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Meet Gil Correa, Trainer in West Hollywood

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Gil Correa.

Gil, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
It all started about 10 years ago in Brazil when I decided to take my university degree in what’s equivalent to Sports Medicine and Kinesiology in U.S. It is a 5 year course that covers a lot of different subjects related to physical activities and sports. About 6 months in my course got hired as a trainee in one of the gyms in my city, first my only interest was studying aspects of martial arts but working at a gym opened my eyes to a whole different world which I fell in love with. During my graduation I learned as much as I could so I ended up working in different areas such as weight training, group classes, fitness yoga, gymnastics, Tai Chi Chuan and energy healing (Reiki). Everything fell right into place and things were busy but it did flow very well. By the end of my course I also learned some circus activities and I did work for six months teaching Tai Chi for mental Health which ended up being my graduation thesis. After my graduation I had an amazing opportunity to move to Canada where I worked with Gymnastics, Circus, Yoga and Personal Training and finally after two years another great opportunity brought me to L.A. In L.A I was very stressed with my field of work and decided to try different jobs which let’s say it didn’t work very well for me. After almost three years living in the city of angels I found myself again and took the courage to start my own business as a Personal Trainer, After dedicating some time with marketing and advertising I found myself with a full schedule in less than a year. Nowadays I have great business but I am always looking to grow and offer different services to my clients. Recently I took my Life Coaching certificate and other fitness related certifications, I feel happy and grateful to be able to work with something I love and to empower, motivate and support people creating a safe environment where they can exercise, eat better and reach their goals.

Has it been a smooth road?
It wasn’t easy. After lots of work in my graduation period I had to start my life from zero twice: moving to Canada and to U.S. Los Angeles was different from everything I ever experienced and many times it was hard but I knew from the beginning that this was where I belonged and where I wanted to stay. This statement gave me strength to keep going and to always push myself and face my fears. My first years in L.A offered me great challenges, mentally and financially. I struggled with money on my first two years and I felt so much pressure by “having to be successful and to have certain things by my age” that it gave me anxiety attacks. I have very good friends in this city but everybody is so busy that most of things I had to face it alone. I was able to overcome anxiety and to organize my finances with help of my good friends. I felt very alone at the beginning and it wasn’t easy but I always told myself that all that I was going through was going to give me strength and knowledge so I could be closer to where I want to go in my life.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Gil Correa Trainer story. Tell us more about the business.
I work with fitness and wellness. My main work is as a personal Trainer and Life Coach and I apply different types of exercises and techniques: Weight Training, Yoga, Tai Chi Chuan, Circuit Training, TRX, Energy Healing, Functional Training and Nutritional Advice. Currently I am the only person providing the services in my company but my goal is to have my own space where people can work out with me and other coaches in order to reach their goals. Mostly I work with men and women at their 40s and older and what I love to do it is to help them regain their strength, health and achieve a physical appearance where they feel great, sexy and confident! And the best of all is achieving that in a healthy way, without dangerous exercises and risks of getting injured. Safety is my priority and I wanna make sure my clients can exercise for as long as they can so that they can maintain their results and make it become a habit. The way I deal with my clients is what I believe that sets me apart from other people in the same field as me. I try to be there for them even when they are not training with me. Sending texts, making calls of even going for a coffee/tea if they need extra support. They are only with me three to four times a week and being able to follow up with them keeps them motivated and focused. I also like to promote interaction between my clients. Basically all of them know each other. Once in a while I promote events like a yoga class at the park or a run, that way they get to know each other and can also support each other, it is like building a community where they can share many things that goes beyond fitness. This year we did the tough mudder course and it was amazing to see them overcoming their fears and helping people in the obstacle course. They are only with me three to four times a week and being able to follow up with them keeps them motivated and focused. I also like to promote interaction between my clients. Basically all of them know each other. Once in a while I promote events like a yoga class at the park or a run, that way they get to know each other and can also support each other, it is like building a community where they can share many things that goes beyond fitness. This year we did the tough mudder course and it was amazing to see them overcoming their fears and helping people in the obstacle course.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see my industry reaching more and more people and I am already making plans that it happens. Right now as a trainer I can only reach a certain amount of people and work a certain amount of hours, my goal is to be able to expand it and offer services for people all over the world. Workout programs that can help them stay healthy and look amazing. My other goal is to have a space where people can exercise, be coached and have access to healing techniques, all in one program, A place where they can have support and proper instructions to achieve their goals and where it feels like home.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Tough Mudder Team, Colleen Ophelia Photography, Pollyana Moreira.

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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