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Raul Hernandez might lead a class called Pain and Pleasure, but this David Barton Gym all-star is all business.
"People always think that personal trainers are always trying to get the girls. That's not the case. I've never met or dated anybody that I trained at the gym. Girls I've dated get insecure or worried, but that's not the case with me. I always try to keep it very professional," he says.
"I don't mix business with pleasure, but I do mix pain with pleasure." – Raul Hernandez
As a personal and group fitness trainer at Downtown's David Barton Gym, Raul is known for his tough training techniques, and mixes everything from plyometrics to CrossFit moves, to olympic lifts in his workout routines. Still, he says, that's the easy part of his workout.
"The hardest part about going to the gym is walking through those doors," he admits. "Once you've walked in, you've already won in my book. And then once you walk through those doors and go to my classes, I give you your money's worth."
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This 30-year-old Miami native boasts ten years of experience in the fitness industry, and his passion for staying active is trickling down to his kids.
I've got a nine year old and a ten year old, and they don't let me breathe for a minute. I'm always doing something with them or involved in their organized sports," he says, proudly. "Even cutting the grass, my son was making fun of me the other day, because I'm doing sprints with the lawn mower down the yard. I'm actually excited because they've been getting into it. We go to the backyard and they make me train them, so I make them go through circuits, like a little bootcamp."
On his off time, though, you can catch this Cuban American dad watching Ninja Turtles with the kids, making hip-hop playlists dedicated to Young Jeezy, or kicking back with a plate or rice, beans, and maduros. "I love the Spanish stuff," he says. That is, when he's not whipping himself and his clients into shape. Judging by his physique, we reckon' he's mastered it.
Check out the rest of this year's Hottest Trainer contestants here.