology and music. He has played piano since the age of 5 and spent nearly a decade after graduation as a piano teacher. During that time he became heavily involved in the fitness industry, earning several certifications, and working as a fitness instructor and director/manager at a local bay area wellness center. The discipline, communication skills, attention to detail, timing, patience and decades of dedication it took to become a pianist and successful piano teacher have, without a shadow of a doubt, directly influenced Owen’s approach to business ownership, leadership, and personal training.
Owen's other hobbies include spending as much time outdoors, learning new methods of cooking, reading philosophy, meditation and leadership training. He lives in Berkeley with his wife Lucy, daughter Anahid, two pit bulls, Luna and Sophie and their cat Darwin. He often reflects on the latin phrase “tempus fugit, memento mori” (times fly, remember death), and does his best to live in gratitude for each day and to be kind and honest with everyone he meets. He encourages anyone looking to save time, get strong, and lead a happier, more confident, better quality of life, to stop wasting time on ineffective and dangerous fad workouts, and adopt a more evidence based, efficient and safe high-intensity strength training lifestyle.
“Training with a high degree of effort just once or twice a week at Live Oak Strength will completely change the way you feel and will open up so many possibilities for you. I can’t wait for you to experience the benefits of this work and lead a happier, stronger, and more confident life.”
What are you waiting for? Time is not refundable, spend it wisely.