Hidden Gems: Meet Tony Gonzalez of Bell2Bell Fitness Fight Inspired Training

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Gonzalez.

Hi Tony, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2004, boxing found me. I went to high school in Burbank. One day after school, a friend and I were wandering through downtown Burbank when we were stopped by an older man in front of his gym. His name name was Gio and he offered us to a free boxing class the next day. I took him up on his offer and at the end of class, I was hooked.
I went everyday for months. I made some incredible friends and found an amazing community. It was probably the first time I actually realized the power of intention and holding myself accountable.

In 2008, I got into UCLA and one of the first things I did was check if there was a boxing club on campus. There wasn’t so I started it. The first year was probationary and we were called The Boxing Club at UCLA. After that first year we became UCLA Boxing. We traveled and competed everywhere locally, regionally and nationally.

I graduated in 2011 and when I graduated, it was important to me to keep the club going. I didn’t want to walk away and have all the hard work we did fall to the wayside. Inevitably, I became the head coach. I coached the club until the winter of 2021. In those ten years, I had the privilege of coaching regional champions and two national champions, Unfortunately, due to two personal matters, I had to take a step back from coaching the club. Regardless, I’m incredibly proud of my time there and overjoyed that the club is still operating.

In conjunction of working at UCLA, in 2014 I started working at a local gym in Santa Monica. It started as a part time job as I continued to work in the family business.
Very quickly, I realized how much I enjoyed coaching group classes and introducing the sport of boxing to everyone and anyone. Even though I was already coaching the college kids to compete, it was something else to teach boxing to help people become better versions of themselves without the pressure of competing. It was really cool for me to teach a skill set and see people get better.
I got a lot of joy out of it.

I left the gym in 2022. In all my time there, I learned a lot about fitness. I learned how the body moves and the reasoning behind it. I learned about exercise selection and programming. Ultimately, It allowed me to realize sport specific exercises and programming to get the best out of people for boxing. It helped me understand the idea of Fight Inspired Training or FIT.

In 2022, I started my own company. Bell2Bell Fitness, Fight Inspired Training. With the gym closed due to Covid for an extended period of time, it was an opportunity for me to test myself and my knowledge base. It was the opportunity I needed, to know if what I brought to the table as a coach worked. To this day, I am using boxing and sport specific exercise to help people be the best versions of themselves, all while fun doing it.

Something else that I really want to mention, is the work I get to do with those affected by Parkinson’s Disease. In the early part of 2018, someone had asked me to train them. I’m really glad I said yes because since then I’ve been really blessed to work with some amazing people who may or may not have had the the assistance they needed.

Non contact boxing has been proven to help mitigate the symptoms of Parkinson’s. It’s such an awesome way to work balance, strength, utilize motor skills and give confidence.
There’s no cure for Parkinson’s. All anyone can do is slow the progression and help give those afflicted by it the opportunity to be the best versions of themselves. As someone who works with this community, I’m extremely proud to be able to make life a little easier and more enjoyable.

I love what I do and wouldn’t trade it anything.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. One of the two issues I mentioned in the previous question was the passing of my father. I took it really hard and to this day, I still miss him immensely.
The other was the birth of my son. My wife had a tough final month of pregnancy and his birth was challenging as well. We had to navigate through that.
Since then, we had another baby and to be honest, the hardest aspect has been trying to find the right balance between work and life. For me, it’s finding the balance of being home and being present with my family while still being available to my clients. It’s learning when to say yes, no and later.
Also, I have hobbies and things I like to do. I still struggle with making time for myself and not feeling guilty about it. My family is important and so are my clients. I have to remind myself, it’s ok to take time for me too.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a boxing for fitness coach. I pride myself in communicating the sweet science and making it easily digestible. I apply sport specific exercises and drills, in addition to pad work for a fun form of exercise. I pride myself in teaching boxing so that individuals can learn a realistic skill set on par with the pros.

I also coach athletes who want to compete. I take them through a full training camp so they can be the best they can be come game day.

What sets me apart is that I ask specifically what your goals and needs are and I tailor the work out to that. Your goals are my goals. I teach real boxing and use authentic exercises to bring the best out of you.

Something else that I am really proud of is my work with those who have Parkinson’s. I have my system that I have developed to help those in need. My main goal is always to encourage confidence in their day to day. Non contact boxing is great for working on fine motor skills, balance, endurance and strength.

What sets me apart is, I make sure to prioritize your needs, goals and am always willing to figure it out when I need to.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I’ve been very lucky to have been around some really experienced people who have given me some great insight on business, relationships, and personal development. Many people have been mentors and have gone out of their way to guide me. I’m very blessed for these individuals.

Pricing:

• First session at the gym is free

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bell2bellfitness.com/
• Instagram: @Bell2bell_fitness
• Yelp: https://yelp.to/obhDkLLGqo
• Other: Bell2bellfitness@gmail.com

Image Credits
Yoko Morimoto