Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Patrick Murphy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Patrick, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you get your first job in the field that you practice in today?

In my early 20’s I was bartending in Manhattan Beach. During that same time, I was also heavy into health and fitness for myself. I trained daily in gyms, enjoyed beach runs, beach volleyball and eating healthy. I found myself reading many books in the health and fitness fields. I knew that the bar scene, the late nights, frequent alcohol consumption and other drugs, was not the path I wanted to be around. Don’t get me wrong, the bar scene was fun but I wanted to serves others in a healthier environment.
In the 90’s, big box gyms were opening all over Los Angeles. Gyms were hiring Personal Trainers and I decided to dive into Certifications in fitness foundational concepts, nutrition, corrective exercise and performance enhancement. The certifications allowed me to apply for a job as a personal trainer.
My career started at a Spectrum Club gym off the 405fwy, at the Howard Hughes Parkway exit. I could not have chosen a better gym to start my career. I hit it off with PT fitness manager and a world renowned Orthopedic Group, Kerlan Jobe was right next door. I became a full time trainer the first month on the job, as the fitness manager referred me new clients weekly. For 5 years I trained post op clients coming out of knee, back, hip, shoulder surgeries young athletes, elderly, people from all walks of life. I gained a superabundance of experience early in my career. After my time at Spectrum Club I decided to leave and start Murphy Fitness.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

After my first 5 years of training a wide range of clients, I knew Corrective Exercise would be my Foundational Approach. The world of automation has truly wreaked havoc on human bodies. High percentages of the population have acquired negative adaptations, i.e., forward head, rounded shoulders, weak low backs and more.
Creating programs that encourage optimal posture and alignment is the ultimate reward for me and the client. The positive adaptation exercises I prescribe are for pain management. Clients need exercises that combat the sit down job! Clients need balance, strength and power exercises to gain and maintain peak performance for the Mind and Body.
Fitness professionals need to be mindful of what they are physically creating for the client. Resistance exercises are strong messages that will encourage our body symmetry.
Another essential quality of Murphy Fitness is the adherence of risk / benefit ratios with exercises. I believe this is one of the main reasons why I have been blessed to work with a great number of Hollywood A-listers through the last 30 years. The workout programs I create, the exercises I prescribe, yield maximal results with zero to very low risk of injury. For example, my clients do not perform burpees, good mornings, close grip exercises, diamond pushups, dips on a bench, anchored weighted hyper extensions, med ball Russian twists and many other exercises that are creating negative adaptations and are high risk for injury. Don’t get me wrong, clients can perform high risk exercises, especially if they have performed them for years but, at any moment, the injury cycle can be triggered. I’d rather not play that game with myself or my clients, especially when high risk exercises are not necessary to achieve optimal health and fitness.
I offer workouts on my website, where you will find Corrective Exercise Guidelines. You can implement the guidelines with any and all workouts.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I would absolutely not change my Personal Training Profession.. I truly love helping people with their nutrition, fitness and overall health. No exaggeration, I grind out 50-60 hour weeks, training and taking on as many clients as I can. I found a career serving others, learning from others and my growth continues on. I’m blessed with the most rewarding job.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Oh boy oh boy… the pandemic shutdowns were tough. I am all about in-person training. All the zoom workouts, hour after hour, eyes stuck on the screen became very difficult for me. The cue’ing clients through a screen started to drive me a little stir crazy.. After 2 months of that, I decided to start training at a park while all the gyms were closed. After a few weeks, I worked up to full time again. Then the police came and shut me down. Then I had to build a temporary gym in my backyard. I live in West Adams, not exactly West Hollywood, where I normally train. Thanks to my loyal, committed clientele I was able to stay afloat with my backyard favela gym. I remember I had to cover my gate with a tarp so neighbors wouldn’t stop me from making a living. Don’t get me wrong, no clients were showing up with the slightest sniffle or cold to workout. Many clients stopped training all together but I had enough who needed the training just as much as I needed to feed my family.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Murphyfitness.com
• Instagram: Murphyfitness
• Facebook: Murphy Fitness
• Linkedin: Murphy Fitness
• Twitter: Murphyfitness