Darrell “iAmTheRealDP†Patterson is an international fitness trainer and nutrition specialist who has been changing lives one pound at a time. He is originally from Cleveland, OH, but currently resides in Atlanta, GA. Patterson’s beginnings as a personal trainer were grounded in his first company, Raising the Bar Fitness, and in recent years, he has made leaps and bounds in the fitness and personal training arenas. He has since evolved that business into his signature personal training label and company, Hardcore Extreme Active Training (H.E.A.T.). The newest addition to Patterson’s family of businesses is HX Fitness Inc., an all-encompassing exercise facility. HX Fitness Inc. provides a variety of personal training and fitness services to the community with Patterson’s H.E.A.T. concept serving as the crux of the facility’s functionality. As founder, owner, and CEO of H.E.A.T. and HX Fitness Inc., Patterson’s mission is to inspire and motivate men, women, and children to live a healthier lifestyle. His life’s motto, which he also applies to his passion of fitness training, is, “We Will Either Find a Way or Make One.â€
Patterson earned two Bachelor of Science degrees, one in Technology Management and the other in Marketing, from the University of Findlay. He next embarked upon working eight years in the corporate setting. Starting out as an athlete from childhood, he has always been drawn to and loved fitness and physical activity. He discovered a natural affinity for and excelled at playing basketball, in which he was voted an All American Athlete. Patterson decided to answer his true calling to fitness after leaving the corporate world. The passion he lived with for most of his life was ignited; thus, choosing to take on a brand new career as a fitness trainer.
Patterson is a certified American Muscle & Fitness Personal Trainer. He specializes in a number of different training methods such as Athletics Training, Cross Fit, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), muscle building, and weight loss. Patterson’s exclusive H.E.A.T. fitness program is a uniquely orchestrated grouping of exercises in which the body exerts itself to its extreme capacity for 30 minutes non-stop. The signature workout includes a “resting” exercise to keep the heart rate increased which allows the body to burn the maximum amount of body fat in a short amount of time. H.E.A.T. is now taught exclusively at Patterson’s exercise facility, HX Fitness, Inc. Also as a result of his expertise, hard work, and dedication in developing this strategic program, Patterson’s online H.E.A.T. Challenge is a tremendous success. The H.E.A.T. Challenge is the go to choice as one of the top programs for people who look for a diverse online wellness and fitness program that delivers the results promised.
Fancy: How would you describe your swagger? What makes Darrell, Darrell?
Darrell: I don’t follow trends, but I’m more so a trend setter. My swag would be based off of how I carry myself. You may see me in gym clothes one day and a suit the next, designer one day and plane Jane the next. My demeanor speaks for itself. All that I have been through from adversity seeps through my personal swag!!!
Fancy: What inspired you to start your fitness empire, Hardcore Extreme Active Training (H.E.A.T.) and how did you do so?
Darrell: I was partnering with a colleague of mine DaShaun Johnson (TheGuruofAbs) hosting classes together and traveling from state to state. After a year of doing so, we both decided to work on our own brands and reunite at a later date. I then had to come up with my own brand, because I wanted to continue to be a better instructor. At that point,I sat in my room and came up with the acronym H.E.A.T. and the rest is history.
Fancy: So now in addition to H.E.A.T., you have opened an exercise facility, HX Fitness. Can you share a little about it, and why you decided to embark on this venture?
Darrell: The dream to open a gym was always the goal, but I had to figure out how to run a gym, how to train, what was needed and what I wanted the gym to look like. So from the time of me starting to train and teach classes, I also worked on branding at the same time. Everything I touched had to be ran as a business and treated as such. I meet so many trainers that treat training and instructing as if it’s a hobby and then wonder why they can’t get ahead or progress and grow.
Fancy: In what ways do you think corporate America has benefitted you on your entrepreneurship journey?
Darrell: It prepared me as a manager and an owner to learn how to be successful if I wanted to have a growing brand. It taught me about marketing, business plans, being strategic on planning and enforcing procedures and structure.
Fancy: For fitness enthusiast, who may be interested in training others, would you encourage them to start acquiring licenses before obtaining their certifications or to wait?
Darrell: I would tell them to start learning how to train first, find a mentor that’s successful and get up under them to learn how to also become successful in their field. While doing so I would also start the process of getting certified. Once the certification is obtained and you’re ready to grow your business then you take the needed steps to do so with inquiring your business licenses.
Fancy: How would you describe the ideal member of HX Fitness? It looks really lit from your IG photos by the way.
Darrell: Thank you;Â The HX Member we have is no different from you and me. We all want to be better in life and in health. Our members are those who believe in hard work and commitment is the only way to be successful in this fitness lifestyle. We stand on the acronym P.R.I.D.E. (Passion, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, Excellence). So our members pride themselves off the same values. When we are all on the same page, the whole damn gym is LIT!!!!! LOL!
 Fancy: What’s your fitness motto?
Darrell: Failure is NEVER a Option
Fancy: What is the most important piece of advice you’ve received as a man?
Darrell: Your character is everything; if you want to be viewed a certain way then you must abide by those same characteristics. Never let your character be questioned by no means.
Fancy: Do you do anything to give back in your community?
Darrell: Absolutely, from food drives, clothes drives, speaking to the youth, and every Christmas we (HX Fitness) provide gifts for three families in need.
Fancy: We want to see more of our Black men get into fitness. Please share an inspirational message with them.
Darrell: 24 hours. 1,440 minutes. 86,400 seconds.
We all have the same number of seconds, minutes, and hours in a day. The difference is what we choose to do with them.
When my feet hit the floor this morning, the clock started ticking for me, and I wasn’t going to waste a second doing somethings that’s not valuable to my end goal.
I have Zero time for Gossip.
Zero time for Negativity.
Zero time for Television.
Zero time for Doubt.
Zero time for BS.
Today I woke up hungry. Sorry, let me rephrase that: today I woke up starving for more. You should be working yourself hard enough toward your life goal that you have trouble keeping up with your own ambition.
You should be going so hard that each day’s accomplishments are the food that fuels your existence.
Right now, this very second, you have the choice to change the direction of your life. I don’t care if you are broke, if you’ve made mistakes in the past. None of that matters, and I’m here to tell you that you have what it takes to turn yours dreams into a reality and leave behind the legacy you were meant to.
Fancy: Do you have any other upcoming projects or events that you would like to share?
Darrell: But of course, but guess what? The only way to find out is by following me and seeing what’s in store. The rest of 2018 will be crazy and 2019 even better.
Connect with Darrelll below.
Website is currently being revamped but social media is the following:
personal: @iamtherealdp, gym: @hxfitness, online program: @heatchallenge.
