CONNECTING COMMUNITIES AND INSPIRING INDIVIDUALS: INSTRUCTOR ALI'S JOURNEY TO BMF

Please note this blog post contains content relating to bullying and mental health. 

It’s not just our members who transform through BMF’s values and community ethos.

Our instructors are a huge part of BMF: be that through motivating members to find new strength or striving to make their instructing skills even stronger.

Ali has shared his journey to becoming a BMF instructor, and the inspiration he hopes to showcase through his work for Be Military Fit.

ALI'S JOURNEY 

“I started my journey as a BMF instructor in October 2016. Fitness and wellbeing have always been a passion of mine.

My mission is to fight against increasing bullying and mental health issues within communities by encouraging people of all ages to take those first small steps towards a healthy and fun lifestyle.

GROWING UP

During my teenage years, I helplessly witnessed friends endure constant bullying for countless reasons, watching them face these challenges with no support systems in place.

After tragically experiencing the loss of one of my friends, I established the FunkyFatBoy establishment in London in 2012. Founded on the belief that positive physical and mental wellbeing should be accessible and achievable, I wanted to reach out to marginalised young people and re-inspire them with these possibilities.

I wanted to be the support system for these individuals that my friends and I weren’t able to have.

PERSONAL TRAINING

As a personal trainer, I love seeing the holistic change in my clients when they achieve their goals. Whether it's weight loss, strength training or toning muscles, it's magical to witness individuals gain confidence from smashing their own goals and taking pride in their hard work.

Being a part of my clients' journeys is a hugely rewarding experience for me. Building a disciplined attitude toward fitness and wellbeing can have an immense impact on mental wellbeing and attitude. For me, it’s amazing to be part of this journey.

WORKING FOR BMF

Working as an instructor at BMF means connecting communities. I love getting communities together to work out, as well as helping individuals to reach their own personal goals.

What’s fantastic about working for BMF is that everyone who comes to the sessions has a common goal of improving themselves, and from there they embark on a collective journey together. It’s a truly amazing and positive atmosphere, where members can create meaningful bonds and continually find new sources of encouragement to motivate one another.

EARLY INTRODUCTIONS

Whilst coaching individuals of varying ages, I started to instruct younger kids and founded the British MMA Club in 2019. I genuinely believe that getting an early introduction to Sport is very good for child development; teaching valuable lessons about health and wellbeing.

Sports and exercise teach us about respect, equal opportunities, and fair treatment, which are all important lessons to learn whilst growing up. The club has been awarded over 10 trophies and was qualified for the Canada World Fight and Martial Arts competition in 2020.

POWERLIFTING PASSION

Powerlifting is an amazing sport with a community focused around helping each other to grow. Personally, it’s been a beautiful journey for me, which inspires me to help others develop in a similar fashion one day.

I took part in my first ever powerlifting competition this year (2021), thanks to Bar Fight Team in Elevate Richmond upon Thames. I qualified to represent Great Britain 🇬🇧 at the A/WPC European Championships 2021 in Manchester on the 13th August 2021, which I'm really looking forward to.

My current numbers: 

Squat - 227.5kg

Bench - 142.50kg

Deadlift - 235kg

Total - 605kg 

It is a personal dream of mine to work alongside people with disabilities in powerlifting. Coaching people with disabilities brings challenges as a trainer because no disability is the same, which inspires me to continue adapting my approach and seeking out new ways to train diverse individuals.

As I watch my clients grow, I am determined to continue growing alongside them. I hope my training allows individuals to change for the better whilst on their journey with me.”

Ali currently instructs at some of our amazing BMF parks across London and online. We're proud to have instructors just like Ali throughout our venues striving to inspire and motivate our members towards strength and wellness. 

If you’ve been inspired by Ali, follow his journey here:

Instagram: @funkyfatboy

Other socials: https://linktr.ee/funkyfatboy