Raising The Barr Fitness owner, Clint Barr, has been named one of 2011′s World Fitness Elite Trainers of the Year.  The announcement was featured in the September 7th issue of USA Today, and in The Independent, a UK based world newspaper, on September 17, 2011.

When asked about this accomplishment Barr responded, “I’m truly honored and blessed to be recognized as part of this elite group of industry leading fitness professionals.”

For more information visit www.WorldFitnessElite.com

By Vanessa Van Petten

Clint Barr’s successful personal training business, Raising the Barr Fitness, has set a new standard for the health industry as Barr Trainers teach clients how to take ownership of their bodies, minds and spirits.

Over the course of five years, former professional Yankee catcher Clint Barr has grown his business into an explosively successful company. Barr Trainers have not only helped hundreds of clients in the Jackson, Mississippi area, but also reach thousands of people through their online programs, seminars and books. Barr’s book, 3 Steps to Your Best Body…In Record Time became a best-seller, while Raising the Barr Fitness techniques have been seen on ABC, NBC and in People Magazine. The most important of Barr’s triumphs however can be seen while watching dozens of the heartfelt testimonials that line the pages of Barr’s website.

Barr’s path to success was not an easy one. “It was a rocky road. I started out all by myself in a 500 square foot room. I had a lot of passion, but not a lot of space—or clients,” he says cheerfully. It is undoubtedly Barr’s optimistic and hardworking attitude that helped him persevere through the challenging times.

            Barr’s passion for strength training and fitness comes from his background as a competitive baseball player. “When I was five years old no one wanted to play the position of catcher. I volunteered and have never played another position.” Years later, Barr received a full athletic scholarship for McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. While playing baseball at Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colorado, Barr was named First Team All-Region IX Catcher and also received NJCAA Academic All-American honors in his sophomore season.

Barr went on to achieve one of his lifelong dreams by spending two seasons with the New York Yankees at the A-advanced level in Tampa, Florida. After a series of injuries, Barr was placed in extended spring training and stumbled upon his destiny. “I was working with a lot of the younger rookies training them on the Yankee way. That’s where my love for mentoring began. One of the other coaches came up to me and told me that I should coach. It was the first time I had ever considered training people.”

Barr began to incorporate training into many areas of his life by first working as the strength and conditioning coordinator and graduate assistant baseball coach for Louisiana State University Shreveport (LSUS). After getting his Bachelors Degree in Exercise Science, Barr decided to also get his Masters Degree. While working on his Masters he took a job at the USA Olympic Weightlifting Development Center located on the campus of LSUS. This led to Barr’s appointment at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs working for USA Weightlifting.

After Barr finished school, he married his High School sweetheart, moved to Louisiana and then to Jackson, Mississippi. “There were no opportunities to work as a strength coach in Jackson. So I went to a few local gyms and didn’t think their training techniques were working. I knew there had to be more clientele that wanted lifestyle fitness,” he said. Barr grasped the opportunity to reach a new client base with effective fitness programs and started his own gym in July of 2008.

Barr spent three years growing his client base and perfecting his overall health system. Barr has built all of his programs on his passion to help people succeed in whatever it is that they want to do. Barr explained how his attitude has set him apart from other trainers and contributed to his tremendous growth, “I really care about my clients and I think my clients feel this when they work with me. Before I knew it I was training fourteen to fifteen people per day.”  By September 2009, only a year and three months after he started, Barr had a full client list, but was physically and mentally exhausted.

Barr was desperate to continue with clients, but knew he needed help to expand and bring his system to even more people. He turned to the Net Profit Explosion Team (NPE), which is a company that helps fitness coaches with management, sales and business acumen. With NPE’s help Barr developed more programs and systems for his business. He also brought on new trainers who he coached in his fitness and health systems.

Raising The Barr Fitness went from a one-man in person business to a multi-employee virtual company. One of the main reasons Barr’s team has been so successful is that they stand firmly on their core health principles. “First, we focus on the education side of training, we not only tell our clients how to do certain movements, but also why. I realized that it is knowledge that brings motivation and is going to help an individual keep making change when they are on their own. This is how they take ownership of their own lives,” says Barr.

Barr’s groundbreaking approach resonates with clients. In fact, Barr’s main focus is not helping client’s lose weight—although that is a certain bi-product. Barr’s team first concentrates on changing people’s lives through altering their habits. During every client’s first free consultation they learn about Barr’s five core values: Honesty and integrity, personal accountability, encouragement of spiritual and personal growth, steady improvement and leadership. Barr’s four trainers are coached in these principles and are required to get continuing education units (CEU) so that they are up to date on the latest information and are also always learning. On his website, BestJacksonPersonalTrainer.com, Barr explains, “Those are our Core Values. It is important for you to know them first before we cover the program, because those five beliefs govern everything we do.”

Barr not only helps clients in the Jackson area, but also reaches out virtually to those in need all over the country. “I know that not everyone can come into a studio. I do not simply want to sell people help, so I also teach and educate through the website. I give away tools to help those who may not be able to afford services. I want to reach as many people as I can, even if they cannot pay.”

Barr’s desire to reach more people was also one of the major factors in his deciding to write the chapter in his best-selling book, 3 Steps to Your Best Body…In Record Time. “I had always wanted to be an author and write. In the book I talk about my own personal challenges and how I overcame them,” says Barr. He explains that readers can also overcome their own hardships with four easy steps. First, individuals must have a vision of what they want to look and feel like and that it must be so vivid that it can drive all of their choices throughout the day. Second, readers need to focus on correcting their mindset and belief system to know that they deserve positive change. The third step, which Barr cautions might be one of the most difficult, is to stop making excuses because they only prevent change. Last, Barr encourages readers to get accountability for their goals by sharing their vision and hopes with someone else.

His best selling book was just the beginning of Barr’s journey to reach a greater audience. Now Barr’s website contains dozens of tutorials, videos and seminars for clients desiring to make greater change. His breakthrough in home training program, “S.M.A.R.T. Results” delivers digital workouts, nutrition information and videos for subscribers in a comprehensive 12-week program.  He is currently waiting to launch a new product in the beginning of September which is spun off from the success of 3 Steps to Your Best Body. Barr explains how his approach is unique in that it focuses on the mindset of health, not just the physical evidence. “There has been an outpouring of support and requests for more information on our perspective on the vision and mindset of health and fitness. This new product which is four audio CDs and four DVDs, talks about the inner process as well as having a physical action guide,” Barr says.

Barr’s distinctive and successful approach is echoed in the outpouring of gratitude in his client testimonials. Gene Yelverton, 41 from Jackson, MS writes, “This has opened my eyes to a better way to live and exercise for life. I have used other trainers, and nothing compared to this…Mentally and physically I have experienced a complete turnaround with my energy. Overall the training, coaching and knowledge provided at Raising The Barr were all outstanding! Keep up the excellent work in helping people reach their goals and dreams!”

While working with hundreds of clients, Barr is constantly expanding his principles to be more relevant and beneficial. Barr says, “We work hard to help people change from the inside out, it is a principle we live by.” Barr explains that if you help a person feel good about themselves, and give them the proper knowledge to make good decisions, this empowers them to make change—whether that is from a psychological, spiritual, or emotional standpoint. Unlike most trainers, Barr knows that when you are working with someone to get in shape you typically end up seeing all facets of a person’s issues. “Losing weight is not just about what you eat or how you work out, there are so many other aspects to weight loss and optimum health,” says Barr.

As Barr’s programs and reach continue to grow, his message gets even more powerful. Barr says, “Health is our most valuable asset. You cannot enjoy life if your health is bad so we must protect it. I am passionate about making sure people are truly healthy emotionally, spiritually and physically so they can get the most out of life.”

Clint Barr, health and fitness expert, recently hit five separate Amazon.com best seller lists, including the Amazon Top 100 with the new fitness book, “3 Steps To YOUR BEST BODY In Record Time.”

Ridgeland, MS. – July 19, 2011 – Clint Barr, fitness business expert of Raising The Barr Fitness, recently joined a select group of the world’s leading health and fitness entrepreneurs to co-write the health and fitness book titled, 3 Steps To YOUR BEST BODY In Record Time: America’s Leading Fitness Experts Reveal The Proven 3-Step System To The Body You Always Wanted…In Minimum Time. Nick Nanton, Esq. along with business partner, JW Dicks, Esq., signed a publishing deal with each of these authors to contribute their expertise to the book, which was released under their CelebrityPress™ imprint.

3 Steps To YOUR BEST BODY In Record Time was released on Thursday, July 14, 2011. It features top advice from health, fitness and wellness experts from across the globe covering the subjects of total body health, fitness and nutrition. The book is designed to help people find a breakthrough fitness strategy that works for them. 3 Steps To YOUR BEST BODY In Record Time offers proven strategies to help people achieve the level of fitness they have always desired. Clint Barr contributed a chapter titled “Four Lessons That Will Shape The Most Powerful Fat-Loss Success Tool You Own.”

On the day of release, 3 Steps To YOUR BEST BODY skyrocketed to best-seller status on Amazon.com, reaching as high as #69 overall in the Amazon Top 100. The book reached #1 in both the Quick Workouts and Weight Training Categories, while reaching #3 in the Exercise and Fitness category and #24 in Health, Mind and Body category.

From CelebrityPress:

“Mirror, mirror on the wall—is that really me?” Do you play mind games with yourself? Are you a couch potato or armchair commentator? In this book, leading nutritionists, fitness professionals, and athletic coaches show you their solutions as they guide you through the 3 Steps to Your Best Body in Record Time. Many of them have been where you have been, including pleasantly pump, grossly overweight, sedentary, or what do I do now? And have come up with a solution. You tried a diet and those exercises before and you know they don’t work. You feel that no one understands. These fitness professionals will show you that regardless of size, age, or occupation, the three factors of mindset, nutrition, and physical fitness are the answer. They encourage you to do something about it before analysis-paralysis sets in! Remember the old saying, “An action-now plan trumps a perfect plan tomorrow every time.” Best of all, whether you are a super-busy mom, out-of-condition type, or a CEO under the waterline, these experts give you a time-efficient method to do it.

After such a successful release, Clint Barr will be recognized by The National Academy of Best-Selling Authors™, an organization that honors authors from many of the leading independent best seller lists.

To order a copy of the book, go to http://www.amazon.com/Steps-Your-Best-Record-Wanted/dp/0983340404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310658484&sr=8-1