Trinidad and Tobago Bodybuilder Dexter Simon has always defied the odds and managed to emerge victoriously.

In September 2017, just over two years after getting into bodybuilding, Simon won a gold medal in the Men’s Physique Masters Division at the Arnold Classic in Barcelona, Spain. Since then he has continued to compete at the highest level doing himself and his country proud.

His most recent triumph has come in the form of defying his most dangerous opponent yet, the COVID19 virus that has had the entire world on lockdown in the face of a global pandemic. In a time when most gyms have closed under social-distancing guidelines, Simon, who is also a fitness trainer, has managed to expand his clientele by a robust 35 per cent.

Simon, 51, who is driven by the mantra, ‘Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful’, said his commitment to discipline allows him to find victory where others might fail.

“I am driven by discipline and with a heavy component of discipline in any one’s life they will always be forward-thinking, they will always be thinking of the next step,” he said. “How could you improve, how could you realize gains, how could you re-invent yourself. Discipline creates a platform for everybody to keep ahead of the game.”

That is exactly what he has managed to do.

Since stay-at-home restrictions have been imposed on the citizens of the twin-island republic more than two months ago, Simon has used social media to host live, daily workout and dietary classes to hundreds of his regular and new gym members, the Newsday reported.

Using the website he launched in September 2018, Simon has been creative in his use of social media platforms to attract new clients desperate to find certified trainers to keep them fit.

“The downtime is going extremely well for me. It was a smooth transition for me already having that online platform/offering. By use of Instagram, it was a seamless switch over to online training. Persons simply visited the site, made their payments via bank transfers and I would monitor their workouts,” he told Newsday.

“The feedback has been excellent. I haven’t missed a beat since the lockdown. I had no downtime, no drop-offs and got more clients. It’s a transformation with regards to people’s body, nutrition, diet and training, especially while at home. All it took was technology and forward-thinking.”

However, he does not take on all the clients by himself. He has assembled a team, Team Unity, that includes his brother Derrick Simon, TT’s national triathlon coach, Kerrie-Kim Kirton, fitness trainers Luke Hernandez and Jenna Gomes, professional bodybuilder Brendon Francis and health coach Alexa Cheeks.