After the summer break, the grand return of the column dedicated to interviews. After having hosted the interview with Marco Martone, today it is my great honor to present to you another important figure from the world of wellness in Italy (and beyond): Stefano Marini, aka Steve Maverick, fitness manager of the Aspria Harbour Club in Milan, one of the hottest gyms in the city.

Ciao Steve, what does your job as a VIP Personal Trainer entail?

Ciao Giulia, thanks to the fact that I work in a premium sporting club, the Aspria Harbour Club in Milan, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know and in some cases work as a personal trainer with some important clients in the widest range of fields – figures from the world of entertainment, sports, diplomacy, and corporate business.

In these cases you’re working with people who, no matter where they go or what the situation, are accustomed to getting top-level service.

That means that I have to bring my very best attention from the technical point of view, but especially from the psychological point of view, trying to be friendly and motivating, but at the same time non-invasive and above all discrete, since many times they confide in you about their private lives.

What are the expectations of the people who put their trust in you?

There are a wide range of expectations, but the most popular are: the classic desire to get back into your former shape, and especially to reduce your percentage of fat and regain a little tone.

Women obviously ask to focus most on their thighs and glutes and on reducing the percentage of fat.

Men on the other hand mostly want to reduce the percentage of fat and get a more toned look. The common goal is the body of an underwear model, which is replacing the body builder that was very in vogue in the eighties and nineties but today isn’t anymore at all.

I think that one of the reasons for my success is undoubtedly preparation, not just in terms of theory, but also demonstrated by the fact that since the age of eighteen I’ve been training scientifically and at a nearly competitive level, combined with the fact that in my PT sessions I always give comprehensive suggestions to help my clients reach their goals.

By comprehensive I mean using a 60 minute lesson not only to address the technical side of the exercises, but also to give advice on nutrition, supplements, and the right lifestyle to pursue even outside the gym in your everyday life.

In addition, people who work with me can feel the enormous enthusiasm I have for wellness and fitness, and above all my desire to share that same enthusiasm with my clients, because I tell them that motivation that comes from the head is one of the best weapons in helping them reach their wellness goals.

What’s your relationship with the web? How do you use it in your work?

The web is a tool that hasn’t broken through in Italy, but having traveled in the United States and around the world for years, I’ve noticed that my colleagues across the sea now have a big presence on the web, so it helped me see the great potential that the internet can offer, both professionally and in terms of image. Since I’ve started promoting through the web thanks to my Facebook page I’ve not only grown loyalty among my clients, but I’ve even found new ones!

What’s the most absurd request you’ve received from a client?

The strangest request ever – which nonetheless I wish would happen more often – came from a VIP client of mine (former footballer): to accompany him on a trip to Miami to create a full-immersion program for him because he was 10 kg overweight. So I did. Double running and gym sessions plus round-the-clock monitoring of his diet.

End result: after a week he’d lost 2 kg, but most importantly, he felt like he was in great shape and full of energy, and I’d conveyed to him a training and nutritional style that helped him get his old form back in two months.

Stress is the bane of modern life: 3 suggestions you’d like to give to people who want to beat stress.

1. Seek out any physical activity that you like, because the important thing is to get moving. With help from a professional, of course.

2. Acquire greater dietary culture, because that will allow you to have the proper energy, reach your fitness goals more easily, and consequently grow your self esteem.

3. Try to see the glass as half full.

Thanks very much, Stefano, for having given us some of your valuable time, speaking with us about your work, and for offering some helpful advice for tackling our days in the best way possible.