Today we’d like to introduce you to Tommy Gerber.
Hi Tommy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
While I had always been in pretty decent shape, in my late 30s I ended up gaining a lot of weight. Every time I started a diet, I would find an excuse within 2 days to break it. After struggling with this for quite a while, I had my breakthrough moment. After a lunch of two chili cheese dogs and a chocolate milkshake, as I walked out of the restaurant feeling like I hit rock bottom, I noticed in the same shopping center a personal training gym. I just walked in and had the Good Fortune to meet the owner, a former professional bodybuilder. After talking with him for 30 minutes I just decided I was going to do everything this guy told me to do. It worked and I was able to do it because I was mentally ready to get serious. That taught me that getting in shape is at least as much mental as it is physically. I lost 90 lb in 3 months. This was over 20 years ago so no drugs, just proper diet and proper exercise. One of the things I learned from my trainer is that no one knows how to burn fat and build muscle better than a professionally bodybuilder because that is what they do for a living. I also saw that the techniques that bodybuilders employ, would apply to the general public since we all have the same body parts. That does not mean you do anything crazy like a bodybuilder would from a diet or exercise standpoint like they were getting ready for a contest. However, the general principles of nutrition and exercise apply to everyone. Although a practicing lawyer, I got my personal trainer certification to give me incentive to stay in the gym and I did find I enjoyed trading other people. When I moved back to Memphis, over 20 years ago now, I decided to open a personal training business. Fortunately, it has been very successful and took off to the extent that I did not have to practice law anymore. I have now been in business for over 20 years have no intentions of slowing down.
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?
Fortunately for me, I haven’t had to face many obstacles. Business was very good from the beginning and not only do I have a great clientele, but I’ve been fortunate to work with great gym owners and other trainers. While not an obstacle, I believe there are some changes in our society that make this job more challenging. First, when I started 90% of my clientele was interested in weight loss. Now with all the weight loss drugs on the market it would be very difficult to build a business based on weight loss. The other challenge is that many people, particularly younger people, like to do everything at home. This includes exercise whether we’re talking about a peloton or the mirror or even strength training. Covid probably had a lot to do with this but I think it was coming anyway with the advent of all the new technology. While you can get a pretty good cardio workout at home, most people do not have the equipment to get the proper strength training workout at home. Fortunately for me, my clientele has gotten older with me and the focus as we get older is much more on strength and balance as opposed to weight loss. I would say the largest percentage of my clientele is over 50 and interested in getting stronger with weight loss being a secondary consideration
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I’m a sole proprietor. I specialize in strength/conditioning, weight loss / gain and nutrition. I believe that one of the things that sets me apart is that I am not an exceptional athlete or 22 years old and never had an ounce of body fat. I’ve actually had to do this myself and I think it provides me with a great deal of empathy and a way to communicate with my clients. I take pride in the fact that my clients find this an enjoyable experience. I’m not a drill sergeant and this is not boot camp. If it’s not a good experience, people are not going to keep coming. I am very proud of the fact that I train more people than anyone in town, and that is because the programs work.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Memphis is a very easy city to live in and get around. Of course, like anyone else, the thing I like at least about our city is the crime rate
Pricing:
- Package pricing at very reasonable rates
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Tgfitness.net
