Your You CAN Do IT CeNTerBy: Jerry L. WheelerAny conversation with Chris Williamson, owner and chief trainer of The Gym, is bound to inspire and encourage because that’s simply what he does. He inspires his co-workers, he encourages his clients, and he serves as an example of the positivity that made him leave Corporate America and start his own business. “I worked for disaster management,” said Williamson, “and I traveled a lot, but the business got so big, it became a numbers game. I decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life, so I walked into the owner’s office one day and said I wanted to quit. Fitness has always been a passion of mine, so I wanted to be a personal trainer. I sold pretty much everything I had and started a business. I struggled for a while trying to make it because I’d started when the economy began to bottom out, and here it is now growing and thriving.” But a thriving business, while good for the pocketbook, isn’t what keeps Williamson motivated on a daily basis. “I’ve got the best job in the world,” he beams. “I wake up in the morning and go to work. I don’t even call it going to work—I call it going to the gym. I can help somebody decide how their day’s gonna be.

“I can help somebody decide how their day’s gonna be. They can walk in with the worst mood ever, and within an hour, they’re having the best day they can have.”— Chris Williamson

They can walk in with the worst mood ever, and within an hour, they’re having the best day they can have. You have that influence on them. You’re with them for an hour and you can change their mindset. It’s pretty amazing.” Also amazing is not only Williamson’s confidence, but the attention and positive reinforcement he induces in his clients. “People come in and you can tell that they’re down on themselves and they don’t like the way they look. There’s obviously something in their lives they’re not happy about. But they come to us and within a month, they’re different people. They’re happy, and they understand the fact that now it’s just a matter of time. They see things happening, not just physically but mentally.

They get positive reinforcement from everybody in the gym, and it’s a family. It’s the most unlikely place you could ever think to find a family because it looks like a hardcore gym. And then you go inside and work out and you realize they’re a bunch of average people that aren’t just going to settle for what’s been given to them at this point, and they want something better.” However, it’s hard for many average people to walk in for the first time, being surrounded by fit, buff men and women. How does Williamson overcome the intimidation factor for new clients? “We do some very good interactive classes where we pair you up with those fit people you’re always afraid to approach because they look so intimidating. It breaks down your walls,” he explains, “and it also motivates them because they have their own demons. People don’t understand that.”

“I’ve been involved with the gay community for quite a long time,” he states, “done the Pride parades and all that stuff, and I have such a fun time. I’m straight, but I honestly enjoy the crowd and I love the people.”—Chris Williamson

“No matter how fit you look,” he continues, “You still have your own insecurities. Everybody does. When you start helping someone else get over their insecurities, you feel better about yourself, and you bond with the other person. It doesn’t just help the person who came to class who’s never worked out and feels terrible about himself, it helps everybody. The person who’s already in shape gets an opportunity to help somebody. If you’re feeling bad about yourself, go help somebody else. You’ll feel good real fast. You’ll feel better for the rest of the day if you just help somebody. We try to instill that.”

In addition to instilling pride in his clients, Williamson also enjoys Pride—as in PrideFest. In fact, one of the contests he’s running for the LGBT community in Denver is called “Shirtless by Pride.” “I’ve been involved with the gay community for quite a long time,” he states, “done the Pride parades and all that stuff, and I have such a fun time. I’m straight, but I honestly enjoy the crowd and I love the people. I thought it would be great to get a group of them all working together who all want to train, who all want to get in shape, and let’s pick PrideFest because it’s such a big event here in Denver. Let’s see if we can get a few hundred of them to start working—I’m going to do free bootcamps in the park where they can all come, and I’m going to give them diet and nutrition help all for free—and let’s cap it off at PrideFest.”

“We should all be able to feel good about ourselves,take our shirts off at Pride and feel good about walking around that way.” — Chris Williamson

“I worked for disaster management,” and I traveled a lot, but the business got so big, it became a numbers game. I decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.”— Chris Williamson

The Clients Befores & Afters

NIRA

Erica & Jesse

Angie James

I guarantee by that time, you’re starting to see results if you keep those two things in mind. You start to realize that if you just follow the program, you’ll get there. You can see it. You can do it. You know it works.” And if it’s worked for as many clients as Williamson has trained, it’ll work for you as well. “I hope people get a good, positive feeling about themselves and that they know they don’t have to settle for their insecurities, physical or mental,” he says. “Nobody’s judging them. That’ll never happen here. If I can start you down the road understanding that you can do anything you want, that’s what I want people to take away. That’s a good way to live life.”

“We should all be able to feel good about ourselves, take our shirts off at Pride and feel good about walking around that way. So we’re going to choose two people who maybe lack in motivation or want to do it but just haven’t figured out the way, and I’m going to personally train them one on one from the day we pick ‘em all the way to PrideFest. They’re going to come in and work with me for free, I’m going to train them, do their diet, do their nutrition, motivate them, keep them moving, and everybody else is going to be able to follow along. At the end of the day, we’ll have a huge community of people that have not only lost weight, which is obviously a part of it, but even better is they can feel good about themselves and feel like they’ve accomplished something.” But many people resolve to accomplish something and wind up frustrated and sore before they can see results. “People try to do too much too fast,” Williamson says. “They promise to start on January 1st and go five days a week—well, that doesn’t work.You have other things you were doing those five days a week, and you probably enjoyed them, so when you take yourself out of that, you put yourself in a situation where you’re sore, and you’re not seeing results. You’re not getting where you want to go, so you stop.”

“A better way to do it is to find yourself a good program you know you can stick to—maybe that’s only a two or three day a week program to start. And you dedicate those three days a week to it. And then you just follow the program. The changes will happen slow, so it’s important for people to make short term goals instead of long term goals. What do you want to do this week? This week is making it to all three of your workouts. Period. End of story. That’s your first goal. At the end of the week you get to check that box off, and you can feel good about yourself because you accomplished it. Next week, it’s making it to all three