Bravo’s Work Out New York has offered up
some pretty amazing athletes, which for many of us—let’s be honest here—is at least a part of the reason we all torture ourselves at our respective gyms and classes. Lucky for us, this particular set of trainers are very committed to their craft and are entertaining viewers by sharing the passion they hold for fitness. Seven trainers, serving up a whole lot of fun and some tough realities about nutrition and working out… along with more than a fair helping of drama. Courtney Paul says it’s all a part of the competitive environment they work and live in and he agreed to chat with The Rage Monthly about his particular take on it. Learn how he got there, where he came from and
his philosophy on what is necessary to “work it out” in his world. Lucky for us, he’s a “heart on his sleeve” kind of guy, who is wide open and willing to share his journey.
Talk to us about how you ended up in New York. I’m from a little town called Lafayette, Louisiana.
ERATION. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, LIFE IS ABOUT NOW AND FITNESS IS ABOUT FEELING GOOD.”
MY PHILOSOPHY REALLY IS MOD-
It is definitely the Deep South and all about crawfish, alliga- tors, possums, bayou and creole culture. Football is king, hunting, fishing and all of the hyper-mascu- line things in life run the city. Whenever
I figured out that I was gay, which was around 12-years-old, I realized, “You know what, this is what it is, now what am I going to do with it?” I knew that I had to get out of Louisiana, because it was just too small for me. Many of the street signs are still in French, the commercials are still in French and I knew that there was no way that I would find what I wanted out of life in a small town. Not that it’s all a bad thing; I just knew there was something else out there. You’re preaching to the choir, I grew up in a small town in Northern Wisconsin, so I get it. The endgame was, “Next!” Yes. Even when I was younger, I would watch commercials that weren’t in French and not from Louisiana and I would change the way I would say my words. I did it so I would be prepared to speak normally whenever I reached my final destination,
wherever that might be. I camouflaged myself as long as I could while I was there and did what I needed to do to get through high school. I played sports, I did football, track and swim team so I wouldn’t be exposed. I eventually went to New Orleans, which was
a bigger pool of people. Even then, I knew that I wanted more. So, I thought, “I’m moving to Atlanta!” I had a sister and a best friend there, so I moved and stayed for five years. It’s where I started training and getting into fitness. Pretty soon, I decided it was time for more still and that is when I made my way to New York. I believe it’s important to share people’s stories, in particular with people in fitness and sports, because it allows young people to see that “Yes, you can be gay and be an athlete.” Would you say that being gay prompted you into sports and training, or was it just something that spoke to you? I was always into fitness and into sports. I figured
out early that it was a way for me to camouflage myself until I could get out. Louisiana wasn’t very gay friendly, so I needed to buy myself some time and sports did that for me. Training made me feel and look good and helped with my self-esteem. It wasn’t the best back then because I didn’t have the support that I needed growing up. No one knew that I was gay, but hearing the “faggot” comments and all of that was never an easy thing. Looking good and being into sports, was kind of my barometer as a young man. So, being gay definitely steered me towards fitness. Once you arrived in New York, how did you get your start? The gym that I worked at in Atlanta was a “gay”
gym. From there, I just moved to another gay gym in New York, a David Barton gym on 23rd Street in the middle of Chelsea. This one was basically a gay nightclub (laughs), it really was. It really was a lot to take in. Barton only takes the best instructors and there were so many talented trainers there and I learned so much. The fitness industry in New York is very, very competitive and there are a lot of characters, so I learned to sink or swim very quickly. What would you say your philosophy is around fitness? My philosophy really is moderation. You only
live once, life is about now and fitness is about feeling good. The idea that I can never have another beer, because it has wheat in it, does not make me
JANUARY 2016 |
JANUARY 2016 | RAGE monthly
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