Adam Fowler Spills The Perks Of Being A Personal Trainer: “I am my own boss and can work when I want to.”
Adam Fowler talks about his story from being a typical employee to the boss of his own business.
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Adam Fowler and I own F!T F!X.
F!T F!X is a personal training and group fitness business owned by Adam Fowler, a fully qualified personal trainer and registered fitness professional offering one on one, group personal training, boot camps, outdoor fitness sessions and so much more!
I am Personal Trainer, Group Trainer, Bootcamp Instructor, CrossFit Trainer, Strength and Conditioning Coach, Kettlebell Instructor, Boxing Coach, Olympic Weightlifting Coach and so much more… I have been in the industry for over 8 years and F!T F!X is growing!
As a fully qualified & registered fitness professional, I help clients effectively utilise time, keep them motivated & monitor progress. I remove all the guesswork from training. Each training session is unique & will satisfy the entire body. I keep training interesting with different exercises & techniques to achieve what most people think is impossible.
Group training programs cater for all ages & incorporate a range of exercise-based tasks to achieve your results. Look at this style of training as personal training surrounded by friends and a supportive group.
We also offer massage services to help clients recover from fitness sessions.
We offer mostly functional strength training and had great success.
– Clients win South Australian strongwomen comp at Mt Barker 2014 – Under 75kg Belinda Reid
– Client wins South Australian strongwomen comp at Mt Barker 2013 – Faye Stevens
– 2 Clients went to QLD for Strongwomen comp 2013
– 2 Clients went to NSW for strongwomen comp this year, both got 2nd.
– Fitwars 5 Team Scaled winners
– Fitwars 3 Individual scaled 4rd
Others
-Clients participating in the Kokoda Trail, triathlons, marathons, obstacle races, cycling, CrossFit events etc.
We have also hosted large events to help out the local community
-Gawler Village Strong Comp hosted by F!T F!X – The completion was a highlight for the crowd and kept them entertained.
- Gawler Show Strongman Demo hosted by F!T F!X – Looking to go bigger this year with competitions and attract some well-known names from around the state.
- Animal Welfare Donation Day hosted by F!T F!X – Raised a trailer load of bedding, food, toys, and money to sponsor a kennel. Featured in the local Paper – Bunyip
I have had great success myself as a fitness professional, I was Northern Messenger Small Business Finalist 2 years in a row and Fitness SA Professional of the year finalist.
I do a bit of everything in the fitness industry and this year I have competed in SA Strongman, Fitwars, Triathlons and obstacle races.
How & why did you get into the fitness industry?
I used to work behind a computer and was overweight when I was younger. I loved my sport but just never excelled enough due to fitness level and weight.
Had a bad knee injury and needed a knee recon, so I got private health and had to wait 1 year before I could claim, in this time I got myself stronger and fitter and in the end I still haven’t had a knee recon as my legs are strong and I am not carrying that extra weight. I changed my eating habits in this time as well and it just becomes addictive, I loved to challenge myself and train harder each session and try new things. I thought about becoming a personal trainer for a few years, but doubted myself, then finally signed up for the course, it was scary but I knew after a few weeks that this is what I wanted to do. Fast forward now and I am my own boss and can work when I want to.
Take us through a typical day for you?
Wake up around 6, normally have 3 personal training sessions in back to back in the morning. I then normally do my own workout, come home for some lunch, admin work and do some housework, then head back to the facility for another workout, PT then 2 group sessions. I get home around 9.
What were some of the biggest mistakes you made when starting out your business? And what should their focus be?
My biggest mistakes would have been too scared to expand and try something new. I had the client support to grow but never believed in myself. Also. not taking advice from family, friends and clients, I thought I knew it all… My advice is, focus on trying to learn as much as possible, and not think you know it all.
Try new things, each client is different, you need to understand how to motivate them best and use the correct exercises for them to achieve goals. Go to other trainers sessions, learn from them, each trainer will have something different to help you become a better trainer…
What are some of the reasons your clients fail to hit their fitness goals?
Having the right mindset is the key, be positive and be patient, no magic pill to get results overnight…
What they do away from me is the problem, I have them for 1 hr a day… They could not be eating correctly, or not working on mobility/flexibility.
What are some of your favourite exercises to do with a client?
Depends what the clients' goals are, love to teach them new things they have never thought possible
Like to make them feel like they have achieved something each session. It might be using different equipment or doing a different exercise or getting a personal best lift or time. The assault Bike is currently my favourite for clients.
Any tips/suggestions for people looking to get into the fitness industry?
Make sure its the right choice for you, there is a heap of trainers out there, so much competition, everyone wants to be a personal trainer these days. I’ve seen so many come and go. You need to offer something different and continue to learn.
What do you think makes a personal trainer succeed in the long term?
Having the right service and clients getting the results. Making sessions fun, interesting and challenging. Word of mouth is a great tool if they are happy they will tell others… If you get bored in a gym then come see me.
Any useful resources, tools, or books you can recommend?
Go to other trainers sessions, learn from them. Do different courses, each course you will learn. I was lucky enough to have an Australian Physio train me up.
Where can people get in touch with you?
F!T F!X is based in Gawler. We have a facility located at Corner First and Seventh Street, Gawler South, SA
https://www.facebook.com/fitfix
http://www.fitnessfix.com.au/
Email – info@fitnessfix.com.au
