Eager and excited about my interview with married couple celebrity trainer Clay Burwell and wife Elizabeth Hendrix, I scurried down the New York City blocks anxiously looking for their gym, High Performance. Assuming there was going to be some huge gym sign hanging off a building, my eyes rapidly glanced over every awning, every sign and every billboard that there was in between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. Shortly realizing I had to count on the street numbers, I saw the door to the building across the street and entered. Taking the elevator up to the fourth floor where the gym is located, I didn’t know what to expect when the elevator doors would open. Was it going to be a lavish gym, was it going to be filled with people, were the trainers going to be too busy to do the interview? All sorts of questions went running through my mind to prepare myself for anything.

As the elevator doors opened, I was a bit confused. I thought I was going to enter the lobby of a gym, where the front desk would greet me and I would explain my reason for being there – but to my surprise there was just a hallway. Walking down the hallway reminded me of being at a doctor’s office, with a whole bunch of doors and suite numbers. I finally came to the suite number with the High Performance sign on the door. I heard a bunch of laughter and what sounded like to be a good time going on behind closed doors, so I hesitated to knock. I realized the public relations office was literally right next door, so I went there first since I had coordinated the interview through them.

After a couple of introductions and basic chit-chat with the lovely girls at the PR office, I was brought next door. The door opened and there it was, just a room with one treadmill, a few weight machines, kettle bells and a mat. I was introduced to Clay and his wife Elizabeth (as she was finishing up with a client), and it wasn’t what I expected at all. The social atmosphere was very laid back and relaxed, with a sense of hardcore edge. Elizabeth’s client was working hard while doing walking lunges, medicine ball moves, and some other things that definitely didn’t look easy. Watching her client I wish it was me in the client shoes. I wanted to be the one to be pushed and feel like “Oh I’m definitely going to feel these tomorrow!” It could have been because I love fitness or maybe because I had a hefty breakfast not too long ago. Once Elizabeth’s client left (which was shortly after my arrival) we began the interview. Read the rest of this entry »