Wanting to make sure he lives long enough to see his young children get married, Gelfand came to the Rewire Project to get fit. He gained much more than muscle.
"Tony lowered me off a cliff at 40 years old," said Gelfand. "I never would have done this ever, let me make this clear."
Beyond the typical treadmills and weight racks, Rewire in Santa Monica actually wants clients to get out of the gym into the great outdoors to face their fears.
They do that through the help of the three "A"s of cognitive restructuring: activation, acclimation and achievement.
"Maybe take a month, maybe take a year, learn to use their body again, how to use their body and then they go out and test it and achieve something and see what that's like," said Tony Molina, the owner of Rewire Project.
Gulf War Marine Tony Molina moved into exercise science and biomechanics after he and his partner Valerie finished a stint at global expedition racing.
"Tony was actually looking for a female for his adventure racing team and he got a wife," said Valerie Molina.
Together Tony and Valerie now help others redefine their goals.
"I had it in my mindset that I wanted to climb Kilimanjaro," said Meliina Mellor, another client. She did.
At Rewire, machines mimic outdoor situations, like the hang board that builds grip and acquisition skills, or the trampoline to experience elevated movements. Or a tightrope of sorts, to test core balance and focus skills. All designed to achieve mental and physical readiness.
"Helping people identify fears, identify their values around fear, and then rearrange that or rewire that," said Valerie.
They say fear of failure is common, yet fear of heights or falling comes to mind. If getting off the ground is your issue, there is an overhead superstructure that allows many to launch into the air and get comfy.
On a Saturday in Malibu, so-called "Phase One" requires clients attend with no idea of activities in store. Activities like trail-biking, cliff-climbing and ocean-swimming get them in the great outdoors to put rewiring skills to the test.
"At the end of the day we make people feel good about themselves," said Tony.
