You may have seen Yusuf on MTV series I Used to Be Fat or modeling in Men's Health. His clientele ranges from Fortune 500 executives to celebrities and athletes. Yusuf talks with GMO about his passion for fitness, health services, and giving his community fun activities with working out.
GlossMagazineOnline (GMO): How long has fitness been a part of your life?
Yusuf Myers: Fitness has been a part of my life since I was a kid. I started with martial arts and I stuck with that for a while. I played basketball, football, baseball, and did gymnastics. At one point in my life when my mother got diagnosed with cancer, I stepped away to focus on her to make sure I was there with her. My mother passed away when I was in college, and I gained 70 pounds one semester. From there it made me realize how much fitness has to be a part of your life. It has to be a lifestyle.
GMO: What are some of the training programs you offer?
Yusuf: My programs vary depending on who I have in front of me. Your workout regimen is going to focus on your goal. You are going to get the targeted workout. I can do sports programs, weight loss to get your heart rate up, and I can train a body builder if they are getting ready for a show.
GMO: Can you elaborate on your "Get Focused Foundation?"
Yusuf: The foundation was started by me and one of my best friends. We grew up in Washington Heights and we didn't have too many positive role models to look up to. We felt like we needed to fill that void that it was lacking. We threw a big health fair introducing the kids to a variety of exercises without working out in the gym. We showed the kids you can burn calories and make it fun. We have public speakers and athletes come out to talk to the kids.
From there we started getting offerings from other organization. We have worked with Dr. Oz and other New York big organizations that are children based. One of our biggest accomplishments was Michelle Obama congratulating us.
GMO: What is YM Fitness?
Yusuf: It's a company that I created. I had access to luxury condominiums and from there I built a relationship with someone and from there it turned into a massive enterprise. I recently started a food service, were we provide meals within the calories to make it easier for you to lose weight.
I also have my own supplement company. It's not out yet but it consists of 10 sources of proteins. I have a multivitamin and a fat burner. Most people don’t have the energy to go to the gym, so I give them the boost to go. My website with my products should be up in a month.
GMO: How was your experience training young adults on MTV series I Use to Be Fat?
Yusuf: It was definitely a major experience. Me, personally, I thought as long as you go to the gym you burn calories and get results. That wasn’t accurate at all. Nutrition is 95 percent of what matters when working out. You can go to the gym and work 6-7 hours a day like they had us with those kids and they would sabotage them by not eating the right way. Their weight would fluctuate and you will see the kids that would eat right and barely workout loses 10 pounds a week. It gave me a chance to get my business to the next level by having the specific amount of time to work with one or two people.
When you have kids that don't want to work out at all and their nutrition is McDonald's and you’re taking that away from them, it becomes much harder. I'm used to working by myself and with athletes, so what I learned was before you get them in the gym work on a nutritional plan. You have to figure out what's going on in their life that's making them depressed.
GMO: What is some advice you would give to someone who is trying to workout/ lose weight?
Yusuf: Focus on figuring out what works for you. Start off by writing a two-week food blog and figure out what you are eating badly. Once you figure out your diet and your body adapts to it, then you can start burning calories and a weight gain program.
I would say focus on nutrition first and then get with a trainer to show you how to do workout moves properly. From there, you would see the pounds shedding off.
GMO: Besides training you also model?
Yusuf: I've done fitness modeling for the past 10 years. I've been featured in Men's Fitness about 25 times. I've been in Men's Health, Nike campaigns, worked with Under Armor, and I'm also the fitness editor for Bleu Magazine.
Find out more about Yusuf Myers:
- Twitter @yusufmyers_
- Facebook Yusuf Myers
- Websites: yusufmyers.com, ymfservices.com and Getfocused.org
