Before he became a fitness model for national fashion campaigns, Kyle Glickman was what he described as "just a skinny kid from Brighton." Now the former skinny kid is seen in advertisements for brands such as Under Armour as well as retail chains such as Kohl"s. He"s also a popular model for spreads in Muscle and Fitness magazine and fans of Rochester"s Fashion Week may remember him on the runway scantily clad donning only jeans or a tropical cover up. Recently, he became a small business entrepreneur with his brand of fitness GlickFit, offering personal training and nutrition guidance at The Training Grounds, 2596 East Henrietta Road in Henrietta. He has worked as a personal trainer and managed a local gym but going out on his own better fits his busy schedule now that he has signed on as a model with Silver Model Management in New York City and has to travel to auditions. At 6 foot 4 inches tall and 250 pounds with between 5 to 6 percent body fat by his estimate, Glickman could be the poster child for fitness. He credits his work ethic with having the discipline to gain strength and muscle over the years, with his first job in fitness right out of Brighton High School at Jewish Community Center of Greater Rochester where he worked as a staff assistant while attending College at Brockport. You would think that a fitness model would live on steamed vegetables and lean protein, but Glickman believes in having treats every once in a while. "Everything in moderation," Glickman, 25, advises. The big diet trend right now is to have six small meals, but that doesn"t always work for everyone"s schedule. It"s much more important to watch your calorie intake than try to adhere to a rigid eating schedule, Glickman"s girlfriend Ewa Hlebowicz, is a firefighter in Greece and a body builder. The duo share a passion for working out and eating healthy. Over the years, he worked on his strength and endurance and built a clientele for personal training. Opening GlickFit was just a natural next step, Glickman says. Pittsford resident Mustafa Qazi met Glickman initially at JCC and trained with him through an online program. He now works out with Glickman at The Training Grounds early in the morning before he headsw to work as in internal medicine doctor. Unlike many people who want to lose weight, Qazi aimed to gain weight and is now 192 pounds at 6 foot 2, having gained 18 pounds of lean mass. "I feel strong," Qazi says, adding that he is now able to lift both his children easily. As for having Glickman as a personal trainer, Qazi feels like he has discovered a budding star. "In a few years, this guy is going to be in Hollywood," Qazi says. "He belongs in Hollywood."
