Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

My name is Freddy Gerardo Aguero. Yes, that is my official name. Throughout my life I’ve had many nicknames. I went by Fred Head, F.G., Fast Legs Freddy, Freddy Flex, and Figs, just to name a few.

I’m currently 36 years old and live in Harrison, New York with my wife, Rachel. I own a personal training company called Zero Boundaries LLC. I have a variety of great clients, who I train in the comfort of their own home, a private studio in Mamaroneck, or virtually.

I consider myself lucky to be where I am today. It was not a straight path. In fact, there were a bunch of unexpected turns. That’s the beauty of life. This is my story.

The Early Years

I was born in Lima, Peru in 1988 and moved to the United States at the age of one. The move to a new country was driven by my parents’ desire to build a better life for their children. Their story of courage and perseverance is one I would like to share with you at another time.

I grew up a White Plains, New York with my older sister, Kathy, and younger brother, Omar (he was born in the U.S.). From a young age, I was involved in a variety of activities, such as baseball, soccer, basketball, summer camps, science camps, and Tae Kwon Do. This kept me out of trouble, for the most part.

I had a rough start at White Plains High School. My grades were not ideal and I found myself being influenced by the wrong crowds. Luckily, I was able to flip the switch by my sophomore year. I continued to play soccer up to varsity level and had a growing interest in science. I started the Astronomy Club and the science section in the school newspaper. I also worked as Advertising Editor for the school yearbook. By senior year, I was in all honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes. I was not naturally smart like my peers and I had trouble paying attention in class, but I always found a way to succeed. These few years were key in the development of my hard work ethic that I carry today.

The College Years

I attended the School of Management at Binghamton University. Everyone thought I was going into something science related, but I prioritized money and job security. I continued to work hard (and party hard) through my college years. I participated in a business fraternity called Alpha Kappa Psi and scored an early internship at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) right after my sophomore year. I graduated Binghamton in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and, once again, in 2011 with a Master of Science in Accounting.

Believe it or not, college was the first time I started a consistent and structured weightlifting program. It was called P90X and it kicked my ass. My goal was to gain muscle to boost self confidence and look good for girls. Looking back, I find it funny how my reason for lifting weights evolves overtime. You will see how my reasons for exercise change as I get older.

My Auditing Days

In September 2011, I began to work for the Assurance - Private Company Services division of PwC based in Stamford, Connecticut. That first year was an eye opener. I remember working long hours, learning an incredible amount, and making life-long friends. I was able to build a strong reputation for myself, but at a cost. I was sleep deprived, consuming excess calories, sitting most of the day, and drinking heavily on the weekends. I balanced work with studying for the last part of my Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. Despite exercising three to four times per week, my health was at a low point.

After completing my CPA exams, I thought it would be easier to prioritize my health. I was mistaken. I continued to make work my number one priority. In addition to our regular busy season, which ran from January to April, I was placed on unique carve out transactions. These were projects that put my skills to the test due to their large size and short deadlines. At first, I enjoyed the challenge. After a while, I just began to burn out. After five and a half years, I decided to call it quits.

The Big Switch

Coming from an immigrant family, I was taught to find a secure job, work hard, and work my way up. At PwC, I was doing just that. You can only imagine how surprised my parents were when I told them I wanted to become a personal trainer. I explained to them that I wanted to become a personal trainer for three primary reasons.

The first reason was my passion for fitness. I loved to exercise because of the way it made me feel. It was something I learned to value, especially during my auditing years.

The second reason was flexibility. Personal trainers build their own schedules. This was something I could not do as an accountant. When there was a deadline, things had to get done. I had no control over my schedule.

The third and most important reason was that I wanted to help people. This was the fulfillment that I was missing in my life. I wanted to guide individuals towards healthier lifestyles so they could feel like better versions of themselves.

Of course, there was the concern of money. I was leaving a high salary job with tons of benefits for a small paycheck with minimal benefits. I simply told my parents, “If I can do well doing something I don’t enjoy, then imagine what I can do with something I truly enjoy.” I got their blessing and left PwC in October 2016.

My Equinox Days

After leaving PwC, I took a few months off to get certified as a personal trainer and look for a job. I was networking with personal trainers, visiting a variety of gyms, and learning the dynamics of the industry. I called these the “sink or swim” months. I would either succeed or fail.

After getting certified with the American Council on Exercise, I applied to Crunch Fitness in White Plains, New York. I was familiar with this gym and made connections with the managing personal trainer who would get me an interview. The interview kept getting delayed and delayed. I could not wait any longer.

My brother-in-law had a friend and former colleague who had a managing position at Equinox. He put me in contact with her and I was able to get an interview. I accepted a position as a personal trainer at Equinox Mamaroneck. The other interview at Crunch Fitness never happened. Soon after, Crunch Fitness in White Plains closed down.

Equinox was a great gym to build a career. The environment was professional and the trainers were smart. The company invested in the education of the trainers through workshops, classes, online videos, exams, and mentorship programs. This allowed me to deliver a high quality service to the clients.

I value my days at Equinox dearly. I trained a ton of great clients, some of whom I still train today! I made life-long friends and even met my wife there. Equinox Mamaroneck will always have a special place in my heart. But, I could not stay there forever. I had other plans, which were accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On My Own

Around mid-March 2020, the fitness center closed down due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Westchester County, NY. What I thought was going to be a week turned into months. And well, you know the rest.

Equinox took care of their employees very well during that time. Virtual training became more popular. Some of my private clients started to feel comfortable training outdoors or indoors with a mask. But the majority of my Equinox clients were, understandably, not ready to exercise in gym with other people. I decided to make some moves.

In August 2020, I left Equinox and became fully self-employed. This brought back some of the same feelings of uncertainty and excitement from when I left my auditing career. I reached out to all my clients to let them know about the change. I was grateful to have some of them make the switch with me.

Over the past four and a half years, I have been going at it on my own and I absolutely love it! My job still allows me to work with my passion of fitness, have flexibility, and help other people. I hope to influence more and more people to live healthier lives and realize the benefits of doing so.