Today we’d like to introduce you to Preston Wilson.
Preston, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I believe that if you master your body, it will enable you to master your life. I’ve built my entire fitness philosophy and programming around the premise that Anybody Can Do Anything. Fitness has had an incredible impact on my life’s journey. I overcame failure behind the psychology of fitness and it continues to empower me to move past obstacles that confront me today.
In college, I was a struggling student unsure about my future and about to be kicked out of school. At this time, I was very depressed and the only therapy I had was going to the gym, which helped me to feel better about life. Exercising rebuilt my confidence and eventually I became a walk-on sprinter and a Champion in Track and Field at the University of Florida.
From there, I graduated with a Specialist Degree began working as a School Counselor and an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer. Basically, I was an average joe who got fit and it changed everything about me. What I love about fitness is that it is one of the most accessible things that an individual can do to improve their life. You don’t need to be educated, You don’t have to be rich, You don’t have to be a world-class athlete, It doesn’t matter what your background is, all it takes is committing to the process. This is what fitness has done for me and I look forward to helping others discover what fitness can do for them too.
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?
In my freshman year of college at UF, I failed several classes, I had a 1.3 GPA and had to meet with the Dean to discuss my future at the university. I promised her that if I was given another opportunity I would turn things around. She caved in and told me, “it was my last chance” and “not to make her regret her decision.” When I left her office, I worked towards figuring out what would be a catalyst for change. I reflected on my time in high school and what helped me be successful than to try to duplicate that now.
I remembered that athletics was a major part of my life and they helped keep me on top of my education. In college, I wasn’t participating in any extracurricular activities and I lacked intrinsic motivation. So I went back to the weight room and began running laps on the track again. It was definitely a process, but things actually did change; my grades improved drastically and the Track Coach at the University saw me running and told me “he could use me on the team” so things just took off from there.
Please tell us more about your work. What do you do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
I help inexperienced lifters and seasoned athletes accomplish what the body says you can’t. Many people want to be fit and some were at some point in their life but they don’t know where to start to get back on track and they often feel like their bodies just can’t do it. I specialize in helping people realize their potential through strength, resistance, and performance training. I hold one on one, group sessions, and I have online programs as well. I’m known for “explosive” exercises.
Many of the things I do are challenging but I help clients progress to meet those challenges. I am most proud of the look on my client’s faces once they do something they never thought they could before, My workouts will tone you up, helping you lose body fat, and build muscle, but more importantly, training with me improves your self-concept. I intentionally connect fitness with life and as you start reaching goals you start to believe you can do anything. What sets me apart is that my background is in counseling and I believe that fitness is not just about the body its an integral part of everyday life so I continuously work on conveying that as I train my clients.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Patience and Persistence. The ironic thing about working in the fitness industry is that transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It’s ironic because the same things I preach to my clients about pushing through and not looking at the scale is the same thing I have to do with building a business/brand.
It takes time and in order to run a successful business, I cannot get caught up in trying to see change in the short run. There are good months and bad months but I’m always moving forward. Similarly, sometimes a client is making a lot of progress and other times they aren’t losing a pound, but as long as they are patient and persistent with doing the right things to see a change that transformation will happen. This is equally true for the success of my company.
Pricing:
- 12 week programs (online) 99.95
- 8 week programs (online) 49.95
- 4 week programs (online) 19.95
Contact Info:
- Website: acdafitness.com
- Phone: 4075383152
- Email: presto372@gmail.com
- Instagram: @150lbsofawesomess.
- Facebook: @150lbsofawesoness
Image Credit:
Christian Pierre
Justin Hall
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