Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Interview: Garrett Watson

I love doing these interviews. Mostly because I get to talk to some of my favorite people involved in the fitness industry, that have also influenced my fitness goals.

This next interview was with a trainer near and dear to my heart, Garrett Watson. He is on my fight team and my first ever personal trainer. This guy kicked my butt. I was constantly challenged and he helped me out so much. He runs the most amazing bootcamps ever and if you want a trainer that listens to you and helps you reach those goals (and you live in Louisville), find this guy.

1) Please introduce yourself. What you do, where you're from all the good stuff. 
Hi, My name is Garrett Watson and my fitness business is called G-Fit. I am from Louisville KY. I would call my self a Fitness Professional. My first title that I ever held in the fitness business was a personal trainer, but over the last 8 years or so, my business has turned into so much more then personal training. Now I am Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Certified Personal trainer, Russian Kettlebell instructor (RKC), Certified TRX trainer, Level 1 Cross Fit instructor, and I am working to be certified through USA Weightlifting as a level 1 Sports performance Coach.


2) How did you get started as an athlete, trainer and coach? How has that evolved into more than just a hobby? 
Training all started for me after a severe tear to my PCL ligament during high school soccer . I had always been an athlete by rarely took it upon my self to train on my own. I would lift weights or run only if my team was made to do it. At that time, I didn’t understand the impact that the extra training could have on improving performance and overall well-being.Before my injury I was a perspective college soccer player. After the injury those dreams really became in question. It was know up to me to get what I wanted. I wanted to play in college so much that I trained hard every day. After rehabbing the knee, I dedicated my self to running, lifting, and reading everything I could about training the body. After awhile, I liked training for performance as much or more then the sport itself. I still played a lot of soccer but I also began to practice with the Louisville Rugby Team. Rugby was a natural fit for me and it really allowed me to use my knowledge of performance training to help transform my body into a more Rugby type frame.I move to Richmond KY to attend Eastern Kentucky University. I continued playing on EKU’s Rugby club team but never forgot my love for performance training. I soon became the consultant to all the players on the team and a lot of people around the campus. After graduating College with a criminal Justice degree I begin working on my first personal training certification. I was asked to stay on as the EKU rugby strength and conditioning coach. I loved that job and I never turned back after that. 




3)  A lot of people look for quick fixes, fad diets and such, what is your outlook on quick fixes?
There are no quick fixes. Fitness is so honest. There are so many things in life that my not give you a return or recognition for all your effort. Your work, your relationship, fanatical investments, etc my not yield a return for what you put into them. Fitness for the most part will. If you put a real effort into exercising and you put a real effort into regulating your nutrition then you will most of the time see some really good results. The notion that you can get what you want with minimal effort is almost offensive to me. There are no quick fixes, only hard work and discipline will get you what you want.


4) I can speak personally and say that there have been spells of lack of motivation, what keeps you motivated to maintain and progress?
 Personally I do not want to have any regrets. I do not want to look back at my life and think that I could have done better. If I put my best foot forward most of the time I should never have those regrets and I will be pleased with myself.


5) What are some basics steps to beginning a healthy lifestyle? 
Step 1- Set realistic goals and have a time frame for completion.Step 2- Give you an honest assessment of your successes and failures. Ask yourself why am I not meeting my goal? What realistic changes can I make to move toward success? Don’t sugar coat it because you’re only lying to yourself by doing so.Step 3- Get rid of everything that is jeopardizing your success. If you’re a sweets person, don’t keep sweets in the house. If you’re a drinker, don’t buy it and don’t put yourself in situations that you may fail. Don’t hang out with your drinking bodies. No one said it will be easy, but you can do it if you really want it. Also, it’s only for the time period you set up. At the end of that you can assess if it was worth all the trouble or if you are willing to continue the SACRIFICES that you have made for your healthy lifestyle.Step 4- Record everything. This is important for accountability and it can also be used to assess results. If you didn’t get the results you wanted, you can look back and see why you did get the results you wanted then you can always reproduce them if needed by doing what you did before.


6) What other words of wisdom can you give our readers to encourage their growth and success in this type of lifestyle change?


The Game is never over! I talk to so many people from former high school athletes to housewives who seem to think that they will never be able to be fit because they are a little older and the task seems overwhelming. They are really wrong with this thinking. The human body is amazing and it will respond to the training very well and it will get stronger and healthier if you just get started. We were made to exercise, not just for our first 20-25 years, but for our entire lives. Don’t worry about being 20 again; you should concentrate on being the best you that you can be. If you think like this and try to enjoy the pursuit of fitness, then I think you will be pleased with our results and yourself





Thank You so much, Garrett, for emailing back and forth with me. Also, thanks for the few years of training. Even though, I argued and fought you. 

You can check out Garrett's website, getgfit.com. 




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