(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights Champion’s Way owner Anthony Payton.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born Nov. 17, 1989, in Hattiesburg and have always lived there except for one year I lived in Huntsville, Ala.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I graduated from Oak Grove High School then went on to graduate from Southern Miss.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: I’m the owner of Champion’s Way. It’s a physical training program, and yes, we work out and exercise, but what separates this from just another training program is the philosophy that is behind it. Health, by definition, is to be sound in body, mind and spirit. Another definition is to enjoy life spiritually, mentally and physically. What I want to do here is help people establish what is true health physically, true health mentally and spiritually as well, and putting all those things together to equip them to fulfill the dreams, goals and desires God has placed in their heart. People die early all the time, people hurt and are overweight, and we all can agree when you have those things it makes life miserable. It’s hard to do anything, let alone achieve your dreams and purpose, when you have those conditions. That’s what I’m working to change. It’s like a tune-up on a vehicle to allow them to go after their dreams and desires. I truly believe the spiritual and mental aspect is the missing link in getting people to start because it’s not about just losing a bunch of weight but fulfilling a purpose.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: It was one of those things that even at a younger age I always knew what I wanted to do. I always into exercise and fitness and played basketball and football. For my size I was always one of the stronger guys and was pretty athletic. Going back to high school I knew I wanted to be a strength and conditioning coach. Sam Morris was our strength and conditioning coach, and I helped him out for my senior project. When I went to Southern Miss, it was my goal, and I got to do that in my undergrad program. When I graduated, I had an internship that turned into a job in Huntsville at Randolph School as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. After a year there I felt led in my heart to return with intentions to go to graduate school, but the staff was just full at the time. I knew the Lord didn’t send me back for nothing, so I went online and googled personal training and began working at what was 180 Fitness, which is Crunch Fitness now in Hattiesburg. I trained there for about a year, then I had a couple opportunities that led me to Body FX here in Columbia. Then the opportunity came to branch out on my own, so now I’m here.
Q: How did you decide on designing your program?
A: A lot of it is based off my strength and conditioning foundation. The focus is on your lower back, glute muscles and hamstrings. You want to be fast, agile and functional, and with the general population most people are slow and they hurt with lower back issues and knee issues. People are in the condition of having weakness in those general areas, so that’s a big part of the foundation with what I implement with having strong glutes and a strong core. Everybody has different shapes, sizes, builds and levels of experience, so I group people according to similar size, goals and abilities and base workouts off of that. Even though it’s an individual workout, there may be two or three people who have the same circumstances that can all work together toward a common goal.
Q: Who are the people who have been most influential in your life?
A: The first one that comes to mind is Shaun Gaunt, who was the head strength coach at Randolph School. He was by far the one that made it come alive for me and helped me understand what kinesiology really is and how the human body functions. The second person is Dr. Brian Gearity, who was a professor at Southern Miss, and he’s the one who gave the opportunity to go to Huntsville. Both of them those two gentleman really influenced my philosophy and how I develop my programs today.
Q: If you could relive one day from your life, which day would you choose?
A: Life has different stages and as you grow you have to say goodbye to people sometimes. When I was in Huntsville I had to say goodbye to the students I taught after only one year. I really did have a connection with them and having another opportunity to relive that would be nice. It’s the same thing with clients after moving from gym to gym.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: It would probably be lemon pepper wings, fries and pizza.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: One place I plan on going to one day is Dubai. Just seeing the pictures of it, it looks absolutely amazing.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I really do like to work. My girlfriend, Consuela, likes to go to a lot of places. I like watching movies and going to the movies. I’d liked to do it more often, but I’d like to play basketball a little bit more.
Q: What do you enjoy about working in Columbia?
A: The freedom to do it how I want to do it. Columbia has really given me that opportunity to do that. If I want to talk about God, I have the freedom to do that. If I want to talk about goals and dreams, I can. I can take as long as I want. If I want to let kids come work out, I can. I have free range to be me, and I’m very thankful for that. It’s been very successful so far.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: Kenneth Copeland. He’s a minister. His devotion to the word of God and his impact on the lives of people is huge. It’s really because he was obedient in following the goal God placed in his heart. My family gets to benefit from that. My pastor picked up his message, and my dad did, too. A big reason I have been successful is because I understand how to use faith, believe God and know who God really made me. At the very least I’d like to shake his hand, thank him and tell him he’s been an inspiration to me in allowing me to follow God’s plan at all costs. The second one would be Michael Jordan.
Q: Would you rather read a good book or watch a good movie and why?
A: I’d rather read a good book. I like movies, but I do read. The more I learned about success principles I learned knowledge is power, so you must be a lifelong learner. It’s my goal to read 30 minutes a day. Right now I’m reading a book called “Gender Roles” by Taffi Dollar. When I finish that, I’ll probably move to a nutrition book then another personal development book or business book. You can never learn too much information.
Q: What would be the No. 1 thing on your Bucket List?
A: I want to own an NBA franchise someday.
Q: If you could describe your morals in three words, what would they be?
A: Faith, honor and consistency.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: As a man who was willing to do whatever it took to fulfill God’s goals and dreams he’s placed in my heart.
— Joshua Campbell
Pictured Above: Champion’s Way owner Anthony Payton, left, shows clients what workout they will be doing Wednesday afternoon. Payton said he has known since he was a little kid that he wanted to be a strength and conditioning coach. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
