We are often unaware of the fact that our fitness or its lack has such a tremendous influence on our life. The movement is an essential part of everyday life or at least it was so until recently. At present, we are largely locked in our houses doing our work remotely, which makes it more difficult for us to stay fit at the same level as it used to be before the pandemic. Of course, such a state of affairs is natural just for a part of society, there are still some people who are definitely not discouraged by all these difficulties, thus they keep investing in themselves, which means their bodies. After all, our body is a sanctuary not only for our soul, but also for our heart and our mind. When we take care of this figurative foundation and we try these metaphoric walls to be a pillar for the sanctuary of our body, we are ready to function efficiently not only in our private life, but also in the professional one.
Being unfit has a huge impact on many aspects of our everyday life, not to mention our health which should be a priority. The longer we manage to stay in good health, the longer we will be able to serve ourselves and our community. Besides this, sport generates competitiveness, allows us to cross further barriers and become externally and internally stronger people for whom the word ‘impossible’ doesn’t exist and it is changed by other words ‘yes, I can’.
Today, I’m pleased to introduce you to my new interviewee – Andrey Pilipets – a great husband, father and a trainer who decided to devote his life to a certain kind of mission. That is making others healthy, and he does it in a very simple way, which is just at your fingertips… you can gain it through bodyweight exercises.
Passion Piece: Could you tell my readers a few words about yourself?
Andrey: Hi, my name is Andrey Pilipets, I’m a passionate fitness trainer changing people’s lives by bodyweight exercises.
Passion Piece: You are an ACSM-certified personal trainer & SGT Ken Master BootCamp Instructor. How did your adventure with sport start?
Andrey: It all started twenty years ago, when I cured a 10 mm discus hernia in my lower back by changing my exercise routine. That’s when I started to believe in the power of corrective exercise. I used to work in banks for 10 years, 7 of which on manager positions. I had a good job but I was not happy. I left banking and spent 3 more years working for a telecom provider, media holding and even a cosmetics company. These were great experiences but I still wasn’t happy. I decided to change the environment. In December, 2011 I moved to Singapore and started looking for a career change. After meeting about 1000 entrepreneurs and business professionals in a few months I decided to become a fitness creator. I cycled between parks and did my BootCamp classes. My work was healthy and meaningful. My clients were happy. Most importantly, I was happy. Because I followed my passion.
Passion Piece: You’ve been working as a fitness trainer since 2012 and you’ve been training people online since 2016. Why did you decide to train people in such a way?
Andrey: I had to move from Singapore in 2016 and left a lot of happy clients there. Some of them wanted to keep training with me and asked me to try online training.
Passion Piece: During the pandemic the online training has become even more popular. What are the advantages of online meetings?
Andrey: The pandemic pushed a lot of people to work remotely and that broke the ice for online training. Advantages of online training vs. offline are:
- Safety and hygiene.
- Saving time traveling to the gym and back.
- Saving money on gym fees.
- Having a better choice of trainers other than those present in your area or specific gym.
Passion Piece: Can all kinds of workouts be well-presented on the screen? How about checking your students’ progress?
Andrey: Absolute majority of bodyweight exercises I did during my offline BootCamp classes can be done on the screen. The only exceptions I can think of are sprints and shuttle runs and I have great alternatives for those. I use live sessions with my clients 100% of time so I check my students’ form and progress straight away.
Passion Piece: Is it possible to gain as good results while practicing with an online trainer as while practicing with a trainer at the gym?
Andrey: According to my gym clients who switched to online training last March, they get the same results online as they did in-person. Training people online has some learning curve though. I recently wrote a mini-guide for people who want to become online personal trainers.
Passion Piece: Great accomplishments are the best recommendations one could think of. Who’s your most successful student?
Andrey: My most successful student is Shruti, who transformed herself from a very unfit condition to a half-marathon runner on weekends and lost 21 kg on the way.
Passion Piece: What do you put an emphasis on? What’s the most important during a given training?
Andrey: I put an emphasis on bespoke program, choosing from a 1000+ bodyweight exercises and variations for the best effect. The most important quality for a trainer is to feel the exact amount of exercise intensity for the client during every exercise session. Too much intensity leads to overtraining and injuries and too little is a waste of your client’s time. This feeling which lets clients achieve their fitness goals fast and safe only comes with experience.
Passion Piece: What kind of a daily routine one should follow to keep in shape?
Andrey: Start by committing 3 hours a week to exercise out of 168 hours you have. That can be gradually increased up to 6 hours as you get fitter. Eat and sleep well and regular. Get some fresh air. Communicate with positive people. Listen to your body. Your health will improve and your shape will follow.
Passion Piece: Is a balanced diet equally important?
Andrey: Absolutely. We are what we eat. Stick to fresh food rich in proteins and fibers to feel great. Avoid pumping junk processed food and drinks into your system. Please feel free to check my article ‘The dirty dozen of weight loss myths’ if you need more info.
Passion Piece: What’s your fitness philosophy?
Andrey: I change people’s life by bodyweight exercises. Leave machines for the weak and weights for the strong. Use your bodyweight to become healthier in a natural way. I can adjust most exercises to be doable. There is always something you CAN do, even injured. I love what I do. I make every class different, using thousands of exercises and variations.
Passion Piece: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Andrey: Enjoying quality time with my family.
Passion Piece: Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?
Andrey: Same as now – training people, practicing my sport and enjoying quality time with my family.
Passion Piece: Which motto would you like to share with my readers?
Andrey: Invest in your body – that’s the only one you have.
Passion Piece: Thank you very much for this truly inspiring conversation and I wish you continued success in the future.
Our whole life and the surrounding us world is a constant movement. Just like the seasons change outside the window or people around us, our body also changes depending on how well we take care of it. Let’s do it as often as possible, as we may not get another chance.
See you around!
Yours,
Passion Piece
Photos by: Andrey Pilipets
He sounds like a trainer that I would enjoy working out with. This was good learning about him.
You made my day with your comment Tara! Thank you so much!
It is interesting to read this interview with Andrey Pilipets.He sounds a well trained trainer who can coach others towards fitness goals.
Thank you for your comment Amila! It's all about passion and doing what you really love! Just like our beautiful host Natalia says!
I love this. It reminded me that I do need to take better care of my body.
Totally Amber! Your body is the only one you got!
Goshhh fitness. This is really something I should work on this year. Indeed our body changes depending on how well we take care of it.
Yes Sigrid! And taking care of your body is a super rewarding process!
I have never heard of body-weight fitness before and it sounds like a splendid way to get exercise routines accomplished during those dark and dreary months.
Alvern, thank you for sharting! Body-weight fitness is absolutely amazing and can be done anytime and anywhere!
I agree with a lot of things that he is saying, such as you are what you eat, and that online working out has the same effects and being in the gym. He sounds like a great trainer.
Thank you for your great comment Joanna! Yes it's all linked together like the links of a chain!
Love how Andrey was able to move to one place from another and most of his clients still want him. shows that he is indeed an ideal trainer.
Thank you so much Berlin! I simply love to help people and they can feel it!
Andrey is a really inspiring figure. I've been working out at home, trying to keep my body and my mind healthy. A great story indeed!
Lisa, YOU are the really inspiring figure as you can work out at home!
I would much prefer online classes to going to the gym any day. If you have basic equipment it can be just as effective. I also agree highly with what he says in regards to you are what you eat, but also believe you can afford to live a little too.
Great point Nyxie! Online classes can be more effective as you focus on investing your precious time into exercise instead of commuting to the gym and back. And please, live a lot!
Sounds like quite the journey for him. Glad he found exercise and created such a healthy passion. exercise is very important and can have a huge impact on how we feel ; )
Totally, Eloise! It's been a real game changer in my life!
An interesting read. I'd love to work with a personal trainer.
All thanks to our beautiful author Natalie! Have you tried working with a personal trainer before?
I admire that Andrey was able to recognize that he was unhappy and bold enough to completely change his life. He sounds like a great trainer with good, healthy training philosophy.
Yes Cristina it's very important to ask yourself and check how you feel about your life! Being a trainer is a really rewarding and healthy journey!
I loved reading this. I do interviews too and I feel it is always great to read and know about others and their thoughts.
Yes I agree with you Monidipa! Natalie is doing an awesome job with her interviews!