Fitness looks different for everyone this year, mainly because of the pandemic and the need for more safety measures.
For that reason, social media has taken on a new role for many people looking for ways to stay fit.
Johnstown native, Patrick Wilson, has tapped into that world with a whopping 197+ thousand followers on TikTok.
“The big thing that really made my page grow a lot was talking about how to accomplish your fitness goals in a realistic way,” Wilson said.
Wilson’s account, @GainsByPat, is filled with mainly short explanation videos that focus on everything from specific exercises to food and lifestyle choices.
“I was like, ‘I should talk on these videos and explain stuff,’ so once I started doing that, my page just completely took off and my business grew substantially in 2020,” he said.
Although fitness was always important to Wilson, it wasn’t always the track he was on.
After graduating from Johnstown High School, Wilson played basketball at Muskingum University before transferring to Ohio University and spending more time in the gym.
“I was always super small and so that’s how I got into lifting and kind of wanted to put on muscle and get bigger for basketball,” he said.
It didn’t take long after graduating and taking a job in finance that he started to realize what he really wanted to do, Wilson said
“Every morning I’d go work out before work and when I’d be leaving the gym, my heart would break,” he said. “I’d be like, ‘I wish I could just stay here and just talk about this kind of stuff all day.’”
That’s what began his journey that led him out to L.A. where he now runs his one-on-one online coaching business, focusing both on physical and mental health.
Recently, Wilson also launched a clothing line, called Fun Food Fitness.
The line features clothing centered around Wilson’s philosophy that even while working toward fitness goals, life should be enjoyed.
“You can eat like pizza and a little bit of ice cream or like going out to you know, get drinks with friends, whatever it is, and talking about how to balance that and being more kind to yourself,” Wilson said.