We were lucky to catch up with Viktoria Kayrevich recently and have shared our conversation below.

Viktoria , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Taking risks is what makes life more interesting, it can help us grow as humans, teach us lessons, and help build confidence, and I’m all about it. I never envisioned myself as a personal trainer, I always thought I had to look a certain way to do the job. But, I decided to leap anyways and I’m so happy I did. Before I started this path I was working a comfortable 9-5, then I decided to finally chase my dreams and applied to work at a gym called F45. I was persistent so they hired me.

For some time, I worked my 9-5 and taught workout classes. When I finally decided to leave my main job, the transition was scary because most gym jobs are part-time and you have to earn your hours. I was patient and worked my way up to the manager role. Group training was the perfect first job and taught me so much. Now, I transitioned to personal training and am taking another risk by trying to grow my own business as an online and in person trainer. Every time I’ve taken risks its been scary and a leap of faith but it always worked out for the best.

Viktoria , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I provide online and in-person training services for both males and females. Each workout is tailored specifically to the person’s needs and goals, but I always make sure the majority of each workout includes weight training. Lifting weights has so many benefits for both genders and I especially love to empower women to feel confident using weights. I make sure each workout is fun, but also educational. I’ve practiced a variety of exercise style and incorporate a little big of each for optimal functionality and enjoyment.

I also love learning about longevity, biohacking, and wellness and teach my clients everything I’ve learned about living a healthy life. I teach my clients that fitness isn’t about just lifting weights, it’s about making choices that serve you outside of the gym as well. I understand that males and females are different so I train them differently as well, When training females, I’m very mindful of how our hormones are affected and educate them on how to train beneficially according to their cycles.

Everything I teach I apply to my own life as well and try to be an encouraging example. A lot of my clients have been able to change their lifestyles in a manageable and sustainable way.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

For most of my life, I struggled with insecurity and self-doubt, but the gym was always a place where I could be myself. My fitness journey has been a roller coaster of ups and downs as I’ve experienced every eating disorder, overtraining, and caused a lot of harm to my body just because I was trying to meet society’s standards of beauty.

Growing up in the Russian community the standards were a bit more extreme and met by unhealthy measures like dieting, undereating, or cleanses. The cuisine was also not the healthiest, and because we were immigrants, fast food was popular because it was new and exciting. Because of this, I had lots of healing to do, physically and mentally. Thankfully, over the years I was finally able to heal my relationship with myself, which shifted my perspective on fitness and health.

Now, I work out because I love myself, I eat to fuel my body, and health and fitness are now my lifestyle and passion. I’m so happy that I didn’t give up on myself.
I became a personal trainer because I wanted to show others that fitness is so much more than looks. I wanted to empower people to be confident in the gym and life. Health can seem challenging and complicated, but I teach my clients that making one small change at a time it’s attainable for anyone.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Personal training is so much more than just assigning people a workout. You have to be a people person, a good listener, and flexible. The goal is not only to teach people how to exercise with proper form. It also caring enough to teach them how to build new lifestyle habits that support the workouts. Its important to get to know your client and determine what kind of approach to take when introducing those habits.

Being flexible and adjusting to your clients needs is also key. Before each session I ask my client how they feel and decide whether the workout I planned for them is acceptable. If they aren’t feeling great, are extra tired, or too sore, I adjust the intensity of the session.

Most of the time people come to us for accountability, but if you care enough, they should also receive education, and inspiration to stay consistent even after they venture off on their own.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: vkayfit
• Yelp: VK Fitness