Today we’d like to introduce you to Nestor Perez.
Hi Nestor, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I first began my journey as a personal trainer back in 2010 at the 24hr fitness in the galleria area. I stayed there for a little over 2 years before venturing off on my own to try to make a name for myself in the local fitness industry. I decided that I would call my new mobile training Freestyle Conditioning which later on I changed to Freestyle Strength and Conditioning. Most of the clients that I had decided that they would follow me and we began to train out of apartment gyms, church parking lots, memorial park and just about anywhere with enough space for me to have my clients move safely without being stuck by moving vehicles or people trying to set a new pr while running memorial at the early hours of the day.
While I was training at 24hr Fitness I happened to stumble upon CrossFit and I began learning as much about that as I could by fully immersing myself in the CrossFit trend. I trained 2, sometimes 3 times a day at the local CrossFit gym I was attending. I spent a lot of time at the gym and I was later on asked to become an instructor there. I loved it. It was the first time I had coached a group class. I was nervous but I enjoyed being in a group setting. I was an instructor there for a little over a year before doing the same as I had done with 24hr Fitness. I decided it was time for me to try it on my own. I began with a few of the group clients that had decided to follow me when I left the gym I was instructing at. I did just as I had done when I left 24. I started to meet the group at a local park in the east end area at 6am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. No matter what the weather I would be there and I would always have at least one person show. I did this until I finally found a space with a low enough rent for me to be able to manage. I got the keys to where I am currently in March 2014. I did some minor updates, lots of sweeping and cleaning before having all my clients begin to meet there the following month in April.
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?
I do not know if I would use the word smooth to describe how the road has been but it’s definitely been an adventure. The hardest hurdle we faced came in 2020 when the Covid Pandemic stopped everything in its tracks. We were forced like other gyms to shut down until it was deemed safe to return. I had to take a risk to keep it alive and I trained some of my personal clients so that I could make ends meet till we were given the ok to be able to meet in groups again. I did feel guilty as some of the gyms that I once attended during my CrossFit days had to shut down permanently due to covid. It also made me feel very grateful to be still in business.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a personal and small group instructor. I am proud of being considered the most consistent person my clients know. That is what I am most known for my ability to show up no matter what.
Contact Info:
- Email: freestyleconditioning@yahoo.com
- Instagram: FreestyleConditioning
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreestyleConditioning/
Image Credits:
Sabrina Moore
