ISSA Success Stories with Robert Wilson

A Leap of Faith

Fitness expert and author Robert Wilson found happiness and his purpose in far-away Saudi Arabia. His adopted home is 3,400 miles away from the place he was born and raised, Dublin, Ireland. The difference is immeasurable.

Gone are the aimless days tinged by drugs and alcohol. The desire and need for change, along with a little good fortune, helped him become the person he always wanted to be. The person he always wanted to be lives successfully in an environment and a career he loves.

32-year-old Wilson is the fitness manager at King Abdullah's University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. He manages a team of 12 personal trainers and three yoga instructors, while also leading weight loss courses and staff training. He considers accepting the job to be the best decision he has ever made.

"I knew I needed a change to really grow," Wilson said. "I didn't even do any research on Saudi Arabia or the university. I trusted my gut and got on the plane."

Wilson took a job working security after graduating from high school. A couple of restless years later he decided to follow up on an ad in the local paper offering a fitness course. After completing the course, he landed a job as a fitness instructor at a Hilton Hotel in Dublin.

In 2009, when Wilson was 24, the fitness manager at the Hilton accepted the job as fitness manager at KAUST.

"He needed to hire personal trainers," Wilson said, "and I must have made a good impression. He called me and asked me to come work for him again. I have a lot to thank him for."

Wilson's dedication allowed him to move up from personal trainer to fitness manager. "I wanted to keep working on my craft, so I studied constantly," he said. "ISSA has a very good reputation in the Middle East, so I enrolled in the CFT course in 2011.

"They have great courses, and their support has been fantastic. They helped shape me into the trainer I am today."

And the author he is today. Wilson's book, "The Shred Fat Program," was released earlier this year.

"I always wanted to put my course into a book," Wilson said. "I just didn't have the time with work, training in Jiu-Jitsu, and my family. Then I tore the meniscus in my right knee. I couldn't do Jiu-Jitsu, so I used the time I usually spent training to work on the book."

Available worldwide through Amazon, the book offers a six-week weight loss program that focuses on three key components: mindset, nutrition, and exercise.

"My program is back to basics," Wilson said. "It's very simple to lose weight, but that is not to be confused with being easy. My program is a lifestyle, I hope that people will read the book and follow the principles in it to lead a healthy and happy life.

"The Shred Fat Program is about eating simple foods and timing meals around your workouts. It's using the most effective exercises without compromising safety. It's about setting goals and creating an environment in achieving it."

Wilson uses a straight forward approach in his book, with his personal experiences playing a prominent role.

"I tell all my clients that the right environment is essential to achieving goals," he said. "You need to be around smart, positive and goal-oriented people to be successful.

"Being surrounded by some of the smartest people in the world at the university I work for really had an impact on me. I realized I didn't want to be a normal trainer, I wanted to change lives and to see how far I could go."

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