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ISSA, International Sports Sciences Association, Certified Personal Trainer, ISSAonline, Inspiration Story Dominic Frazier

Inspiration Story: Dominic Frazier

Reading Time: 2 minutes 60 seconds

BY: Dean Spiros

DATE: 2018-10-01


Dominic Frazier: Lofty credentials, lofty goals

Success? The zest for life that is evident in his voice and the bow-your-neck approach he took in refusing to let a serious health issue define him is evidence that ISSA Elite certified trainer Dominic Frazier has enjoyed his share.

But the 35-year-old owner of Frazier Fitness in Detroit, Michigan, will tell you flat out that he's only getting started. His enthusiasm has been there from the start, and when he put it together with a degree in exercise science from Concordia University in his native Wisconsin, and his first ISSA certification, it was, "Lookout world, here I come."

"I truthfully thought I was going to be Oprah's trainer," Frazier said. "That's what I wanted to do. Everybody loves Oprah. I thought, how great would it be if Oprah flew me everywhere she went to put her through workouts three times a week? How cool would that be?"

Reality, rather than being a roadblock, simply led Frazier to explore other avenues for making his mark in the fitness industry.

"I actually went to school for athletic training, aka becoming a sports doctor," said Frazier, who played football at Concordia. "I actually didn't know what it meant to be a personal trainer. Then, during my junior year, one of my advisors suggested I look into human performance kinesiology. I didn't know it all fell under the umbrella of exercise science."

Frazier got his undergraduate degree in 2005, and ISSA has been a part of his professional life from the beginning. "I actually received my first certification the week of finals," he said.

Frazier then attended graduate school at Florida International University, where he also worked as a fitness trainer. While there he gained valuable experience and made key industry connections while working at Bommarito Performance Systems, one of the industry leaders in training collegiate and professional athletes.

"From there I just continued to work on building my own brand and building my business," Frazier said. "Working at Bommarito gave me the chance to work with the who's who of the NFL."

Among them was former NFL quarterback Michael Vick, who hired Frazier in the latter stages of his career in hopes of catching on with another NFL team after stints with Atlanta, Philadelphia and the New York Jets. Vick went on to play a final season with Pittsburgh in 2015.

Frazier said the experience was invaluable, and it sparked an interest in focusing his business on sports performance.

"Even when you are working with elite athletes, you can see things that they can correct," Frazier said. "Things like balance, technique, conditioning. The biggest thing with Michael Vick was that, if an NFL team was going to call him, I had to make sure that he was ready."

Frazier continued to run Frazier Fitness in south Florida until last year when a job opportunity for his wife led the couple to relocate to Michigan. While Frazier acknowledges that it has taken longer than expected to get his business back up to speed, he's confident that it will just be a matter of time.

He currently specializes in adult fitness, performance training and runs his own online coaching business. Frazier also is working toward becoming an ISSA Master trainer and said he has a goal of one day working for the ISSA.

"I don't know exactly what role it would be, but maybe making presentations or things like that," he said. "Do some work behind the scenes."

Last year, Frazier shared with his fellow ISSA members his story of being diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 17. He turned to physical fitness to help him deal with his illness, and it led to a career fueled by passion.

Frazier also lists among his goals the desire to become a well-known name in the sports performance industry. "I think my focus could end up being nutrition," he said, "because a lot of people don't understand what it takes to reach that elite level."

Should Frazier succeed in getting his name better known, the Oprahs — or at least the Michael Vicks — of the world just might come calling.

"I hope so," Frazier said with a laugh. "I'm hoping to get some more NFL players on my radar. A lot of younger guys don't even know that there is a lot more to the fitness industry than just being a personal trainer."

On that, Frazier can speak from experience.


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