ISSA- My Journey

by: Josh Bryant

As a kid, I was captivated by professional wrestling and obsessed with building muscles.  

Ever since I was five years old, I wanted to be around serious strength training 24/7. 

As a teenager, I loved sports.

This passion led me to the YMCA weight room where I met ISSA co-founder, Dr. Sal Arria, in 1994, at 13 years old, when I was maxing out on the bench press.

When I was 14 years old, this obsession landed me training at a hardcore gym and eventually managing the gym on nights and weekends at 16 years old.

This provided me the opportunity to live and breathe strength as well as shadow and pick the brains of the area’s most hardcore lifters and elite personal trainers.

In a short time, I metamorphosized from the kid at the front desk asking a thousand questions to a respected strength authority with a large following while earning the opportunity to train local star athletes, an entire bouncing crew from a seedy nightclub and tactical athletes (before this was an established term).

I knew I found my passion of helping empower others to become the strongest versions of themselves both mentally and physically.

That was step one; step two was figuring out how to monetize my passion. 

ISSA

When the student is ready the teacher will appear; as good fortune had it, in the year 2000 at 19 years old, I unexpectedly ran into Dr. Sal Arria at a local mall. I told Sal about my goals and he encouraged me to get certified through the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA).

I followed Sal’s advice and have been a proud part of ISSA ever since!

The Journey

My journey has taken me all over the world, ranging from internships at a D1 University to moving cross country to train with the deadlift world record holder, Garry Frank and hosting seminars as far away as Australia and throughout Asia. As an athlete, this journey has included becoming the youngest person to bench press 600 lbs., winning the Strongest Man in America in 2005 and totaling 2294 in powerlifting at the USPF Mountaineer Cup.

Ultimately, I realized I enjoyed helping others succeed more than I enjoyed my success as an athlete and decided to go all in as a strength coach/personal trainer.

In 2006, after stints as a personal trainer in Santa Barbara, CA and the prestigious Takes 2 Fitness in Nashville, Tennessee under the watchful eye of world-renowned trainer, Jeff Bergholtz, I decided I want to train athletes at the most hardcore gym in the world, so I moved to Texas to pursue my dream.

With the right mentors, mindset and work ethic, I started training clients at the world-famous Metroflex Gym in Arlington, TX. These clients ranged from Olympia bodybuilders, world-renowned strength athletes and more traditional athletes, like D1 football players and professional baseball players.

The owner of Metroflex Gym, Brian Dobson, told me that no one had ever made a living as a trainer at Metroflex Gym.  Things started off slow but then I read a book called Psycho-Cybernetics that changed my life and empowered me with tools to apply this focus and belief I had in myself as an athlete to kick ass in business.  

Within a year, I had more business than I could handle at Metroflex gym.

Going International

I knew I had more people to reach, more lives to change and it was time to not just train clients locally but reach a broader base internationally.

Once again, I reached out to my mentor, Dr. Sal Arria. Sal’s words were, “Pick up the pen, it immortalizes you. Start writing!” Because Sal had always given me great advice, I did not hesitate to follow his lead.

I started writing for anyone and everyone, primarily for free and as my articles gained in popularity, I started to get paid gigs. 

In the meantime, I started pro bono editing various articles, papers and parts of courses for ISSA.  Now, I, the student, was ready for  the next great master, Fred Hatfield.  I would have paid ISSA all of my money to work with Fred; working for free, I knew I was getting the better end of the deal as I soaked up his knowledge like a sponge!

Fred liked the quality of my work and my work ethic.  Fred noticed my popularity increased online and I was working with IFBB pros Johnnie Jackson, Branch Warren and Cory Mathews, along with amateur competitors and high-level bikini athletes, all after completing an extensive internship with world-renowned bodybuilding trainer and Metroflex Owner, Brian Dobson.

Creating Courses

I was not getting paid by ISSA for sharing my passion with others, yet.  But I know if I kept changing lives, staying passionate and sharing quality information things would manifest financially.  Sal and Fred took notice and asked me to create the ISSA Bodybuilding Specialist Course. I now had a chance not only to share my knowledge internationally but also reap the financial rewards of hard work.  

ISSA Bodybuilding Specialist Course Available here.

Since then, the continually-updated ISSA Bodybuilding Specialist Course has gone on to be an ISSA best seller, rated 5 stars with nearly 300 reviews and given me the chance to certify students internationally and work with pro bodybuilders like Joe Mackey.

One of my proudest moments was at a seminar I did in Bangalore, India, a female student came up to me and said the ISSA Bodybuilding Specialist Course was the best course she had ever taken and helped expand her business.

Bodybuilding Specialist Course–the free evaluation kit HERE.

Dr. Fred liked the course so much, he invited me to do a tour of seminars with him; it was supposed to be six total throughout the US in 2015.  The tour went on longer and ended up being 25 total and going world-wide until his death in 2017.  

I would not be where I am today without Fred and continue to make a point to carry on his legacy while knowing his spirit he is with me every step of the way, still.

I had my master’s degree already, and seriously thought about getting my doctorate; it was that or travel with Fred.  I chose traveling with Fred and  learned from the greatest sports scientist of all-time, Fred Hatfield, who  became one of my best friends, and I was getting paid for this!

During an ISSA trip with Fred in 2016 to Okinawa, we discussed my own training. I had loved the powerlifting, bodybuilding and strongman seasons of my life, but those days were done.  

Tactical Conditioning 

I decided I want to train like a tactical athlete, essentially move like someone 50 pounds lighter but have the strength of someone 50 pounds heavier.

This gave new purpose and passion to my training again.

I was already working with several officers from the Fort Worth Police Department, as well as military and fire clients.  But videos of myself circulated online and large numbers from the law enforcement, police, and fire communities took note and this population became a large part of my clientele.

Because of the success in helping everyone from private security guards to elite SWAT units to Green Berets and at the encouragement of Dr. Fred Hatfield, a marine, who was going to help me with the course, I partnered with ISSA to develop the Tactical Conditioning Specialist Course. It’s a new course but rated 5 stars with 60 reviews.  I am very excited to help get the right information to the community.

Tactical Conditioning Specialist Course HERE.

Same Goal

My goal has always been the same: Empower to help people become the strongest versions of themselves both mentally and physically; ISSA has provided the vehicle to do that.

My journey has not only allowed me to travel all over the world, work with some of the greatest athletes in the world, write over a dozen best-selling books but possibly most rewarding, help tactical athletes return from serious injuries and get back to better than before.

My journey began and continues with ISSA!  Thank you, ISSA, for everything, I have enjoyed the ride but we are just getting started.

You can also check out new deals and promotions weekly on other popular ISSA Certifications HERE.