This story is part of Latinx in Fitness, a series of articles highlighting the unique experiences of Latinx trainers, athletes, and gym owners within the fitness community from their own perspectives. Read the rest of the stories here. RENATO CRISPINO HAS worked with personal training clients across three languages.
Sometimes he's speaking English, as he often did on the floor of an upscale gym in Miami. The city has a large population of Spanish speakers, too—so he can also work with people in that language. Sometimes, he even has the opportunity to use Portuguese, his mother tongue.
This trilingualism is an underrated toolkit for a fitness pro. Crispino is a 48-year-old Miami-based trainer who was born and raised in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and identifies as Latin. [Editor's note: In recent years, the Human Rights Commission (and other organizations) have adopted the term Latinx , which includes more groups from Latin America when referring to these communities—including those of Brazilian descent.
] Since moving to the U.S. 12 years ago, Crispino has built a successful career in fitness, first as a personal trainer within Miami's luxury gym scene, and now virtually with clients from all over the world.
He says much of this success is due to his drive as an immigrant to succeed, no matter the circumstances. He's also a member of the first class of the Men's Health Strength in Diversity Initiative , and uses another aspect of his identity, as an out gay man, to connect with cli.