Coach’s Spotlight: Meet Russell Moore | S2:Ep17

Richmond gym owner and fitness advocate, Russell Moore helps beginners conquer gym anxiety with empathy, humor, and an individualized approach to coaching.

George Pagan III

and

Russell Moore

Oct 10, 2025

Transcript

FITLETE Radio: Coach’s Spotlight: Let’s Meet Russell Moore

Russell Moore is the welcoming force behind More Than Fitness in Richmond, Virginia. A personal trainer with 13 years of experience, Russell specializes in guiding fitness newcomers and those who’ve felt uncomfortable or anxious in typical gym environments, helping them build confidence and foster genuine relationships with their bodies and fitness journeys.

Key Takeaways

Russell’s gym, More Than Fitness, is built for the “intimidated, anxious, or out-of-place” exerciser—helping those turned off by mainstream gym culture gain confidence and belonging.
His coaching philosophy is rooted in empathy, adaptability, and putting personalization over rigid protocols: “Being able to, like, think on your feet is huge as a trainer... But what’s more important is, oh, shit, the game plan isn’t working. And now I’ve got to, like, pivot.”
Russell emphasizes language familiarity, compassion, and letting clients define their own journey: “It’s important to let people use the language…that they feel comfortable using and being able to like challenge them on what they believe and why they believe what they believe…in a respectful, compassionate way.”
On hiring and coach development, Russell looks for “how good of a communicator are you? How much do you show that you care? How empathetic are you?” Technical expertise matters less than authentic client engagement.
Russell keeps technology simple—preferring personalized conversation and qualitative feedback to extensive tracking and apps: “Honestly, I’m not a huge tech user. If someone’s really interested in data points, I’m probably realistically not a great fit.”

Fun Moments & Memorable Quotes

“Ever since I was probably 12 years old, I’ve been obsessed with the musical Les Miserables...I think I could sing you the entire soundtrack from start to finish with all of the characters’ parts.”
“I remember trying to like break down exactly the goal and exactly how we were going to achieve the goal...I also think that can generate a lot of overwhelm. So I do loose goal setting with people. I kind of make a joke about it.”
“There’s no weekend certification for an, ‘I give a shit’ trainer, right?”