Today’s Notable Young Entrepreneur is fitness professional Lee Boyce, whose passion for healthy, active living is channeled through an exceptional range of personal training services and features in some of the world’s most respected fitness publications. We caught up with Lee to find out how he made a name for himself in an increasingly competitive industry and how he would define success…
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WORK
1. Describe what you do in less than 140 characters. Go.
I’m a strength coach and fitness writer. I train clients and athletes 1-on-1 and talk fitness in many of the world’s largest publications.
2.What was the inspiration for your career route?
I was always into sports growing up and competed in a number of them. Naturally, I developed an interest for kinesiology in my senior years of high school and made the decision while still in university that I wanted to work with healthy clients rather than injured ones, which swayed my desire away from rehab and clinic work and towards fitness and coaching. When I started my first personal training job, never in a million years did I think I’d end up becoming a resource for articles and training inspiration for others to benefit from.
3. What is the most memorable milestone in your career so far?
Other than actually breaking into the writing industry itself (and, more importantly, staying in it without fading away), I’d say it’s a tie between my first book appearance in the 101 Best Workouts of All Time, created by the editors of Men’s Fitness Magazine, and heading out to Philadelphia to work with the Jamaican track team at the Penn Relays as part of their training and treatment staff.
4. Where do you see yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years?
I try not to think too far beyond five-year increments at a time, and in that time I plan to be doing much of the same, hopefully on a slightly larger scale. I hope to have gathered enough industry experience to create the first scratches for a book of my own. It’s something I’m decidedly very patient about pursuing. Other than this, continuing to be a reliable resource for solid content – hopefully through even broader platforms – would be a great goal. Despite plenty of good info circulating in my industry, the general public is still largely misled by commercialized fitness “experts” and ultimately left in the dark.
5. Do you have any advice for other young professionals?
Stick with what you know. It’s monumentally important to realize that there are folks in your industry doing just what you do with literally 20 times the experience you have, and that counts for something – whether you think it does or not. Being overzealous or just plain wanting too much too soon will only damage your reputation and relationships. Make sure to make the pursuit of respect the primary area of concern, and let it build organically.
6. Do you support any charities? If so, which one(s) and why is it (or they) important to you?
I don’t. Maybe I should.
7.What is one major challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your career? How did you overcome it?
The allure of going “commercial” in the fitness industry is never-ending. There’s a gigantic rift between fitness trainers who saturate the industry with half-truths and bank strictly on their good looks and trending fitness fads compared to legit strength coaches or trainers with good intentions who keep the focus on getting clients to learn more about their bodies, how to make them move well, and how to get them stronger and healthier while doing so. Sadly, the largest platforms in the world are often reserved for the former crowd, which misrepresents the truth about what this industry is really all about.
8. What does the word notable mean to you?
When something is notable, it makes you stop and pay special attention. Usually for a good reason.
PLAY
1. Where is your favourite place to wine/ dine in your city and why?
I’ll have to say Ciao, which was a spot in Yorkville (it recently moved further uptown). They’ve got this massive slab of veal with the bone in and a side of vegetables. Me and my buddies call it the Veal on a Hockey Stick. It’s a massive dish (which is what a guy my size needs!), and all-around solid meal.
2.What’s the most visited website on your Internet browser? The most played song on your phone?
Who’s really going to not say “Facebook” to that first question? Honestly, I only use it for training uploads – newly published articles I wrote, new videos I shot, and so on. So in truth, it’s probably a tie between Facebook and all the magazine websites I’m constantly keeping tabs on to see new releases.
I’m a hip hop-head, and the song Mural by Lupe Fiasco has been by far the most played song on my system. I’m talking uncut bars. It’s the song of the year.
3. Who’s one person you think everyone should be following on social media?
Eric Cressey. Everyone who’s anyone in the fitness industry respects the hell out of this guy, and for good reason. He’s constantly putting out amazing, practical info on his Facebook and Twitter pages. I’ve learned a lot from him.
4. What’s your favourite country to visit and why? And what’s the next one you plan on travelling to?
The bad news is, I’ve hardly travelled. It’s a shame, but at least I’m still a young professional! Somewhere in Central America would likely be one of my first stops when I take the time to explore.
5. What gives you the greatest FOMO?
If this counts, it’s the electronic/social media blast and its effects on the training industry. I always want to be a disciple of actually practicing the craft I’m in – but lots of arrows are pointing in the direction of online distance coaching, e-consults, and less in-person training, all of which I think can hurt an industry that’s already struggling with quality control. To answer the question, although I do offer online coaching as a side to my 1-on-1 coaching, I’m definitely not a “techie” by any means, and being forced to immerse myself neck deep in that stream in order to stay afloat or relevant to the industry would be harder for me than doing cartwheels uphill.
6. What’s your guiltiest pleasure?
Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Their bacon cheeseburger is the strongest sandwich in the game. That was easy.
7. What’s something you wish you didn’t spend so much money on? What’s something you wish you spent more on?
No joke, sometimes I can get carried away with shopping. I’ve found myself in situations where I buy items I end up hardly wearing or changing my mind on. If it’s not that, I’ll have a weight fluctuation from a bulk or cut phase (or from a getting fat phase!) that makes the item fit horribly. The kicker is the fact that every day I’m in a track suit for work, so “fashion” takes backburner status either way.
8. And finally, what does success look like to you? Work, play, or otherwise…
To me, success and respect go hand-in-hand. I can’t consider myself successful if I don’t have respect from people who matter – namely, legit coaches and major influencers of the training game, along with the respect of the general public. Anything less than the above counts as failure.
Follow Lee’s fitness expertise on Twitter and Facebook.
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