Exploring Life & Business with Anthony Spinner of Almighty Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Spinner.

Anthony, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I began my fitness journey back in 2017 when I transferred to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. While at Lincoln, I studied health science and played division 2 football. I also took the time to intern as a strength coach working with the head strength coach, Pete Bruno. I dedicated my time to the team by waking up at 5am every morning to run workouts with Coach Pete and sometimes I ran the workouts by myself as well. That’s one of the main experiences I had in college that pushed me to pursue my personal strength training career. Coach Pete and the rest of my Lincoln football family really uplifted me and supported me at the start of my journey. They really motivated me to keep going and chase my dreams. Upon graduation, I received my B.S in Health Science and I started taking the necessary steps to start my business. It wasn’t easy, I would work at a moving company from 6am to about 5pm then go straight into training up until 10pm most nights. I was putting a lot of strain on my body, but I persevered through it all because I knew training was my passion.

Eventually, former NFL player, Johnathan Amaya, granted me the opportunity to join the Sports Training LA family and I have been training there ever since. Though I was finally training in a gym, I still had my first job at the moving company and I could still feel the stress and strain on my body but I managed to push through it. After a few months, I finally was able to gain a good amount of consistent clientele and I was able to quit my job at the moving company. Everything was working out for me so well and I felt fulfilled. Then boom, Covid 19 came along and my gym had to close down. It put me in a tough spot because I had no other source of income and I didn’t have any real financial help. Still I felt as though I came too far to give up so I found the beauty in the struggle. I started operating out of my backyard. I had a lot of support and many of my friends donated weights to me.

I then invested more money into my business to build a full gym. I trained out of my backyard from March to June until I was able to get back into my gym. I gained a lot of clients during that time so when I got back in my gym everything was perfect. I started to train consistently every day from 7am to 10pm with little to no breaks in between clients. I kept at it and eventually I got noticed by some big names in LA and I was even able to be featured on Sports Center Top 10 for one of my insane workouts thanks to a good friend who is a Producer for ESPN Niaya Jones. Also, I have trained some big faces like LA Rapper G Perico who I have built a relationship with as a friend and client. One of my most interesting training sessions was training A NFL Super Bowl 50 standout player Kony Ealy who formerly played Defensive End for the panthers and intercepted Hall of Famer Peyton Manning. As of today, I am still training and I’m going to keep going and pushing myself to elevate more and more in this fitness game.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Coming into Lincoln in 2017, a day before my first football game I got a call from my sister Asia. She told me that my biological mother, Tanya Walker, passed away due to pancreatic cancer. After hearing that, I felt so crushed and I cried for most of that night alone in my apartment. The next day I still felt numb and weak inside. I didn’t want to do anything but go to the gym and lift. Working out has always been my outlet even in my darkest times. That’s why working out is so passionate for me because it was one of the only things that made me heal and feel better. I was able to keep pushing and moving forward throughout my football career and internship as a strength coach.

Fast forward to the end of my spring semester before summer break, I got another call. This time it was my brother William Spinner. He called me and told me that my mother who adopted me at the tender age of six months passed away. My mother’s heart stopped. I was in my school’s cafe and I broke down man. I isolated myself from my roommates and friends because I just wanted to be alone. I felt broken and all I could really do was sit there and ask, “why me?”. I lost both of my mothers in such a short period of time, I never even got the chance to fully deal with the passing of my biological mom. Everything was just weighing me down, but I still found it in me to push through my last month at Lincoln and I went home to bury my mother.

After finishing my senior year and my internship, I was home and I got my degree which is what both of my mothers wanted for me. I was hurt but I knew that I would be alright because I knew that I was becoming a man who would make them both proud. One month went by of me being home and I was working with the moving company when I received another call from my friend asking me if I talked to my sister that day. He urged me to call because he saw on social media that my sister passed away. I remember just hoping that the news wasn’t true and I didn’t want to take another loss. I didn’t think I could handle that. I called my little brother Parris and I asked him if it was true. He told me that it was and that my sister Charita “Cha Chi” Walker passed away in a fiery car accident. I immediately left my job and went straight to her clothing boutique to be with my family and friends. I felt like I was losing my mind and my heart was racing uncontrollably. It really hit me hard because my sister always looked out for me.

In college, when I needed help she would be one of the people who would send me money. When I came to her about school she always offered up supportive and helpful advice for me to keep going. She just flew all the way from LA to Philadelphia to see me walk the stage in the rain. So losing her hit me bad. It wasn’t easy for me, but I took that and I told myself that I would do whatever it took to honor those women in my life who I lost. I strived to become the best version of myself. I strived to be successful and I pushed through every day to build my business from the ground up because I know that my mothers and my sisters would be so proud of me.

As you know, we’re big fans of Almighty Training. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My business, Almighty Training, is something that I have built from the ground up as I mentioned previously. My main demographic is women and collegiate level athletes. I do offer my training to anyone though! Anybody who is ready to grind and put in that work are more than welcome to start training with me! I specialize in it all, whether it be strength training, weight loss, HITT (High Intensity Training), speed training or sports performance. Being a fitness business in Los Angeles, I feel as though it is best for me to be as flexible and as versatile as possible because this field is very competitive. My business has provided me the opportunities to train with some well-known athletes, rappers, artists, actors, and designers.

Part of what helps me elevate my game and what sets me apart from others is my ability to motivate my clients beyond my words. If I have a client struggling or falling short, I don’t just talk at them. I will get down and do their workout with them and push them to succeed and reach their fullest potentials. I train hard and I am consistent in every aspect. I utilize social media to put my workouts out there and to display my determination and dedication to fitness and Almighty Training. What I’m most proud of brand-wise is how fast my business grew. I have only been training in LA for about a year now and I have consistent clients on a daily basis and I have received so much support from my city. That makes me feel so good and it truly motivates me to keep going and to continue to help our community get fit!

One last thing that I really want readers to know is that this was not easy no matter how it seems from the outside looking in. I faced many obstacles and challenges along this journey and I say that to tell readers not to give up on their dreams. It doesn’t matter if you’re in school or trying to start a business or anything. Keep pushing because dedication and hard work always pays off in the end. I want every single one of you to be great and chase your dreams fearlessly. Like I tell my clients, it’s ok if you can’t just hop in and do all the workouts but I guarantee that if you come in and consistently do the work and push yourself, you’ll even surprise yourself on how much you can do. All it takes is dedication!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
All it takes one DM (direct message) on one of my social media platforms. My personal and training Instagram pages are @SpinnerAlmighty/@AlmightyTraining. My Twitter is @SacManSpin. I’m open to all new clients and anyone who wishes to collaborate with me. I love my work and I love to grind. So just dm me and I’ll get back to you! In terms of support book a session with me by using the link in my Instagram bio. If you’re not up to workout a repost or a shoutout could go a long way. Word of mouth is the best in my opinion!

Pricing:

• 1 hour session/ $40.00
• Monthly (3-4 days a week)/ $450
• Monthly (5-6 days a week)/ $600

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://square.site/book/9AAZ6X675CNAV/almighty-training-los-angeles-ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spinneralmighty/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SacManSpin

Image Credits
Stephanie Smith Brandon Lawless