Erin J. Morgart Fitness Model & Trainer | Arts & Culture

Fitness Modeling can be very challenging and unlike runway or print modeling fitness modeling centers around the display of athletic physique and is a very tough industry to break into because of the level of fitness and body shape maintenance.

Fitness model and celebrity trainer Erin J. Morgart lives in Virginia Beach, VA. She is CEO/Owner of BellaFiguravita LLC Personal Training Studio Adjunct Professor for Community College Navy Fitness Specialist Competitive Athlete for 12 years in Gymnastics, Modern Dance, Cheerleading, Softball, Track, Baseball and Swimming.

Erin J. Morgart not only have the looks she has the brain as well she hold a BA Psych ,Graduate degree in Clinical Psychology and Postgraduate Studies in Psychobiology, Neurology, Emergency Medicine at Harvard. Erin Specialties include Crossfit, Fitness Celebrity, Prenatal Fitness, Postnatal Fitness, Tri-Athletics, Sports Psychology, Cancer and Nutrition, Hydration Strategies, Stress Management, Food and Cooking, Lifestyle coaching, Pilates, Running, Diabetes, Gastro-Intestinal Disorders, Cardiovascular Disease , Wellness, Nutrition, Bodybuilding, Sports Nutrition, Performance Nutrition 

Erin J. Morgart was crowned Mrs Galaxy Virginia 2012 and also has plans to take part in the United Nation Pageant 2012.

I recently caught up with Erin J. Morgart to get the scoop on fitness modeling industry.

Getthebuzz716: How long have you been a personal trainer and fitness model?

Erin Morgart: I have been a personal trainer since 2003; I have been a Fitness Model/Model since 2010. I have been a collegiate athlete my entire life and went to college on a cheerleading scholarship that stemmed from my being a gymnast, a sprinter, a competitive swimmer and a softball player. I have been physically active since the age of two and have not stopped.

Getthebuzz716: Now when most think of modeling they often only think fashion/runway explain what is fitness modeling? 

Erin Morgart: Fitness modeling is entirely different. Most fitness models are visual representations and spokespersons for the products they represent, such as VPX/Redline or MuscleTech. Many other fitness models represent and endorse fitness equipment; others are used in print catalogs such as Perform Better to represent a fit person using a piece of equipment. Both of these lines of work, be it for catalogs or products, is VERY rare and not very lucrative. The other side to fitness modeling is to represent magazines and to be used in such publications as Oxygen, Status Fitness Magazine and Fitness Rx. Unfortunately, many of these magazines pay very little (Oxygen pays $300.00) to its model for their work. This of course does not include travel/food/expenses. As well, the magazines are looking to such ridiculous fitness representatives such as Kelly Osborne or the like to sell their magazines. Is Kelly a certified Personal Trainer? NO! Yes, she has worked hard to lose the weight but I can assure you she has the financial means to hire a trainer/gym/nutritionist and the whole spectrum of an entourage to make her weight loss a success. As a Master's Degree student in Sports Medicine and a holder in many certifications/courses through Harvard Medical School, I can assure you that most serious trainers are looking at such magazines with disdain and encourage the fluff of the content in the magazines. I have personally read such magazines ad nauseum and they offer NO new information to me. They are meant to sell to non-serious athletes and that is a terrible misrepresentation for our profession. Most often their "medical" advice is about five years behind the times. Likewise, such magazines do not want a highly educated person such as myself to represent them. I am above this and with my Mensa backing, it might be too much for the masses.

Getthebuzz716: How did you get started in fitness modeling? 

Erin Morgart: I began my foray into fitness modeling simply by doing my first photo shoot in Oahu, Hawaii in 2010. Laura Agnon was the photographer and I could not have picked a better location or place. I have quite the aesthetic eye and picked out the location of an abandoned church on the North Shore of Oahu. Previously, basically all my adult life, I have been told/hounded to become a fitness model, do TV, do fitness DVD's -- I simply was too busy moving around the world (Hawaii, Sicily, California to name a few states/countries) and homeschooling my two children to get into the field. Now is the time and I plan on taking this career to the extreme.

Getthebuzz716 :Is Fitness modeling hard business to break into?

Erin Morgart: Yes, it can be. However, one has to have the mindset of a warrior. One must be dedicated, flexible, have financial resources at hand, be wiling to train one's body into the shape necessary, and above all, have an agent and manager to guide you into the entire process. One can only get so far in this business as an isolated identity. Eventually, management and representation must be accepted and welcomed. I have seen many fitness models come and go. To keep longevity, one must be constantly evolving, working, producing, having a game plan and focusing on it. Fitness models who are simply just bodybuilders who compete and expect to get contracts immediately are sorely misled. The main component to being not only the best fitness model but also the most successful is to have a solid education, be a Renaissance woman of sorts, be street-smart, be humble, and to have an impeccable work ethic and no political endeavors within the fitness community. 

Getthebuzz716: Was celebrity personal training a gradual progression for you or was this something you started out doing? 

Erin Morgart: I started out training a range of people, from CEO's to elite athletes to physicians. At no time did I have to advertise my personal training services. All clients were obtained via word-of-mouth. For example, as a trainer in Pennsylvania, I had a total of forty-one clients. I was teaching seven classes a week. I was also an Adjunct Professor at a college where I taught two classes, primarily to nursing students. As my experience and education and certifications increased, my clientele increased. As we moved to other states, the increase and demographics of my clientele increased. Eventually I moved to Hawaii where I was in charge of training several Navy active-duty commands, including a Navy Seal team, Navy Seabees, a submarine squadron, two destroyer squadrons, the Hospital Corpsmen command, and most importantly the Base Admiral and his staff. It was with this last connection that I was able to do a commercial for the military which is still being shown on AFN. I was the only female trainer bestowed an award by the Admiral himself, along with several LOR's by his staff and by other doctors that I worked for. Through my time in Hawaii, and after a year-long selection process, I became a trainer with FitOrbit/FitTV which is owned by Global Fitness Media and The Discovery Channel. Within their first year, I was awarded Top 10 Trainer of the Year and eventually stepped out of the box and got in touch with Gilad Janklowicz, who everyone who has a tv knows of him and his Bodies in Motion workout show shown on FitTV and filmed there in Waikiki, about twenty minutes from my home. I eventually took a meeting with Gilad, we became friends and we eventually did a Fitness Presentation together in Hawaii. This became my venture into training celebrities. Currently, I am training three celebrities and they are doing quite well in their progress.

Getthebuzz716: Now you are Navy trainer fitness what is that like?

Erin Morgart: It is a tough job; it is rewarding; it is demanding. Having groups of over 250 sailors within the context of one class could normally be daunting but one has to develop a different persona and become a leader in all senses of the word. There are specific protocol to use, certain Navy standard guidelines, and the main objective when training active-duty Navy commands is that you as their trainer are responsible for their fitness and their ability to be war/field ready at all times, physically speaking. I trained the military commands for two hours a day/five days a week for three years when I was stationed in Pearl Harbor. It was probably the best job that I have ever had. These men and women who serve the military are the kindest, most respectful group of human beings that I have had the pleasure of working for and I take pride in the fact that I was honored by the Base Admiral for my job as the Trainer to the Admiral and his staff. 

For more info on Erin J. Morgart 

http://www.erinjmorgart.com
http://www.facebook.com/wwwerinmorgartcom
http://www.facebook.com/ejmdragon
http://www.twitter.com/ErinJMorgart
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/erin-j-morga...