Training With Humor and Heart

Subject: Ray Khan

Company:Kick-Fit Athletics, Denver

Types of Clientele. Ray Khan works with all age groups from 6 to 90 years old. He trains different populations, including Fortune 500 CEOs, doctors, lawyers, college athletes, moms, kids and local gym owners.

Training and Teaching. Khan trains out of his home gym, at corporate locations, in clients’ homes and in private gyms. He spends 60% of his time personal training (including semiprivate sessions with 2–4 clients) and divides the rest of his time among teaching group classes, running his martial arts certification program and doing his own research and development.

Showing Other Trainers His Method. “My program is a combination of boxing, fencing, strength training, martial arts, yoga and plyometrics,” explains Khan. “It’s a high-stimulus, superenergetic and fun program for both my clients and me.”

Because other trainers were interested in his program, he started the Kick-Fit Athletic Certification Program. “Initially, I just offered the program in-house for my own trainers at the gym I used to own,” he says. “Then a group out of Hamburg, Germany, contacted me to train its trainers. Because of this group, I started putting my material onto DVDs and into manuals. I haven’t yet gone to Hamburg, but now I use the material for the local trainers in my certification program. In the future, I hope to conduct training seminars in Hamburg and Kenya.”

Working With High-Profile Clients. Some of Khan’s clients are business executives who have gone through many trainers and are extremely discriminating about what they expect from a trainer. He’s now trained some of them for 6 years. Why do they stick with him? “I understand the professional stress they are under, and I spend extra time planning their sessions,” says Khan. “They don’t want mundane training programs. I make sure I give them something different and fun. I tend to use circuit training, so the workout is always changing. I also work hard to infuse humor into their sessions and get them laughing and moving. This helps them loosen up—and get a good workout.”

Why His Clients Like Working With Him. Khan was honored to be selected last year by Men’s Journal as one of the Top 100 Trainers in America. Although he charges $75–$100 per hour (and $200–$250 for some of his corporate clients whose homes or businesses he travels to), he doesn’t lack clients. Why do his clients appreciate him so much? They say things such as “Your passion for what you do is unsurpassed,” “You’re the most professional trainer I’ve worked with” and, from an opera singer who used to hate exercise, “You make exercise something I truly anticipate.”

His Years Spent Teaching. Khan attributes his success as a trainer in part to his background as a public-school teacher who worked with special-education students. “Teaching in public schools for 15 years helped me learn to break down information really well, and this helps me now as a trainer and instructor.”

Time Management in a Career He Loves. Ask Khan about his biggest challenge and he laughs. “Definitely time!” he exclaims. As a trainer, instructor, DVD producer, writer and father of three boys, he never seems to have enough time. However, he’s not complaining.

“I work to find a balance between my professional and personal lives,” he says. “I could train all day. I find that if you’re truly inspired, every session just charges you back up and you are ready to go again. Every training session is an opportunity for me to engage my clients from my heart. I love providing a unique, dynamic experience for them and bringing all of who I am into each session. I have so much gratitude for everyone I train.”