Training Successes with Celeb Trainer Jason Walsh
Interview with Celebrity Trainer, Jason Walsh
Matt Weik: First off, I would just like to say thank you, Jason, for taking time out of your busy day to do this interview for us. It is an honor talking to such a successful trainer and a great source of inspiration to a trainer like myself.
Jason Walsh: Thanks, Matt! It’s my pleasure.
Matt Weik: Let’s first start off with some background information on yourself. Can you tell us a little bit about your educational background and what certifications you have?
Jason Walsh: I originally started my college career at Missouri State in my hometown of Springfield Missouri, and later transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I decided on Chapel Hill because of their exceptional nutrition program, although after a couple of years of what felt like medical school, I became more intrigued by physiology and biomechanics.
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During my last year in school, I started interning for an incredible coach, Greg Gatz, who is the head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Olympic Sports at UNC. We took care of 440 athletes from various sports and I probably learned more from Greg and his assistant, Steve Gisselman, than I did from all my years of schooling. They helped tie all that information together in my head. Greg made me an assistant strength coach and I worked there for two and a half years before moving on to Tempe, AZ to heighten my skills under world-renowned coach Mark Verstegen and Luke Richesson. I volunteered my time and skills to help with the ’06 combine group helping to produce first pick Mario Williams and Vernon Davis to name a few. I am certified through the NSCA with a CSCS and NSCA-CPT certification.
Matt Weik: You obviously have a huge client base (Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck, just to name a few), with that being said, how did you get into training celebrities and athletes over normal everyday people at health clubs and gyms?
Jason Walsh: I didn’t get them over “non-celebrity” clients. I only trained athletes until I moved to L.A. and only then did I start to train “non-celebs” clients and a few actors. BTW, actors that I’ve had a chance to work with are very “normal” people and tend to be congenial–they just have a better publicist than most people. I treat them the same as any of my clients—maybe that’s the difference.
Matt Weik: Do you train your clients out of a gym, their house, or your house?
Jason Walsh: I train about half my clients out of Legacy Gym in West Los Angeles and the other half out of their homes throughout L.A.
Matt Weik: Do you only train celebrities and athletes or do you also train anyone who walks into a gym and wants to work with a trainer?
Jason Walsh: I train anyone with the right attitude and that I can fit into my schedule. My problem is time; I just don’t have enough hours in the day to train everyone that I’d like to.
Matt Weik: What made you want to be a personal trainer?
Jason Walsh: To be completely honest, I never thought of being a personal trainer. Keep in mind that I’ve been working out in a gym since the late ’80s and always frowned upon the trainers that I observed. Trainers were, shall we say, cheesy, with too much talking, too little work and knowledge. That was the stigma that I had. It’s not to say those types of trainers don’t exist but I guess I thought I could bring something better to the table for an industry plagued with stereotypes—raise the bar.
I’m a people person who I got that from years of bartending. I’ve been comfortable in a gym since I was a kid, and I love coaching; so I guess it was the answer that was starring me in the face for some time.
Matt Weik: What is it like to have your name out in magazines showing your success with your clients—specifically celebrities and athletes? Is it weird to see your name in magazines such as In Touch, Us, People, and Instyle?
Jason Walsh: It’s a nice compliment, but the magazines don’t truly get it. It’s mostly regurgitated information with new pictures and faces. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve written up interviews only to have it butchered and “dumbed-down” for the unknowledgeable public. Yes, they actually say, “dumb it down!” I say let’s educate the public! It’s an uphill battle and I get frustrated easily. I would love to come out with some mode of media to cut through the crap.
Matt Weik: If you had to choose between celebrities and athletes, which do you enjoy training more?
Jason Walsh: Interesting, but I’ve found that if you give people efficient, more effective ways of training that they get the “hunger” that I see in athletes. Yes, they’re actually hungry to train and see the fruits of their labor. It’s an educational process that we the trainers need to relay to our clients about the healthy side of training and let the aesthetics come as a side effect—change their way of thinking!
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