Yes, trainers need trainers.

I have always had an interest in working out. Going back to when I was a young boy who spent every weekend at the beach in Corpus Christi, TX surfing, I wanted to learn how to be stronger. I used to lay my surfboard on my bed, grab some dumbbells and pretend I was paddling.

As became older I learned that the gym was important to my running, triathlons, golfing and any other physical activity I was involved in.

But one thing was missing in a lot of these … a coach.

Like many of you I would just show up at the gym and do the things I thought were going to help me, but honestly I didn’t know the order, I didn’t know the weight, the sets or the reps that I should be doing in order to maximize my time in the gym and ultimately get me closer to my goals.

In 2018 I was at a loss. I was simply going to the gym and basically moving weight around … but I didn’t really know why or in some cases why? As with a lot of men, I fell into the trap of “guess I’ll do chest again today!”

Around this time I found an article from Don Saladino, a trainer known for his work with celebrities like Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Blake Lively and others. I liked Ryan’s physique. He looked strong, but natural. I started a five move routine that Don had posted on Men’s Health and that set things in motion for me.

Jump forward to 2020. The Covid pandemic had all of us locked down inside with gyms closed. Don had converted as well, moving away from is brick and mortar gyms in Manhattan to going all online out of the living room of his house. It was the ultimate shift.

He started up these monthly (4 week) challenges and what started as a group of about 25-50 people quickly increased to several hundred to several thousand all around the globe.

I had found my tribe.

With the well built programs and weekly Zoom calls with Don, this group brought me the consistency and training knowledge I was seeking. It also kicked off in me my passion to become a trainer myself.

As I continued the challenges I signed up and began studying for my NASM Personal Training certification.

In late 2021 I became a certified NASM personal trainer myself and in June 2022 I started a job at USAA Headquarters here in San Antonio and officially launched RDMFIT Personal Training, my private training business.

Though Don and I had several interactions online over the past 4 years we finally met for the first time in person on Jan 14th at the Forever Strong summit in Austin, TX.

Don was the coach I expected he would be and was graciously welcoming to me, having breakfast with me and sitting with me during the conference. He was an also the mentor I expected in introducing me to others, pointing various things out during the conference with the other speakers and graciously helping me make more connections.

We often think we know what to do. We believe we have all the answers.

We don’t.

There is nothing wrong with seeking guidance and help from others, especially someone you trust.

Find yourself a mentor in whatever drives your passion. Learn from them. Bounce ideas off of them.

Most of all, absorb all that you can, so that one day you can be that mentor to someone else.