1. Hello Christopher Lee, can you please tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Christopher Lee (my friends call me Chris), and I’m a personal trainer and instructor in Buffalo, New York. Fitness has always been incredibly important to me. I grew up in a fairly low-income neighborhood and discovered martial arts as a way to stay out of trouble. By the time I was in my teens, I was obsessed with training for competitions, specifically in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Out of this passion, I decided to pursue a college degree in fitness and focus on exercise science and sports performance.
After graduation, I landed a personal training job at a large commercial gym where I received a tremendous amount of invaluable experience working with clients one-on-one. It didn’t take long for me to realize that most people were just focused on losing weight quickly instead of increasing their overall athletic ability and potential. I’ve always found that exercise is a celebration of what you can do and goes well beyond a weight scale. As I strove to develop this philosophy with my clients, I began to clash with the gym’s management. The gym was very metrics-driven and wanted me to work with as many clients as I could rather than focusing on quality training sessions. After a little planning and saving, I decided to take the entrepreneurial plunge and start my training business focused on helping clients build strength, athleticism, and agility. The workouts I design focus on functionality and explosiveness, so clients do get leaner, but more importantly, they perform like an athlete, which translates into a healthier lifestyle.
2. What are your focus areas and why?
I educate my clients on the science behind athleticism and encourage them to master the fundamentals of exercise first and foremost. There’s no shortage of fitness professionals and personal trainers, but in my opinion, many of them focus on flashy trends or shortcuts to achieve results instead of basing their fitness on core principles: sound nutrition backed by scientific research and intricate training techniques leveraged by today’s top-performing professional athletes.
3. How would you describe your profession?
Extremely rewarding. I consider it an enormous privilege to work in the fitness industry and help clients transform their lifestyles. Every client has different needs and goals. Consequently, every relationship I build with them and every training session is slightly different, which only adds to my profession’s enjoyment.
4. Where do you think it is really making an impact?
Safety. Before starting their physical training journey, several of my clients suffered from a history of physical injury when it came to sports or exercise. At first, they felt hindered by previous injuries, whether it was a sprain or pulled muscle, but my training approach, which focuses on developing form and habits to reduce mistakes and thereby mitigate pain and injury, helped them regain confidence and achieve balanced results.
5. Do you think integrity is an essential part of the entrepreneurial spirit?
Society sets standards for us, but so often in life and business, people are compelled to operate in gray areas. Leaving the gym where I used to work and starting my own fitness training business was partly a matter of personal integrity. In the end, you have to decide what actions and choices will define your character going forward.
6. What advice would you give to young people just starting out and hoping to make it in the entrepreneurial world?
Discover the magic of curiosity. Looking back, so many of my passions were born out of curiosity and a desire to learn. Nurturing that side of yourself will serve you well in life, regardless of profession.
7. Do you find as an expert that you enjoy the challenge of the industry being complex with the game rules that are always changing?
I enjoy the training sessions with my clients the most, and while not too fond of admin work, I am continuously impressed by the tech advancements within the fitness industry. For other fitness professionals and me, I imagine, the challenge in 2021 and many years after will be integrating technology into curated exercise programs that benefit the client without overwhelming them with data.
8. If you could turn the time, what would you love to change in regards to your career?
2020 was a difficult year to predict, but it would have been nice to have a little more time to prepare and invest in my business’s digital side before the stay-at-home orders went into effect.
9. What are you most excited about at the moment?
I’m most excited about the strides and hard work that health professionals have put in over the last year to develop a vaccine that hopefully will allow most of us to return to a somewhat state of normalcy. Ideally, that “normal” means more one-on-one training sessions with my clients, reunions with friends and family, and eating at my favorite locally-owned restaurants.
10. The last word or final thoughts?
Don’t let a new year’s resolution overwhelm you, especially if it relates to “losing weight” or getting more fit. Fitness is a journey, one to be enjoyed, and doesn’t require a personal trainer. Put in a little time to research different methods online that may suit your goals. Be patient, and above all, be kind to yourself. You got this!
About Christopher Lee:
Christopher Lee is a certified personal trainer in Buffalo, New York. Mr. Lee helps his clients build muscle and improve their overall fitness. Christopher supports his clients as they revamp their health and fitness routines, increase their metabolism, and get stronger. His exercise programs and training sessions are designed to help clients build strength, athleticism, and agility so clients can enjoy the activities and sports they love pain-free.
Mr. Lee earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science with an Emphasis in Sports Performance from University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. Christopher Lee’s passion for living a healthy and active lifestyle has led Mr. Lee to educate his clients about the importance of regular exercise and science-based nutrition fundamentals.
When he is not supporting his clients to become more physically fit, Christopher Lee can be found spending time with his friends and family in Buffalo.