Hometown: Nederland, Texas
When and why did you come to Austin?
I came to Austin in December from Dallas because I wanted to get back into personal training. I had previously lived in Austin when I was attending the University of Texas. I love the city and I am excited to be living here again.
What is your background? How did you get into personal training?
I have loved watching or playing sports my entire life, especially soccer. After my sophomore season of high school soccer, I realized I had to get stronger if I wanted to have a chance of playing in college, so I decided to start lifting weights. At first I wasn’t the biggest fan and thought it was kind of boring, but once I started seeing results I fell in love with it. I decided to get my degree in Kinesiology because there are many misconceptions about lifting out there that I want to help people better understand. Helping people find the joy in lifting that it brings me is why I love being a personal trainer.
Tell us about your current fitness goals and training.
I am currently training to hit the 1000 lb club. That is a sum of my bench press, squat, and deadlift. I think I am like 100 pounds away, but these last 100 have proven to be the hardest to get.
What is the most common fitness myth you work through with your clients?
The most common myth is that you will get too bulky if you start lifting weights. I have been training for almost 9 years and I promise you, I wish it was that easy. It takes a lot of dedication and discipline to gain just a couple of pounds of muscle. It takes some patience to see results and they’re not going to come instantly, but it is all worth it in the end.
What do you want your clients to take away from each training session with you?
I want my clients to finish each session thinking “wow those 30 minutes flew by, I was having so much fun.” There’s many day-to-day responsibilities in everyone’s life that can be stressful, so I want each session to be an opportunity to just have a little fun.
What sets you apart from other fitness professionals?
What sets me apart is my love and passion for fitness. I am trying to learn more about the industry not just to be a better trainer, but just to satisfy my own curiosity. Especially in this new age of AI, I am fascinated about how it is starting to be integrated into fitness and how it will shape the future of health and wellness.
Favorite quote and who said it?
Success isn’t owned – it’s leased. And rent is due every day. – J.J. Watt
If you had a super power what would it be?
Teleportation, imagine never having to sit in traffic again or being able to travel anywhere in the world whenever you wanted. It would be incredible.
To train with Eric at the South Studio, click here to schedule a free consultation and structural balance assessment.