Inspiring journey helps clients achieve fitness goals

Reflecting on his life while recovering from open-heart surgery gave Wetta Nuualiitia the drive to start his personal training course with Fit Futures Academy, which has opened the door to his dream business.

“I have always been passionate about fitness and bodybuilding. Having a family meant that I had to consider my financial stability. After surgery, I had the space to think about what I really wanted to do and decided to leave my job and start the face to face course.”

Dedication to a tough training programme and the support of family and his coach helped Wetta Nuualiitia win Mr Palmerston North earlier this year

Wetta says the course complemented his existing knowledge and provided plenty of practical sessions at Les Mills. He enjoyed learning from his tutors and the course content extended his skillset.

“Everyone was really helpful, and the course was exactly what I was after. I wanted the qualification to back up my skills and add to what I already knew. The course has helped me to get where I am today.”

After graduating at the end of last year, Wetta set up his own fitness business, which is based around a six-week lifestyle transformation program where clients have two live training sessions per week, backed up by 24/7 support via social media.

Wetta offered a pilot program to his friends and family to fine-tune his fitness offering and recommends this to others who are starting out in the industry.

“It makes sense to try out your program on friends and family first because they will give you really good feedback so you can change things slightly before you launch it to the public.”

The program has taken off and Wetta now has over 50 clients on his books with two training sites in Manakau and New Lynn. Around 30 percent of his six-week program attendees continue with regular training sessions after finishing the intensive course and Wetta credits the family-like atmosphere as part of the reason why people commit to ongoing training.

“It’s a real family vibe. We make it fun and everyone becomes close because they are all going through the same journey together. I organize dinners out for us every few months so we can catch up outside the training sessions.”

Being able to share his own personal journey helps Wetta connect to his clients and inspires them to stick with their fitness programs and make long-term lifestyle changes.

“At one stage I was 120kgs and if I can get through that and open-heart surgery and come out on the other side fit and healthy, I think it helps others to start their journey and to keep going when it gets tough.”

Wetta says having a support crew is vital when running a fitness business and training for bodybuilding competitions. Having the backing of his wife and coach has helped him to progress faster towards his goals.

“Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I have done this year. My wife Flora, who has her own floristry business, has helped me so much with developing my business and my coach Marcus Hoeflich with my bodybuilding preparation. I owe them a lot because they are always there for me.”

Wetta has plenty of personal and business goals lined up for this year and beyond with his first national bodybuilding competition to prepare for, while also aiming to grow his business. He gained first place in the Counties Manakau Open Men’s Physique B Class and won Mr. Palmerston North earlier this year; both events are organized by the New Zealand Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (NZIFBB).

“I am starting to prepare for my first national event which will be held in October. In terms of my business, I will continue to grow my client base and I’m seriously considering starting my own facility so I can create a home for our members.”

To give back to the course that helps prepare him for the fitness industry, Wetta has extended an invitation for Fit Futures students to come along and see how his classes run. Feel free to contact Wetta through his Instagram handle which is: @wettatheathlete.