A chance encounter at a gym in Miami led celebrity fitness trainer and influencer George Bamfo Jr. on a path beyond his wildest dreams.
During the pandemic, he grew his follower count on Instagram from just over 20,000 to nearly 1.9 million simply by sharing unorthodox videos of his intense routines and impactful workouts.
But Bamfo’s introduction to fitness was sparked in the seventh grade when he began doing sit-ups and push-ups to play sports. He evolved in high school and college, and after graduating from the University of Houston he landed a job in corporate America.
But fitness has always “stayed consistent in my life,” said Bamfo in an exclusive interview with Atlanta Black Star. “That was my exit strategy.”
We caught up with Bamfo to discuss his journey to fitness and how a random meet-up with rapper Ludacris elevated his career and his impact on social media.
In 2019, he took a trip to Miami, where he ended up running into rapper Ludacris at a hotel gym on a random Saturday.
“So I went in there and usually I’m doing my thing, and right when I walk in, I see Ludacris on a treadmill. But he had a disguise on when masks wasn’t a thing. I was like, he probably doesn’t want to be bothered. So I left him alone.”
Bamfo went back to working out and creating content, while Ludacris eventually left the gym and returned shortly afterward.
“When he comes back 10 minutes later, I’m [in] full content mode. I’m sweating. It’s intense. So he finally comes over, and he’s like, ‘What’s going on here? What’s this about?” said Bamfo.
He then informed Luda of his goals to become a fitness influencer and build his own personal brand.
“The first thing out his mouth is ‘Man I respect a young man that’s trying to create something for himself.’ Obviously, he gave me the boost,” said Bamfo. “I’m like Luda just affirmed me …I’m on cloud nine.”
The random encounter ended with him asking Luda to take a photo with him, “thinking that’s it. Two weeks later, he follows up on IG. He DMs me.”
The 32-year-old said Luda was in need of a workout plan to help his abs look good ahead of a pre-planned beach vacation with Kevin Hart and the two artists’ wives. They went back and forth communicating on IG for nearly six months before the “Chicken-N-Beer” rapper flew Bamfo to Atlanta for an in-person workout.
After returning home to Houston, the skilled trainer said he was asked to move to Atlanta permanently to become Luda’s full-time fitness trainer.
“Just a simple meeting at a gym in Miami turned into becoming his personal trainer and I could have never set it up or couldn’t even dreamed of a situation like that.”
Working with Luda has afforded Bamfo a number of new opportunities and experiences. He’s flown on private jets, traveled to different countries and been on “Fast & Furious” movie sets. The pair also was featured in Men’s Health magazine in 2021.
He said the actor loves cardio and working on his chest and upper body and hates leg workouts. Of his other celebrity clientele, Bamfo said he does the most extreme workouts with Luda, who he’s been training now for four years.
Through Luda, he was able to meet and train his fellow “Fast & Furious” co-star and singer Tyrese, who Bamfo says only wanted to get on the Stairmaster. He also got the opportunity to train with the likes of B. Simone, Larenz Tate, and Luda’s longtime collaborator and friend, Usher.
“They’re different. Luda is more outgoing,” he said. “Usher was a bit more reserved.”
“But what’s funny is the whole time he kept dancing and hitting notes,” Bamfo said, laughing about sessions with the “YEAH!” singer. “That was interesting, but I mean, that’s kind of what I thought Usher would be like.”
He went on to boast about Usher’s boxing, skills while sharing that Tyrese’s training sessions were interesting because he wasn’t as intense.
Bamfo’s typical diet consists of “big-protein” portions, vegetables, carbs, smoothies, and fasting in the morning. His days consist of daily gym sessions with clients, creating meal plans, and sharing content with his audience on social media. “I commend all the content creators out there doing it because it’s no easy beast,” he said.
With his success, Bamfo landed him branding deals with companies such as C4 energy drink. He hopes to continue building his following and his brand to help others reach their fitness goals by opening his own training facility to host classes and boot camps.
“I need a centralized location for them to come where obviously they could get a good workout in,” he said. “And also, too, just having in my own spot, I can influence people differently.”
