Tom and His Journey

Without Vladimír, I’d be screwed.

I’ve known Vladimír for several years. I found out on Facebook that we’ve been “friends” since March 2017. But to me, he’s not just a personal fitness trainer. He’s also a mental coach, a bit of a therapist, and above all, a friend.

When he asked me to write an article about my transformation, I refused for a long time. I didn’t want to half-ass it. I felt that if I was going to write something, it had to be honest. Something with real strength. Something that could help or inspire other people who are struggling through life the way I once did.

There was a time when I was afraid of almost everything. I was afraid of failure, afraid to speak up, afraid to say my opinion, afraid of criticism. I didn’t take space. I didn’t take the floor. And most importantly—I didn’t believe in myself.

At school, I was the typical “academic type.” Good grades, but zero courage. Safe at home behind a computer, sitting on the bench in PE rather than playing on the field. And the less I believed in myself, the more I believed in others. What others thought mattered more than what I thought. I constantly compared myself—and I always came out worse.

Today I know that was foolish. Vladimír saw something in me that I couldn’t see myself. Some kind of potential. And step by step, he guided me forward, even when I often doubted.

The turning point came in 2019, when I ran my first Spartan Race in Lipno. Honestly? I wouldn’t have done it. Vladimír basically pushed me into it. But I finished. And when I sent him a photo of my medal, he wrote a sentence I still remember: “See? Now you know you’re capable of more than you ever thought.” In that moment, I realized he was serious about me. And that I didn’t want to disappoint—neither him nor myself.

More races followed. But much more important things started happening outside of them. I stopped adapting to everyone around me and started setting things up my own way. I started going deeper within myself. And most importantly—I started training regularly.

Discipline. Consistency. Simple words on the surface, but few people know what they really mean. Together with Vladimír, we built something in me that I didn’t have before—resilience and inner strength. A fighter who set out on a journey.

From a fat kid who got mocked on dating apps, I gradually became someone who’s no longer afraid to show himself. Oversized T-shirts that hid fat were replaced by tank tops that show muscle. I thought training would change my body. But in reality, it changed my whole life. Things started going better in my relationship, at work, and in other areas.

I realized something uncomfortable but important: self-improvement is the only project where you are fully responsible for failure. It’s not easy. But that’s exactly why it matters.

The gym is like a little island of happiness for me now. I wake up at 5 a.m. and actually look forward to training. And when I see my peers—tired, annoyed, without energy—I’m glad I’m no longer one of them.

Today, I try to surround myself with people who push me forward. People who inspire, who work on themselves, and who don’t wait to see what life gives them—but actively create it.

And at the same time, I know I’m still only halfway there. Vladimír says I have more in me. And now, I finally believe that too.

Thank you.

Author: Tomáš Syrový