Meet Michael Hall Jr. | Personal Trainer/Strength and Conditioning Coach, Football Coach, and Physical Therapist Assistant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michael Hall Jr. and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michael, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Boynton Beach, Florida. Growing up my mom, Linda, was a Teacher and a Sign Language Interpreter and my dad, Mike Sr., was a Police Officer. I started playing football around 4 or 5 years old and that’s all I ever wanted to be when I grew up. With that being said and with myself being an only child my parents did everything in their power to help me chase that dream. I was working with some form of personal trainer or football coach for as long as I can remember to help make sure I was on the top of my game and made all the all-star teams and was ready for high school. I also started playing lacrosse in Middle School and my parents did the same for me with the extra training as well. My family doesn’t come from a wealthy background and as I got older I started realizing all the sacrifices my parents were making for me to have all the extra training and the best equipment so that all I had to do on game days was show up and perform on the field. My dad would work overtime shifts to make more money for my training and equipment and while my dad was at work my mom would sit in front of a TV with me and break down my game film again after we broke down as a family once before. This continued through High School as I went to American Heritage in Delray Beach, Florida. I continued extra training on top of the High School workouts because I wanted to earn a college scholarship on day to repay my parents for all the sacrifices they made for me up to that point. I was able to earn that scholarship to play Division 2 football at Mississippi College to take that financial burden off them of paying a college tuition. Naturally to maintain that high level of performance my training continued throughout college as well until I had two knee surgeries my Junior and Senior year that ended my playing career. Throughout my rehab process I had a lot of time to reflect on my journey to that point and I realized that my parents weren’t the only ones who sacrificed and compromised for me. Every trainer that I had and coach I was coached by made compromises to work with me and help me reach the level that I reached. Those compromises I realized as I got older were made behind closed doors with my parents that I was unaware of when I was younger, wether they were financial or time wise, to help me become the man and athlete I was to that day. It is because of my parents and all these trainers and coaches that sacrificed for me, just another football and lacrosse player from Boynton Beach who wanted to make it big, to help me along my journey that molded me into who I am today with the desire to give back as much if not more than what was given to me throughout the years.

What should our readers know about your business?
I started personal training once I graduated from college and moved back to South Florida to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. I had a dream and a goal to one day one my own place that would be a one-stop shop for athletes and individuals. We would be able to offer physical therapy, personal training/strength and conditioning, as well as mental health counseling specifically tailored to athletes and sports. I was able to start putting this dream into a reality once the COVID-19 pandemic started and gyms closed. This caused me to start my company and officially file for an LLC in the state of Florida. The name Just Keep Breathing derived from a phrase that was told to me in college when I was dealing with mental health struggles after being told I couldn’t play football anymore after my second knee surgery. The underlying purpose of my company is to end the stigma around athletes and mental health and create an open dialogue off of my own experiences to allow athletes to know they are never alone in any situation. Starting in the middle of the pandemic was very difficult but since I was already working a full-time job it allowed me the leeway to slowly build a clientele and build my brand. JKB Fitness didn’t have a home to start out as I was traveling to houses and local parks for clients and athletes sessions. Our niche at JKB is football players given my background and past experience playing collegiately, but a unique part of our football training is that I also do this with my father. We host weekend group sessions specializing with Defensive Line and Linebackers as those are the positions we both coach at the High School level and I played Linebacker in college. We worked up a clientele of athletes representing 26 different high schools between Palm Beach County and Broward County as well as 5 different colleges. As of the beginning of April we have a new home at FM Tennis and Performance facility in Boynton Beach where we have access to state of the art equipment to use. We are still growing and still plenty of steps to go to make it to the end goal of our own facility but we are still working and chasing those goals as a business and company.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being that I went to college in Mississippi that is where my best friend currently lives. With that being said if he was in town for a week I would make sure most of our time was spent around the ocean since that is what makes South Florida so attractive for visitors. During down time we would probably hang out at the local beaches; the Boynton Inlet, Delray Beach, and Deerfield Beach and play some sand volleyball at their courts. As far as meals go aside from a home-cooked meal from my parents, we would eat at some waterfront restaurants such as Two George’s in Boynton Beach and the Old Keylime House in Lantana. For night life we would have to go down to Atlantic Ave in Delray to bar hop for a couple drinks at Tin Roof, El Camino, and Mussel Beach to name a few. A group of my good friends down here like to meet up for Trivia nights at some local spots as well that we would go to such as Hopportunities Beer Hall in Delray Beach and Two Georges in Boynton Beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate my shoutout to every one who helped mold me into who I am today. First and foremost to my parents, Mike and Linda Hall. Without them I don’t know where or who I would be without their constant love, support, and encouragement. They have always believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Secondly, I want to shoutout Justin Graves. Justin ran FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) during my time at Mississippi College and he is the reasoning behind the name of my company, Just Keep Breathing Fitness LLC. Those three words he told me, almost daily, saved my life after my second knee surgery when I was battling my lowest of lows trying to figure out who Mike Hall was without football. Next, I want to thank all the trainers and organizations that helped me through the process; Coach Central McClellion my first trainer, The Jerome Brothers at Impact Sports and FTX Wellness that were with me from Middle School through College, the coaching staffs at Boca Jets Little League, American Heritage School Boca/Delray, and Mississippi College. Lastly, I want to thank my employers that have allowed me to continue to grow my business and give back to athletes of all ages from all over South Florida; my first coaching job at American Heritage Boca/Delray, my first personal training job at Palm Beach Gym, my first physical therapy job at Boca Raton Orthopedic Group, and my current employers Spanish River High School where I currently coach and FM Tennis and Performance where I train all of my JKB clients and athletes. Without said names and organizations I don’t know where I would be in life, not only in regard to my career but as a man as well. I have learned important lessons and values from each and every one of them.

Website: https://www.jkbfitness.com/

Instagram: jkbfitness_llc

Linkedin: Michael Hall Jr.

Twitter: @JKBFitLLC

Facebook: Michael Hall

Image Credits
AboveAverage Sports Media, Linda Hall, Mike Hall Sr., Tony Hall