At the beginning of March last year, Kalli Riggins tumbled off a balcony in Cincinnati. The impact of the fall damaged her leg extensively, breaking three bones and requiring surgery. Known as a "party girl" to her friends and family, the former collegiate athlete had dabbled with alcohol and drugs in recent years until the accident caused her to question everything.
Then a week after her fall, the world shut down.
"The timing, the accident, and then having to quarantine, it felt like a second chance from God," Riggins says. "I took the accident as a wake-up call and completely revaluated everything."
Immobile and cooped at home, Riggins used the pandemic quarantine to transform her life – focusing on her health and throwing her energy into a passion for fitness and wellness. For six months, she trained to become an ACE-certified personal trainer and used her background and talent as a former collegiate athlete to start her business.
Now, Riggins helps others kickstart their health and improve their lives through her personal training business, KALLI FIT. KALLI FIT offers meal planning services, online coaching, fitness programs, at-home workout guides, bootcamp classes, one-on-one personal training, small-group training, and body transformation challenges.
Helping clients overcome hurdles and reach their goals, Riggins analyzes clients' body types, BMI, and metabolism. Then, she creates individualized fitness plans to meet the client's needs. KALLI FIT hosts small-group classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Bootcamp classes on Saturdays at 11 a.m. at Vision Fitness & MMA in Oakley.
"I thrive in helping others see change in themselves and showing them that they can push themselves and move forward," Riggins says. "It's about building confidence and showing that these hard things can be done when you put it in effort and walk through that door."
Classes focus on functional training, cardio, and weightlifting. More than a workout, people who attend her classes feel like part of a community. Class attendees clap and cheer each other on as they push their bodies during an intensive workout.
"They're all really supportive of each other," Riggins says. "When you walk in, everyone is welcoming, nonjudgmental, and introduce themselves to newcomers. You're really joining a crew."
Charlie Butler, of Cincinnati, said attending Kalli’s classes impacted her health almost immediately. Since starting her workouts in January, she has lost more than 20 pounds and has used Kalli’s meal planning services to change her diet.
“Her classes are small, so it’s more focused. She’s actually watching and helping us with every exercise we do,” Butler says.
Riggins says she tries to build personal connections with clients to ensure they’re getting the experience they want and need. When Julia Cason, of Delhi, found KALLI FIT through Instagram, she wasn’t currently working out and was hesitant to go to a group class.
“I was very out of shape, but I ended up going and I’m so glad I did because I instantly fell in love with her workouts,” Cason says. “The rest is kind of history. Nine months later, I still find myself going to classes two or three times a week.”
Cason keeps coming back for more because the workouts help her push beyond her own limits. Beyond the physical workout, she says she’s found a group of people who uplift and encourage her.
“It might sound kind of cheesy, but I’ve honestly met some of the best people since I started working out with Kalli,” she says. “The community she created is full of such inspiring people that are all trying to reach similar goals. We’re all constantly encouraging each other to do better and be the best versions of ourselves.”
Learn more and book a class today here.