Tell us a little about yourself and your experience.
I spent 17 years straight touring the world playing music. i started touring playing guitar with 18 Visions and Throwdown then settled in as the vocalist for Bleeding Through for 15 years. I was always very involved in fitness. I always thought it was such an important thing to be involved with when it came to the endurance needed to be a full time touring musician. When it was time to finally start thinking about the end of Bleeding Through as a full time touring band it was an easy transition to the fitness industry because I was very patient about it and figured I could create a culture not of the norm sort of the way that my music career did. So in 2008 in between tours I started educating myself in the ways of training. I interned under a strength and conditioning coach at his gym every morning at 4:30am, got my ISSA and NASM certification and also learned the programing of Poliquin system which I use today for my clients. In 2010 when home from touring I became a full time trainer and in 2011 opened my own gym (Rise Above Fitness) with one goal in mind and that is to build a culture and family through fitness.
What drove you to choose your career path?
I was on stage in Europe and I felt really empty and mechanical for the first time and touring was getting hard because members of the band were getting older and starting families which was amazing but it meant something else was going to have to be my next career path. Fitness was the clear choice. To get to inspire and help people change their bodies and minds was what drove me to this path.
How did you go about getting your job? What kind of education and experience did you need?
Education wise I have my NASM, ISSA Certificates and write my programming based of Poliquin. I think the nest thing to have is experience on the floor. Sweat equity is the best and also interning under as many people as you can to retain knowledge. Always try and educate and not let your programming get stale.
What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?
Well I own my gym and clothing company as well as my online coaching service so I have to bounce from those endeavors daily. Mainly I am still on the floor training up to 40 clients a day then fill in the gaps with the day to day work on the other parts of the companies. I do have employees to work on production and books for all my businesses. I feel the only way to be successful is to find good people that want to grow with your company.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
That I just sit around all day watching people workout but they have no idea the day to day responsibility I have. My business hours never stop.
What are your average work hours?
About 14-16 a day but like I said it never stops.
What personal tips and shortcuts have made your job easier?
There are no shortcuts only hard ass work. You have to be willing to sacrifice in any profession especially the fitness industry because there are a million people out there that will take you out if you let up.
What do you do differently from your coworkers or peers in the same profession?
I feel I have built a culture so its not just a gym where you come to workout. When you come to Rise Above Fitness you feel part of something. It is all about having the culture be inspiring. Also the over all look of the trainers and myself aren’t your typical collared shirt wearing people with name tags.
Do you have any advice for people who need to enlist your services?
Just know what your goals are. I can get you were your need to get but you have to be honest with yourself. I feel social media has swayed and built misconceptions that this is easy. Its not easy so if you are honest with what you want to accomplish and know that it takes time then contact me.
What's the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?
People not cleaning up after themselves. How I deal is to make them clean it and sometimes being an asshole. Also the worst part may be I don’t have a lot of “ME” time. Meaning sometimes its hard for me to workout in my gym because of distractions.
What's the most enjoyable part of the job?
Seeing people love the gym, work hard and see results.
What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?
It depends on how much you charge but Id say any good independent trainer with moderate pricing can make 60k to 100k a year.
How do you move up in your field?
Experience and the will to stick with it. Most people train for a couple years and then when they don’t get rich right away they quit. Fine by me.
What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?
It takes time and knowledge. Don’t just throw something on Instagram or Facebook and expect just because you have Abs that people will want to train with you.