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Fitness training that goes beyond a kick in the buttDate: 06.06.2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team United States
Gregory McCollum calls himself the Dr. Phil of Fitness.
Unlike many personal trainers, 35-year-old McCollum is committed to looking beyond his clients’ physiques and takes a more holistic approach.
If a client is struggling to do a few pushups, McCollum won’t penalize him.
“It’s not like [he] can’t do five pushups, the problem is that in high school [he] got picked on in gym class,” he said.
“This is where my ‘Dr. Phil’ side kicks in,” he said, referring to the popular TV psychologist. “I try to understand where my clients are coming from.”
Considered one of Chicago’s leading personal trainers, McCollum has been featured on NBC Dateline, Ebony magazine and even worked with Oprah Winfrey’s personal trainer, Bob Greene, on a commercial gimmick for the launch of Greene's new book,"The Best Life Diet."
McCollum’s search for a diverse, metropolitan city led him from Louisville, a North Carolina town, to Chicago.
“I’m from a small town so I’m curious about other cultures,” he said. “I embrace diversity and kick it with everyone who wants to kick it with me.”
His curiosity of other cultures has led McCollum to travel around the world—to Brazil, England, Spain and Mexico.
This September, McCollum will marry his Spanish fiancée, Ruth Garcia, in Spain.
McCollum will celebrate that special day with close friends and family, explaining that he is "not big on a big wedding."
Not only does McCollum want to sample the diverse cultures of the world, he also wants to learn their languages.
“I speak Spanish,” he said, “but I’m trying to learn a phrase in Hindi every time I visit my Indian dentist.”
McCollum also has a creative side. “I love photography, even though I haven’t tapped into it yet,” he said. He is hoping to take a class at the Art Institute and decorate his home with his work someday.
Not a sterile, meathead gym
McCollum’s first job was at the Lakeshore Athletic Club Illinois Center.
But he wasn’t satisfied and didn’t think other athletic clubs were providing clients the services they needed.
“Other clubs are looking to sign up as many people as they can,” he said. “I didn’t want to sell out.”
That led McCollum to open his own business—One Source Fitness, or "The Loft"—almost a decade ago. His place is now located in the West Loop at 344 N. Ogden.
McCollum has hired five trainers with different specialties who work with clients to give them well-rounded workouts.
“I don’t hire people who have egos; I don’t care if they’ve run marathons,” he said. “I see how they can relate their strengths to Mr. Nerdboy over here who’s never done a pushup.”
McCollum said the environment is geared for people of all ages and fitness levels. “Big fancy clubs like Bally and East Bank have the same equipment, but clients are intimidated because they don’t know how to use it,” he said.
And if you’re looking for a pretentious place where you can show off your new Prada clothes, this is not the place for you.
“I want to change the way gyms are looked at,” he said. “Women won’t have to deal with ‘Hey baby, what’s your sign?’ here.”
“It’s also not a sterile, meathead gym,” he said. “We don’t do bodybuilding—we make what you’ve got look good.”
So what are the perks of becoming a client?
There are no contracts. “I want people to want to come,” he said.
Clients can also check trainers’ schedules and make appointments online. “I don’t know any other place where you can do that,” he said.
McCollum has never advertised and insists on attracting clients through word of mouth. “It’s like a hairdresser,” he said. “People ask, ‘Who did your hair? It looks great! And then there’s a domino effect.”
But he stresses the need to network and plans to display his clients’ business cards in the gym. “We need to promote people who are good at what they do,” he said.
He plans to showcase art at the gym and even have an “Artist of the month” contest. “It would be great if we could put prices on different works so people can sell it,” he said.
He’ll hug you, then kick you in the butt
McCollum’s clientele is as diverse as his gym equipment and includes people of all ages and fitness levels.
One of his favorite clients is 75-year-old Paul Gignillat because he gives it 100 percent.
“He works at a 55-year-old’s pace,” McCollum said. “He almost beat me at tennis once!”
Then there are those clients who aren’t serious about committing to their fitness routines.
“I’ve fired clients before for not trying,” McCollum said.
He said the best clients are those who put in the effort because they learn a lot more.
Steffi Slonski started out as McCollum’s client more than five years ago, but now considers him a good friend.
“He’s the type of person who will hug you and then kick you in the butt,” Slonski said. “He pushes you to be your very best.”
But McCollum also believes that those who work hard should play hard. He often takes his clients out to ball games and concerts. One recent outing was to a reggae performance.
Slonski said that the high quality trainers, unique equipment and personalized training re-energizes her when she works out at the Loft.
“The workspace is comfortable and intimate,” she said. “There is a sense of community.”
What woman doesn’t want to look good on her wedding day?
A few years ago, McCollum’s clientele primarily consisted of brides-to-be. People would get engaged, then marry, then people from the wedding party would get engaged and the cycle would continue, McCollum said. He also keeps in touch with wedding and event planners.
“There will never stop being brides,” he said. “And what woman doesn’t want to look good on her wedding day?”
Thus, the “Fit to be Tied” program was born.
The program offers brides-to-be weight training, cardiovascular conditioning and proper nutrition to help them lose body fat, develop lean muscle, increase energy, lower stress levels and transform physiques.
Fit to be Tied became a huge success and was even featured on Dateline NBC in a Bridal Weight Loss Challenge segment that aired a year ago.
“I’m trying to get [my fiancé] to go through the program, but she keeps fighting me. She works better with the other trainers," he said.
McCollum said that the program, though rewarding, has its moments.
McCollum remembers one bride-to-be whose body “kicked in” a few weeks before the wedding. Whenever someone said anything related to the wedding—flowers, limo, reception—she would run to the bathroom and throw up.
By the time the wedding date came around, her dress size had dropped considerably.
But his clients’ quirks don’t keep McCollum from trying to attend as many weddings as he can.
“When the bride is walking down the aisle with all eyes on her, how much advertising is that!” he said.
Expanding the vision
McCollum has extended his training program to high school athletes who play a variety of sports—football, basketball, tennis, volleyball and swimming.
The program is called “New Breed of Athletes.”
“I want to make a new breed of athletes, to give them a basic foundation of strength that every athlete should have,” he said. “The more fit you are, the more you focus mentally.”
McCollum primarily uses cardiovascular training and regimens to strengthen arms and legs.
He is shocked that some parents pay for their children to have pitching coaches and private tennis coaches. “The first question they need to ask is ‘Can junior even do 10 pushups?’” he said.
Buoyed by his success in Chicago, McCollum has bigger plans--he wants to go national and someday even global.
He is working to open training centers in San Francisco and even Spain.
Five years from now, McCollum sees himself living and working in the United States for half the year and in Spain the other half.
Right now, the hard-working McCollum admits he doesn't stop to smell the roses. "I haven't realized my success yet," he said
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