Be who you're meant to be.
Radmilo Soda
It's clear that he has fought a lot in his life - not only in the boxing ring. Radmilo Soda comes from Croatia, where he was born and raised in a time where war and violence were part of everyday life. When he was 16, he visited his sister in Amsterdam and decided to stay. That was 26 years ago. Today he is one of the most sought-after and successful personal trainers in the Netherlands.
It’s clear that he has fought a lot in his life – not only in the boxing ring. Radmilo Soda comes from Croatia, where he was born and raised in a time where war and violence were part of everyday life. When he was 16, he visited his sister in Amsterdam and decided to stay. That was 26 years ago. Today he is one of the most sought-after and successful personal trainers in the Netherlands.
He first found a position as a cook, but that wasn’t enough. He didn’t know what to do with himself and his anger. He began to box, which helped. It became an outlet for many different things. Someone approaches him, asking him if he would be interested in fighting. Radmilo, barely 20 years old, says yes. He enters the ring again and again. He wins, not always, but often enough. He becomes an amateur champion and reigns for over five years.
Radmilo leaves boxing but stays true to himself. He goes to school and learns everything he can about competitive sports. He knows where he wants to go, just not how to get there.
Radmilo stands before a new challenge, takes it on and wins. Today, he has a loft in one of the coolest areas in Amsterdam, his clientele come from all walks of life. Managers, employees, housewives and even children come to him for training. The bodily transformation is a part of the arrangement: nobody who goes through his training stays the same.
So much is happening these days, especially here in Amsterdam. People aren’t so simple anymore and don’t take any nonsense. They are spiritual and lead holistic lifestyles. It’s not about having a luxury car or living exorbitantly. It’s more about how you feel. Whatever you do (or plan to do), your body is a part of it and should be fit enough to help you as opposed to being a hinderance.
Radmilo’s nose is broken. It’s easy to see that he’s fought 50 fights in the ring. He still has this impish toughness and a smile that comes from having experienced a lot in his life.
I ask him, what differentiates his training from that of other trainers. His answer is simple: he is the difference. His experience as a professional boxer – his own transformation – this gives him the confidence and expertise needed to be a teacher and student at the same time. It’s clear this is important to him. Listening, sometimes for the entire training session. To learn how his client ticks. Where there are problems and, most importantly, where achievable goals can be set. The approach is important. Then the training starts.
Things don’t just fall in your lap in Radmilo’s studio but he helps his clients to do their best and perhaps a bit more. Success is important, not just for him. He learnt this early on.
What is cool to you?
“To be who you’re meant to be.”
What would he say to his son if he came to him one day and said that he wants to be like his father?
“That would be difficult. Very difficult. When your friends go out to party, you’d have to stay at home to be fit for the next day. You’d train whilst their out on dates…”
It’s all about giving everything you’ve got. Everything that he’s got. If he wants that all of that, then I’ll help him.
We go next door for lunch. At first glance, an Italian fast-food place. We soon realise, however, it’s run by an Italian mamma who seems to conjures simple, delicious antipasti with few employees. Every day something new, using fresh market products and imported olive oil fresh from the producer.
Radmilo takes the tab and chooses the morsels for us.
Food is important, he says. To take the time for yourself and find a moment of peace. We have to learn to eat more sensibly, to treat our bodies well. That includes our daily diet.
Radmilo has set a new goal for himself: he wants to write a book. The topic: nutrition as a holistic experience. A book with advice, not recipes. Each person, each body is difference. People must decide for themselves what’s good for them and what works for them.
Radmilo’s suggestions seem to work. He talks about clients who finally got their weight under control. Women who finally enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror again and who have gained a new sense of confidence. Radmilo helps those who are willing to help themselves. The rest happens in his personal training two to three times a week, depending on his clients’ discretion.
How fit is Amsterdam actually?
“It’s getting better. Amsterdam definitely has more to offer than sex, drugs and rock and roll.”
Text by Jo Weissgerber
Photos by Martin N. Kunz, Jo Weissgerber
