Today we’d like to introduce you to Jamar Kent.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Today, I am 30 years old, married to my beautiful wife, and I have three kids. I own a Sports and Fitness company, Physique. I am an Exercise Physiologist at WellStar Health System at Vinings Health Park. I also coach football at Alpharetta Middle School in Alpharetta, GA. If I were asked, in high school, what would I be doing today, I would tell you without a doubt that I would be playing in the NFL. Like many other young athletes, I dreamed of playing professional football. Football was my only plan in life as a boy, but God had other plans for me. Which leads me to my story.
I started playing football at the age of 5 for the Ensley Broncos in Birmingham, Alabama. I remember every moment almost vividly. The toughest games at the time was against A.G. Gaston, and the one goal that every kid had was to make it to the ship to play at Legion Field. I lived in Birmingham for three years up until my dad got a job as a deputy in Montgomery, Alabama. Out of my three years playing for the Ensley Broncos, we made it to Legion field once and came up short, unable to win the championship. While in Montgomery, my love for Football did not stop. I ventured towards other sports like baseball where I was a catcher and my batting skills were spotty at best. I played basketball in the neighborhood all the time and was decent, but only played for an organized team once in the 7th grade. That didn’t go too well due to my lack of confidence at the time. Meanwhile in Montgomery, between the ages of 8 – 12, I became a force to be reckon with on the football field. I grew not in height, but wider and knew how to use the little speed I had to move my weight around. I was what they considered at the time HUSKY. A summer at grandma’s house helped accomplish that. There was a lot of good southern eating! Being husky, playing for the YMCA in Montgomery, I had to wear a “R” on my helmet. It meant I was restricted from running the football because I was too big. My coach at the time, Coach Collins, saw my potential on the line. Him, along with Coach Richardson and Coach Smith, pushed me to be better every practice. On defense, I was a sack machine. On offense, I cleared every hole for the QB and RB to run behind. I learned a lot during those years. Coach Collins motto for the team sticks with me still to this day, “Offense scores points. Defense wins championships.” Out of all the years, we made it to the championship my 6th grade year and came up short 6-0. It was a very defensive game against Smiley Court. We wanted that win! We played hard but still came up short.
Going into 7th grade in Montgomery, that meant now you entered middle school football. G.W! Georgia Washington Junior High School, home of the Wildcats. I was still a chunky teen, but at this point I grew taller which helped me carry my weight much better. I went from just playing offensive and defensive line to playing Tight end and Line Backer. I loved being able to catch some passes on offense and having the ability on defense to play off the ball. By the summer heading into 8th grade, the weight room became my best friend and worst enemy during station periods. I was with one of my toughest coaches, Coach Mac, who helped me get in shape! Coach Mac put a healthy fear in all the boys. He demanded respect, and he demanded that you give your best while playing for him. If you didn’t… well let’s just say you didn’t want to be that player that got on his special list to see him after practice. Playing for him, I dominated the line as an Offensive Guard and mastered the technique of pull blocking. On defense, I was one of the hardest hitting line backers on the team and had great form tackling thanks to proper coaching. When 9th grade was over, I was probably 165, not chunky anymore, and had some strength to fit my athletic appearance. I went literally from being somewhat short and round to being about 5’8 and lean compared to my once husky look. I had no clue what position I was going to play in High School.
I went to Jefferson Davison High School where I immediately made a name for myself on the football field with my hard hitting. I knew at this point, I was way too small to play on the line. I wasn’t that fast, so WR and RB didn’t appeal much to me. I knew I could hit, and I figure I could cover a WR in a zone defense. Strong safety was the position for me. Perfect fit! A mix between playing close to the line as a backer, but with the ability to be free and cover WRs. In High school, I played as a DB, LB, and eventually was starting as a DE using my speed to get around the offensive tackle to get sacks and using my leverage to contain the outside runs. I eventually was playing both sides of the ball my senior year as a wing back on offense starting and a DE on defense starting. Throughout my High school playing career, I never started as a DB, mostly due to me not knowing the coverage schemes due to missing summer workouts and not taking that time serious as an athlete. I was able to go to the offense-defense camp in Atlanta, Georgia my senior year during the summer, which was a full padded camp to gain exposure from college coaches. I played my spot as a DB. The last day of the camp consisted of a super bowl type game in front of college coaches. I balled my hardest, got big hits, and got one interception as a strong safety. That showing helped me to win Defensive MVP of the camp as a DB and it got my name on a couple of college coaches list. I came back to summer workouts in Montgomery with that news and a boost of confidence, but my DB coach wasn’t impressed. He even informed me that because me and three other players attended the camp, we broke a state rule and got the team in trouble. Long story short, he never utilized me as one of his circulating DBs on the field. The other defensive position coaches knew that I would still be needed on the field. So, they found a way to place me in a starting position to use my athletic talents. Following that football camp, I had the opportunity to connect with several college coaches. After my senior season, I sent out multiple highlight tapes to colleges in the area that I was interested in.
One particular program was consistent in their recruiting of me, and that school was Jacksonville State University. It was pretty cool getting calls from time to time checking to see how I was and if my interests were still in coming to play for them. At the time, I had never heard of JSU and was able to go visit and watch their Red & White Spring game. Summer of 2017, after graduation, my football career took a major change due to an off the field incident. I got into an altercation with my girlfriend’s older brother at the time, which led to me getting struck in the neck a few centimeters away from my jugular vein with a coffee mug. I was taken to ER and had to undergo immediate surgery to get the glass out of my neck, stitch up the womb, and part of my ear back together. I needed 32 plus stitches. That moment changed my direction in life. The doctor dropped the worst thing I could’ve heard at the time. He informed me due to the depth of the wound and the proximity of it near the jugular vein, I would not be able to play any contact sports for an entire year. Tears came from my eyes of course. An entire year with no football, and I’ve been playing since 5, was devasting news. The fact that I almost died a few days before my 18th birthday and that I was blessed to be alive did not cross my mind. All I could think about was the fact this doctor just told me I could not play football. Not to mention seeing the vast disappointment and worried looks on my parent’s face. They were thankful I didn’t lose my life over something stupid.
I’ve had many injuries in my many years of football. In 7th grade, I fractured my shin due to a non-contact play running a route and landing wrong. That injury led to me having to undergo surgery and required two titanium pins in my shin for the bone to heal properly. Those pins are still in my leg today. The rehab process for that injury was rough. I shed a lot of tears during that time. The care I received planted a seed in me that eventually came forth at a later moment in life. That was the only major surgery I had prior to the neck incident. Broken bones came with the sport of football. I broke my right wrist my 8th-grade year during practice. I fractured my collarbone during athletic period playing football and landed on my shoulder wrong. I heard my bone snap and saw a knot on my shoulder. One of my coaches said it was fine, so I never told my parents about it. The bone eventually healed on its own in spite of the mild pain I had to endure. In high school, I was fortunate to not have any broken bone. But my right hand did get split down the middle partially by a ball that was thrown requiring me to get stitches. I had a few sprained ankles, which was typical. I had to get fluid drained out of my knee after one rough game, that was painful. Scrapes and bruises came along with playing the sport of football. It was nothing that was uncommon being a football athlete. But my neck injury made a major impact on my aspiring football career.
Going into college, knowing that I couldn’t play football my first year was rough. I never did update my recruiter about the injury that happened off the field. I didn’t feel the need to since another blow to my football playing career came when I was told by the NCAA clearing house that I was ineligible to play my first semester of college due to my grades from high school. I was academically ineligible. The recruiter knew about my eligibility, and I was aware that I couldn’t participate in any of the sports activities until my grades reflected eligibility status. I stayed in shape and remained active by playing rec ball the entire year.
College! What do I major in? What is a major and a minor? I had no clue what I wanted to study all I knew was football and that’s all I wanted to know. I thought back on the moments throughout the years, I played the game of football, and I remembered the injuries that I had experienced. The one injury that stood out the most was the transverse fractured shin and the entire process of recovering from that injury. I had to regain my range of motion in that leg and learn to walk correctly without favoring the injured area. The electrodes were used to stimulate my quad muscle to help lift and extend my leg. I remembered the many tears and the mental focused it took to not quit and to continue to work at getting that left leg to be just as strong as my right leg. Most importantly out of the whole process, I remembered the team of people that took care of me, pushed me, and encouraged me. As much as I hated the pain of the recovery process, I enjoyed going back daily just to see what new challenges the team had for me to assist in the regaining of my strength. Not only did they help me regain my full range of motion, but I regained my strength and the ability to play the sport of football along with doing normal physical activities with no issues from my left leg. All this took place my 7th-grade year. They had me back running and balancing on one leg by the end of the rehab process. What a team! Who were they! What was their job title? How do I become one of them! They played a pivotal role in the development of strengthening my leg so that it would be able to properly function despite my injury. They were physical therapists, athletic trainers, along with some rehab techs. I wanted to be in that field, so I choose my major in Exercise Science and Wellness. My counselor asked if it was anything else, I may want to study as a secondary field. I liked watching TV shows and Movies, so I figured why not learn about the different aspects of what goes on behind the scene with that. So, I choose my minor to be in Communications.
One year of college passed. I stayed in shape physically and my grades were good. Some coaching changes took place on the staff with JSU. There was a new coach over recruiting. When I contacted him, he informed me I had to go through a try out now in order to walk on for the spring. The night before the tryout, instead of sleeping and resting to wake up early and compete, I stayed up chilling and had a drink or two that night. Dumb! Tryouts was early in the morning. I thought we was just going to go through skill position drills, which I knew I could go through with ease. It was the complete opposite. Not one position drill. The coaches literally just ran us until they saw who puked and who didn’t. Afterwards, they called the numbers of the guys they felt was in shape and told them they made the cut. I was not one of those numbers called. Although I didn’t throw up on the field, I was exhausted. When I got home, I realized that I blew it. Nevertheless, I kept working out through the spring. That summer, a friend, Andre, through a mutual friend of mines that use to play football at Alabama told me about the opportunity to play semi-pro. It was another opportunity to play ball. I jumped at it, went out to tryouts, went through some drills, made the team, and played an entire season as a strong safety for the Alabama Bengals in Gadsden, AL. The following year, I had no desire to go back out for JSU and played another season of semi pro for the Alabama Ravens. It was the same team as the Bengals, the name was changed. We didn’t make the championship any of the seasons I played. We made it to the playoffs with the Ravens but lost to the Huntsville Rockets. That season with the Ravens was my last team playing Football.
Senior year came fast, it was time to really lock in and focus on what was next for me in life. I met my new girlfriend, Tyshelle, my sophomore year and I knew she was going to be a part of my future. But what about a career? Was football over for me? I had thoughts of trying out for new leagues. I tried out for an arena team in Rome, the Rome Rampage. That didn’t go well. I got burnt during some one on one drills. I thought about playing in the CFL but didn’t really have a desire to go there. So, I turned all my focus straight to physical therapy. Got an internship under a great Physical therapist, Mr.Strautman, at a clinic in Oxford, Al. I was able to get in clinic hours and work alongside Mr.Strautman at the Oxford High School Football games. That season the team was loaded with D1 talent, went to the playoffs but came up short to Hoover. I was there for it all right on the sideline, in on the action, but from a different prospective. Ready to help and assist anyone that got injured. Although I wasn’t playing, just being there, as part of the team, solidified my decision to really get this degree. I gained knowledge not just from the Physical Therapist, but also from the athletic trainers and the rehab techs on his team. It was truly a great opportunity.
Fall 2012, Graduation time! I made it! I got engaged to my girlfriend and received my bachelor’s degree. Things are looking up! What now? I need to find a job! I’ve currently been working at Wal-Mart where I was fortunate to work the entire time I was at college. Now that I’m graduating time to put this degree to use. Currently living in Oxford, Al at the time with my fiancée, we had to figure out what was next for us. I consistently applied for jobs in my field and I consistently received “regret to inform you” letters. I looked for jobs primarily in Alabama first and came up with no luck. I found out after graduation that in order to be a Physical Therapist, I needed four classes that were not required when receiving my Exercise Science degree. I decided to take one of the prerequisite courses at a local community college. A year goes by, I’m now married to my wife, Tyshelle, but still no career job. At this point, I just want a job in my field. My wife eventually landed a job opportunity in Alpharetta, Ga, in her field. We talked it over to see if this was best to really look into. We decided it was. She went to the interview and got the job. I informed Wal-Mart that I would like to transfer to a Ga location, they put in my leave request and that was that. Georgia here we come!
We moved to Georgia and were initially staying with my in laws in Duluth until we found a place to live. I had to find a Wal-Mart location to grant my transfer. I had applied prior to moving to Georgia multiple hospitals and rehab clinics and got the famous “regret to inform you” email. Since my wife job was in Alpharetta, I tried the Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club in the area to get my transfer request approved. No luck, they both told me they were not looking to take in any transfers at the time. My leave was about to end. There was no job in sight for me and I was living with my wife at her parent’s place. It wasn’t looking good for me. So, I started applying to local businesses in the area. I eventually got a call from Lowe’s in Alpharetta to be an unloader. I didn’t even know what that was or the hours, but I saw it was a job and I needed to work. My hours were Monday – Friday 4 a.m. – 12 p.m. with weekends off. I had to get up early to unload the trucks for the store but hey it’s a job. Within a few months, me and my wife found a place in Roswell, GA and shortly moved to be on our own. Things are looking up, I’m not in my field of study but at least I’m working! My wife got pregnant, and we decided her staying home during the early years of life was very critical to our child’s development.
So, I had to figure something out. A few weeks later, after having started my 2nd week at Lowe’s, I received a call from LA Fitness. I completely forgot I even applied there. They told me that I had an Exercise Science and Wellness degree and that I could be a master trainer for them. I never seen myself being a personal trainer as a career even though I trained others in my college days for fun. I really wanted to do Physical Therapy. That became my new goal. Nevertheless, I went to the job interview. The hiring manager showed me around, told me how flexible my hours can be there, and how they could work around my Lowe’s job. So, I accepted the position. Just like that, I went from zero jobs to two. Having one that was somewhat in my field. I’ve been in gyms working out half of my life, so the training aspect came easy to me plus I’m a people person, so I enjoyed interacting with others. I had experienced training others from college, I use to train coworkers from time to time. My coworker at Wal-Mart in Jacksonville, Ro was like a walking resume for me. We pushed each other in the gym, but people noticed his physique was enhancing.
Prior to my son being born, a big move was made on my end. I had built a solid relationship with one of the trainers at LA Fitness, A.J., and he informed that he was about to leave the company and start his own fitness company. I told him don’t forget about me, he told me once he got settled in at this private gym, he would contact me and connect me with the owner, and he did just that. I’m forever grateful that he followed through and kept his word. I met with Jason, the owner of the private gym, which happened to be right around the corner from the LA Fitness I worked at. I had a good talk with him and told him I wanted to start my own business. He informed me that he would like to help by giving me the opportunity to grow it using his facility. He gave me a key to the gym, I informed my hiring manager at LA Fitness that I would be leaving, and just like that, Training with J. Kent was launched.
Little did I know, it was not easy bringing clientele in on my own. Especially in an area where I didn’t know many people. I knew I had some former client’s number in my phone from LA Fitness. I checked it and realized I lost a lot of my contacts that were not saved to my Gmail because of a prior phone reboot. Out of all the clients I trained at LA Fitness, only two was saved to my Gmail account. I blew it! I still reached out to those two clients, and they still train with me today. Jason, the gym owner, even helped by letting me take over his Saturday morning group class. I now had something to work with. I didn’t realize how much of the groundwork LA fitness was doing by bringing clients to the trainer. Now, I had to be creative and reach new clients in an unfamiliar area.
My son was born the September of our first year in Georgia. All the transitions, starting at my wedding day all the way up to my son being born, happened within a year. What a joy to become a father! My wife was now on leave and was not planning to return to work after her leave. I was now working at Lowe’s and had my own training company. I attempted to go take more of the pre req for PT school, but now that my son was born and my wife was at home with him my priorities changed. I now wanted this training company to grow. I begin to make promo videos and run specials; I gain roughly two new clients. Just 2, but I was glad to have them two. I now had four clients and a Saturday morning group class ages 50 and up. I used thumbtack to help draw in clients for leads. It helped to land one client, who is still training with me today. There were other leads, but they never followed up and simply didn’t respond when I reached out to them. It was tough. Yea this wasn’t easy. Christmas was soon approaching, bills were due, and I am now the sole provider. I knew I needed to do more to sustain my family.
2013 came and went, my company still going steady and I’m still at Lowe’s unloading trucks. At this point, in 2014, the training company was starting to grow more. I had one client who invited a friend to a training session and that friend invited a friend. Next thing you know, I have a group class developing right before my eyes training multiple clients within the same hour. A new group class was formed, with multiple clients, training twice a week. The training income was going up while I was still working my Lowes job. It went up enough to not be just considered a hobby or side job just from word of mouth clientele. It was now time to make everything official. I never liked the thought of having my name in the company name. I decided it was time to come up with something that represents the clients, took the focus off me, and focused on the company. I came up with the name “Physique”. At the time when I first started training, I never thought about training athletes until earlier in the year of 2014. That’s when I joined Coach Up to bring in extra funds. That’s when athletes began reaching out to me for training. Just like that, I was connected back with the sport of football. I got Physique legally registered and decided that it would be a Sports and Fitness company. Even with making it official, I still had a lot of groundwork to do to bring stability to the company.
In December 2014, my family got some exciting news, we were expecting another baby, a baby girl! Wow! I’m about to be a father of two. I really got to provide for my family now. Prior to this news, I had taken on a new part-time job at the mall in Alpharetta, as a security guard. I was working there for several months prior to getting the news of the new addition, so I was already in prime position to continue providing for my family. My schedule at the time was as followed, 4 a.m. head to Lowe’s would get off early at 11 a.m. go home to rest and head to the mall to work from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. On the days that I had to train I wouldn’t work at the mall I would come home after my shift at Lowe’s rest and head to Atlanta to start my training sessions at the gym by 4 p.m. At this time, looking into other jobs in my career field was not happening. I had a colleague of mines, Terrance, who I always stayed in contact with. We met in college. He recognized my work ethic and desire to take care of my family. He was a businessman and always tried to figure out ways to get me involved with business-type jobs. He always asked if I would like to become a manager like him working at the health park for WellStar. I had no interest being a manager. I was already managing enough I felt. But I did have an interest in the company he worked for. I remembered the name WellStar from previous jobs I applied to when I was back in Alabama after I graduated and received that oh so famous “regret to inform you” email. I told him I was not interested in the management position, but I was interested in the cardiac exercise physiologist position. Because he was a manager, he told me he could see if it was a spot open for that position. If not, he could get me in front of someone for an interview to get into the company. The amazing part about this interaction with T.J. was that he worked and managed employees in the cardiovascular department. So, he knew personally all the managers, doctors, techs, and employees. What a connection and wow look at God arranging stuff. By late September, I was sitting in front of a manager interviewing for a front desk specialist job in the cardiovascular department at WellStar. The manager was so impressed with the fact that I had three jobs, my wife stayed at home and how I was taking care of my family. She pretty much told me that the job was mine during the interview. By early October 2014, I had told my coworkers at Lowe’s and at the mall that I was leaving to go full time at WellStar to pursue a job utilizing my degree more. So, I went from 3 jobs, down to 2; one at the hospital which was 8a.m. – 5 p.m. job and I still maintained my company by training all my clients in the evening.
By 2015, I was making new strides with my Sports and Fitness company. I was now actually training more clients and my Saturday morning group class was still steady. My Monday and Wednesday evening classes were good. Individual training sessions were booking, and I was training more than just one athlete for football. Although things were looking good, I still had more room to grow but I knew it would take time. I had to be patient, do my part, and trust God that everything would work out well. With that in mind, I created a shirt to sale that would remind me of just that. The shirt simply said “Trust the Process” with my company logo underneath. That message applied to everything in life for me, no matter how hard it looked, or how impossible it seemed, I had to “Trust the Process”. Those shirts sold quickly as soon as I had them printed. After being on the job as a front desk specialist for six months at WellStar, a job opening for a Cardiac Exercise Physiologist was about to open. At this point, the current EPs that I developed a relationship with knew I was looking to get that job eventually. They told me about the opening position. I had no experience as an Exercise Physiologist, so I knew I had to learn as much as possible about the position prior to the interview. I bought books on EKGs, and other techs and EPs gave me books and advice about the position. I study tracings showing different heart rhythms. I relearned the anatomy of the heart making sure I was sound in my knowledge. It was like I was in school all over again. By the time of the interview for the position, I was confident with my knowledge of the position. Although I didn’t have hands-on experience, the fact that I applied myself to learn what I needed to learn in order to get the job impressed the hiring manager and I got the job! It is now 2015, and I got the same job I was denied in 2012 because of lack of experience over others with experience. A few months later, my daughter was born.
In 2016, I learned more as an Exercise Physiologist and was able to build great relationships with some of the top cardiac doctors in the state. I focused more on connecting with other business owners to help build relationships in the local area of where I train. I had a steady three athletes who I was training, and they were all having success on the field. My personal training sessions were filling, and the group classes were still strong and steady. Around the city, I did not know many people. My personal training clients came from word of mouth since I was at a private gym, and all my football leads came from coach up. I knew I needed to build a line of referrals, so I sought to network with nutritionist and chiropractors. These were people that I could connect with to start a referral network since many of my clients were coming in through referrals. Although my clientele didn’t drastically change, it did allow for me to get to know some really cool professionals in the area.
In 2017, everything was still the same from 2016. Training company was steady, but I was not seeing the growth I desired to see. Things at the hospital were going well, that job begin to become easy to me as I became more comfortable with the knowledge I had in relations to patients. Now my focus was solely on Physique and its growth. I decided I needed to build more of the sports aspect of the company. I lived in Roswell, and all the athletes that I was currently training were in the area. I didn’t know any coaches and was not in affiliated with any sports program in the area. No one knew me or who Physique was. I decided to begin coaching little league football, I reached out to the Jr. raiders of Alpharetta to see about coaching their 4th-grade team. I told them who I was, about my company, and my football playing history. They gladly welcomed me to their coaching staff. I was their defensive coordinator. We went all the way to the championship but came up short 6- 0 in a very defensive battle. It was like déjà vu when thinking about my 6-0 championship lost in the 6th grade. Nevertheless, the relationships I built and the players I was able to develop was the highlight of my season. Because of the people I connected with through coaching, I am now starting to make a footprint in the area. I changed my title from that of a personal trainer to Sports and Fitness coach. I begin to take on more athletes for training with many parents sending referrals my way. Now Physique was on to something, and the joy of coaching lit another spark in me.
In 2018, Physique was going up in the right direction! My wife was still at home with two kids. The business was now bringing in clients from football and for personal training steadily. During the summer, prior to football season, I was presented with a head coaching opportunity for football. A coaching opportunity to coach the 10u team in Brandon Jacobs new North Atlanta Giants football league. Being a Cowboys fan, I knew very well who Brandon Jacobs was. The fact that my name got dropped in his ear and he reached out to me about coaching in his league was pretty cool. The opportunity seemed like it would be a challenge that I was willing to take on, so I did. It was my first head coaching opportunity. I’m now looking like wow; I’ve really gone from player to coach and this was only my second year coaching. At this point, the idea of PT school is gone. The joy of being around the very sport I grew up loving has come back into my life in a completely different way. Coaching a first-year team, in a new organization, with high expectations from the parents was rough! We started out winning scrimmages, but as the season started, we begin to take some brutal losses. Injuries to players, some games we got blown out, and the team completely lost the desire to even compete. By the middle of the season, we barely had enough players to compete due to injuries and some due to a lack of desire to play because of the losses. I tried to keep the boys engaged as their head coach, but ultimately failed and our season ended. It was rough to watch the ship go down sinking with me as the captain, but I learned a lot from that season and was glad that I experienced it. Towards the end of November, I transferred to a new WellStar facility in Vinings where I would be the only EP and I would have more time to be with my family and to work on building my business. Being at the health park now only four days out of the week and getting off at 4 p.m. helped to free up a lot of time for me.
In 2019, Physique is hitting new heights! The sports side of the company, that focuses on athlete development, is now matching the personal training side of the company in regard to clientele. The word is now out about who I am as a coach and person in the Alpharetta/Roswell area. In the spring of 2019, a good friend that I developed a relationship with in 2016 with the Raiders, called me with another coaching opportunity. He wanted me to be a part of the coaching staff at Alpharetta middle school. It didn’t take long for me to think about it. I called him back and told him I would love to be a part of the staff. I was still on a mission to develop the sports part of my business. So, I decided to help volunteer at some camps to connect with local coaches in the area. That was one of the best things I did. I met a lot of men that was in position to help teach me things and give great coaching advice. I attended a GCMA coaching seminar event that was very informational. I had the opportunity to sit in and hear Tim Walton (Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Back Coach), Franklin Stephens (McChearn High School Football Coach), and Georgia Southern Defensive Back Coach speak. The next day, I was there to help run drills at a HBCU Mega Camp they hosted. It was a very productive weekend for me. The following week, I connected with another sports and fitness camp that was hosting a WR camp ran by former Atlanta Falcons WR, Harry Douglas. It was another great networking opportunity and I got to connect with some good athletes as well. More athletes were now reaching out to me about athletic development training. Personal training was still going steady. With Football season approaching, I knew my time was going to be stretched even more. On the days I wasn’t at football practice and wasn’t in Atlanta training, I was able to do athletic development training. I was able to hit all aspects of my company while still being able to be a part of a coaching staff.
As the mid-season point begin to approach, more athletes were sent my way by way of referrals. With my youngest current athlete being six years old. My family just recently welcomed our newest addition, another son. My wife is still able to be home with all our children and I thank God for that. I’m still able to provide for our household. My football season has currently come to end with us losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs. As with every season, I’ve learned a lot and taught a lot. “LOCK IN! LOCK IN coach!” my athletes would tell me if I was not fully focused on what I was doing. There is a lesson in every season and that for sure was one. I am now training athletes that play at various levels and positions in the surrounding areas; Woodstock, Alpharetta, Roswell, Dunwoody, Marietta, Milton, and even have an athlete that lives in Valdosta that comes to Roswell to train periodically. The personal training side of the business is still steady and my focus with the winter and new year coming is to bring in more personal training clients to help with the new resolutions that will come.
Several years ago, if you would have told me that I would have a family that I’m able to support, a Sports and Fitness company named Physique, and a coaching resume I would’ve laughed because I had other plans. Well, what do I know? God clearly had different plans for me and I’m enjoying every moment and I will continue to “Trust the Process” of my journey and live by faith.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, but it hasn’t been extremely rough. I would say it has and is definitely an extended journey with obstacles here and there. The main struggle with offering a service is making sure you consistently meet your client (Customer) needs. For me, that has not been a hard obstacle. The struggle at time is managing everything that I have going on and making sure I’m able to give my undivided attention to the task that is before me.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Physique – what should we know?
Physique is a sports and fitness company with the goal to inspire everyone to BUILD, GROW, and DEVELOP into their best physically. We strive to motivate our clients and enhance their physical well-being through personalized workout plans. I train clients looking to meet certain fitness goals and train athletes that are looking to enhance their skills in their respective sport. I’m known for my passion and friendliness. My clients always tell me that I’m always smiling and that they never know when or if I’m having a bad day. They would tell you that I keep them engage and every program that is designed for them makes them give their best effort. I’m proud that throughout the years, I’ve consistently been able to see my business continue to grow. Although some slow patches came the business has not went under, causing it to completely fail.
Throughout the slow times, I’m proud of how those periods just stretched my faith and pushed me to work at growing the company more. My personality sets me apart, I’m just humble, genuine, and care for others. I don’t like talking about myself, honestly answering these questions is the most I’ve talked about myself so that would explain all these long answers I’m giving. I have a B.S. in Exercise Science and Wellness, so when I’m training, I teach my clients the science behind every executed exercise. I want my athletes to know how their body will respond certain drills. I also want my clients to know what exact area of the body the exercise is hitting, what muscles are the primary targets, and which are the assisting muscles. Being an Exercise Physiologist set me apart, my clients know that if something was to go wrong that I have the background to take care of them. I take care of patients that could have attacks daily, so I know how to respond during emergency, and I also know what to look for physically when someone is about to have a cardiac event or a life-threatening event. I have the knowledge of knowing how to rehab the body after rigorous activity or injury because of my experience working under a Physical Therapist rehabbing high school athletes. I have the education beyond the scope of personal training, experience in multiple fields that studies the science and anatomy of the body, the experience of being an active athlete since I was five years old, as well as the knowledge that goes beyond just knowing how to execute exercises. I’m able to give sound advice when it comes to training and athletic development.
Now, if it is beyond my scope of knowledge, I refer my clients to someone who is more knowledgeable in that area. I’m transparent with what I do know, as well as with what I don’t know. I’m trustworthy and that is a huge thing that clients look for when it comes down to personal training. “Are you just in it for the money or do you really care about me as a person?” Personal training is more than just trying to look good on the outside. Everyone is not meant to be extra buff or a size 2. It is about feeling good on the inside and taking care of your body in the way that it was designed. I don’t want to force a body on someone whose body wasn’t designed to fit that image. I’m in it for the people, them developing wellness, and being better as athletes and human beings in general.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Being genuine and my motives. My motives are pure and I’m genuine in what I do. So, those that I come in contact with me see that I’m not just doing this just to be doing it, that I’m not just doing this to get paid, but that I really do it because I have a full-blown passion for what I do.
Pricing:
- Athlete Development – 60 minute session – $45
- Personal Training – 60 minute session – $40
- Personal Training – 30 minute session – $30
- Group Training – 60 minutes session (3 or more) – $25
Contact Info:
- Address: 1874 Piedmont Road, NE Suite 420-D
Atlanta, Georgia 30324 (Physical gym location)
Athlete Development – Location varies depending upon field location agreed on - Website: www.physiquebgd.com
- Phone: 7706761748
- Email: physiquellc@outlook.com
Image Credit:
Coaching Picture: Taken by Mr.Cuevas; All other photos taken by Tyshelle Kent
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