Good Neighbor Podcast: Cobb County

E48: Finding Your Fitness Identity: How Malcolm Strapp Empowers Through Training

• Milli M. & Malcolm Strapp • Episode 48

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Ever wondered what truly makes the difference between just working out and actually transforming your body? Malcolm Strapp, founder of I Am, I Can Strength and Conditioning, breaks down this crucial distinction while sharing his journey from high school coach to fitness entrepreneur.

Malcolm's approach challenges common fitness misconceptions head-on. While many believe intense workouts alone lead to weight loss, he emphasizes the critical partnership between proper training and nutrition. "Diet is everything when it comes to it," Malcolm explains, which is why his business partners with registered dietitians to provide comprehensive body transformation services. His gym specializes in strength and conditioning for clients primarily between 28-40 years old, focusing on technique development and creating educated fitness enthusiasts who understand not just how to exercise but why certain movements matter.

What truly stands out is the philosophy behind Malcolm's business name. "I Am, I Can" serves as both a positive affirmation and the mindset he cultivates in clients. Whether you're thinking "I can drop these 10 pounds" or "I can lift these hundred-pound weights," Malcolm has created an environment where mental empowerment and physical transformation work in tandem. His personal journey of discovering his fitness identity during the pandemic after relocating to Atlanta demonstrates the authentic passion behind his training philosophy.

Ready to experience strength training that goes beyond surface-level workouts? Connect with Malcolm through Instagram @IamICanStrength or call 254-630-4479 to begin your transformation with a trainer who understands that true fitness combines technical expertise, nutritional wisdom, and the power of positive affirmation.

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Millie.

Speaker 2:

M. Hello everybody, welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I am Millie M. Are you in need of an experienced trainer who can help you with your fitness goals? Well, one might be closer than you think. I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, malcolm Strapp of I Am, I Can, strength and Conditioning. How are you, malcolm?

Speaker 3:

I'm doing fine. How about yourself?

Speaker 2:

Doing quite well. Thank you for asking. We are so excited to learn more about you and your business. Tell us about I Am. I Can Strength and.

Speaker 3:

Conditioning. So I Am, I Can. Strength and Conditioning is a strength and conditioning gym, so we primarily specialize in just making sure that people are getting stronger, creating it, making sure that the techniques are exactly what they're supposed to be, and then also just being sure that you know. You just understand what it is that you're doing, and just knowing exactly how to perform that exercise or be able to put your own workout together.

Speaker 2:

So is this more for shaping and sculpting your body, as opposed to just general weight loss?

Speaker 3:

Yes, ma'am, it's more to shaping and sculpting the body. We do give the option of the weight loss, but that's whenever it comes down to, whenever we put you through with our registered dietitian. So then at that point he'll kind of set up a meeting and then therefore kind of set up a meeting and then therefore kind of take you through the process of what it is nutritional wise that you should be doing in order to bring the weight down on that side. So we just focus on the fitness side and then the weight loss side. We kind of like to have a registered dietitian work more with them on it, because we know diet is everything when it comes to it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah. It's a very important piece that I think sometimes people miss. So how did you get into this business? What made you want to open a facility to help people with their strength and conditioning?

Speaker 3:

So naturally, whenever I had first started out coming into high school my senior year I had to kind of be a coach. So that's kind of where the coaching aspect of it came from. And then I just decided to go into college for it. So I went to UTSA and just kind of got the degree and then the experience by doing internships out of it.

Speaker 3:

And then also working on myself as well. So just putting all that together and the experience and the knowledge, it kind of just brought me to just wanting to be more into helping people in their weight loss journey and also like whatever goals that they have going on as far as weight loss, because some people come in for just performance wise and not too much of a weight loss side of the business.

Speaker 2:

That makes sense, because I'm one of those I don't need to lose weight, but there are certain parts of my body that I want to look a certain way and you know you definitely want to make sure that you're doing the correct exercises and then those exercises in the right form and properly. So what would you say are some myths and misconceptions about your industry or what you do in particular?

Speaker 3:

I feel like the misconceptions would be more so. Just the fact of knowing that dieting is the biggest part, and it's not too much of just the working out part, because some people just think that coming in to work out will help them lose weight, when it more so just tones the body up, it's just kind of getting people to understand, like, what they're eating and just how much they're eating, because sometimes they can be eating healthy but they may be eating too much of something that may be causing them to keep the weight on. So it's just really just letting them know what it is when it comes to the nutritional side of it perfect diet and exercise go hand in hand, for sure.

Speaker 2:

So who is your target target customer and how do you reach them?

Speaker 3:

So our target customers? We train people around the ages from like 28 all the way up to 40. We have about two, three people that are kind of in that 50 to 60 range, but majority of our clientele or members are in the 20 to 40 range. As far as how we reach them, we do more Google, so we run ads on Google, the Performance Max site, so you may catch us on YouTube whenever they show the ads on a YouTube video you may be watching. It just depends on which YouTube video we may have put down the ads to show up whenever you want to watch a fitness YouTube video or sporting YouTube videos. You want to watch a fitness YouTube video or sporting YouTube video, so something that we know that gravitates towards our audience and people that are generally around in our area as well.

Speaker 2:

Perfect, so let's switch gears a little bit. Tell me about things you like to do for fun.

Speaker 3:

So I'll say things I like to do for fun. I'm kind of a gamer, so sometimes I just game on the side. Whenever I have the opportunity, I do like going outdoors as well. So when I first came out here to Atlanta, it was kind of during the COVID time, so I came out here during 2020. So everything was kind of closed down, so it gave me the opportunity to see Atlanta on the nature side of it. Opportunity to see Atlanta on the nature side of it. So that became also a hobby of mine out here. It's just I like to be outdoors sometimes as well rather than being inside.

Speaker 2:

I understand that, and there are more, I think, like hiking trails and things for people to do in the area than people really realize it is.

Speaker 3:

It just takes a lot of research to find it.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, Absolutely. So let's just switch gears a little bit. Can you tell me about an obstacle, a hardship or a life challenge that you had to overcome and how it made you stronger?

Speaker 3:

Well, I'll say more. So is the I'll say it would come down to like peers. For me it'll be more of the sense of, of it's just knowing the realms, of knowing what you're doing and how you're doing it. So just me starting off. At the beginning it was more so just me trying to learn what works best for me, which is a hard challenge. So some of my other peers, their style of training, may be a little different than mine. So over the time it just took me time to learn kind of my identity. That's kind of the answer to just finding my identity within the field of what I feel works for me and for the type of people that I want to have, gravitate towards the type of service that I will provide and the type of things that I like presenting to the world.

Speaker 2:

That's an important lesson to learn to really know who you are and know who your community is, and know that there is value in you being different and doing things your way for sure. So can you tell our listeners one thing you would like for them to always remember about I Am, I Can, Strength and Conditioning.

Speaker 3:

We're here to always help. So we're here to help. We're here to be of service. You know anything that you feel that may be thrown off or you feel like you know fitness may be a little scary to you, just depending on what type of fitness, because we do a lot of strength. Just know that we're always here to help and we're always here to make sure that you're well taken care of.

Speaker 2:

Well taken care of. Well taken care of. That's very reassuring. And one last question tell me about your uh thought process behind the name. It's very inspiring to me. I am, I can. How did that come to you?

Speaker 3:

so it kind of doubles back towards the, the peer side, just knowing it was during that time when I was just finding my identity. It was a few names I went through, one was using putting my actual name in it. But then over time I just started to understand, like you know, like something that's more of a positive affirmation, just letting people know like I am or I can, that always is a good sentence starter towards something that's always something, something that's always something, something that's always positive, like as if it's an affirmation or anything that you're telling yourself so I feel like I am, I can was just the perfect start of even a gym name.

Speaker 3:

To let people know, like you know, when they walk, when they walk in our doors, like you can, or you know I am going to get better at health and fitness, or I can drop these 10 pounds, I can lift these a hundred pound weights, or whatever the goal may be. Just know that I am, I can should be in your head whenever you walk through the doors.

Speaker 2:

I love that and I'm going to take that with me as well. I appreciate it. How can our listeners get in touch with you?

Speaker 3:

I'll say the best way to get in touch with us is you can contact us through Instagram at IamICan Strength, and also you can reach out to us through email or you can reach out through our cell phone number. So our cell number will be 254-630-4479. So that's more so to get in contact with me. So I kind of do more of this setup of how everything goes.

Speaker 2:

Perfect. Thank you so much for being with us here today. I've enjoyed our conversation and best of luck moving forward to you and your business.

Speaker 3:

Oh yes, ma'am, I appreciate the call, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNPCobbCountycom. That's GNPCobbCountycom, or call 470-470-4506.