Everybody secretly – or not so secretly – wants to be in better physical shape. It affects how you’re perceived in the culture and how you think of yourself. If you want to win…over injury …over atrophy…or just over your own perceived limitations, you can do it.
Will, a personal trainer and CrossFit coach, is convinced of this and he believes in each of his clients which is why he is able to walk with them on their path to success. He knows that there is no one magic bullet for everyone but there are decisions you can make to get you where you want to be. We spent a few minutes talking with Will about personal training, physical fitness, and winning.
How did you become a personal trainer?
After college, I met a person in the gym who was one of the top 5 in the world for powerlifting. He had been watching me without me noticing and came up afterwards and casually mentioned that I was really strong. He was looking for a weightlifting partner. I was 23 at the time. I met him the next day and started powerlifting that year. I eventually made it to 14th in the nation in the 148 lb. class. That was a big win for me.
About a year-and-a-half later, I met another person who was a personal trainer in people’s homes. He was willing to show me the ropes and I wanted to learn. So he asked all of his existing clients if I could shadow him. His wife was a trainer too. They were both magnificent trainers. Later, the wife had to go on a trip and asked if I would take over her clients while she was gone. They loved the way I worked with them and from then on I was able to get my own clients through word of mouth.
When I moved to Wellington, that same trainer called me because he had bought all the CrossFit licenses for every city in Florida when it was new here. He started the first CrossFit in Florida and suggested that I get trained so I did. I like the functional movements of CrossFit. It makes you use every part of your body the way it’s supposed to be used. Over the years my philosophy has changed. When I first started it was bodybuilding and powerlifting, then learning CrossFit changed things.
How Can A Personal Trainer Help Me?
There are three things that contribute to peak physical fitness: diet, weight bearing exercises, and cardiovascular training. A personal trainer can work with you to create a strength training program where you can make progress without injury. They can help you plan your cardiovascular workouts so that they make your strength training more effective and vice versa. And, a personal trainer can consult with you about your diet because you are only as healthy as the food you eat. In order to win, you need to be working on all three of these at the same time.
Whenever a new client comes to me, I always do an assessment so I can show them how I can help them. I have a wide variety of clients – athletes, seniors, teens. There are no perfect people. Everyone has something they want to work on. The results for older people are very dramatic because we are reversing atrophy. I’ve also had a lot of success working with people who have had injuries. You need strength training if you’ve had an injury. I’m able to teach them what to do and what not to do.
What do you like most about your job?
For me, it’s all about the person’s goals and needs. Every client is different and I love adapting their workout to their fitness level and seeing them win. I think my biggest accomplishment is being well rounded in everything which means I can meet each client where they are.
About 10 years ago I worked in Boca Raton at the Jewish Community Center. I trained a group of mentally challenged people. That work made such a difference in their lives that their parents would call me, crying, to thank me. There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction in being able to help people that way. I take advantage of everything Cheryl has here. It’s so fun. You’ve got to love what you do. I look forward to coming to work everyday.