Cameron Falloon is passionate about fitness. He’s spent decades helping elite athletes, the rich and famous, and everyday Aussies meet their fitness goals to be the best they can be.

He is the founder of Body Fit Training – the fastest-growing fitness franchise in Australia – with over 240 locations opened across the globe. Plus he’s the former head fitness coach of the Geelong Cats, the Western Bulldogs and was the high performance coach of Port Adelaide Power for a time. At the ripe old age of 24, he was the personal trainer of perhaps the world’s most famous woman – Princess Diana.

Key topics

Early passion for sports and fitness

• Earliest memories revolve around sports, particularly playing junior footy and being involved in the local footy club.
• Sport has always been a vital part of life, contributing to both his physical and mental wellbeing.

Overcoming a career-ending injury

• At 18, Cameron suffered a serious back injury that ended his dreams of playing AFL football professionally.
• The experience taught him resilience and fuelled his desire to learn more about the human body and how to take care of it.
• It led to sports science study and human movement, initially to understand his own body and how to stay active.

Training Princess Diana

• As a young backpacker in London, Cameron had the opportunity to train Princess Diana.
• This experience highlighted the importance of the mental health benefits of personal training and the trust built between trainer and client.
• He learned that personal training is as much about understanding and connecting with the individual as it is about the physical training itself.

The rise of group training and 12-week challenges

• Cameron was one of the pioneers of the 12-week challenge concept in personal training.
• This approach allowed him to train multiple people simultaneously, increasing his impact and earning potential.
• He discovered the power of group dynamics, camaraderie, and shared experiences in motivating individuals and fostering a sense of community.

Transitioning to elite sports training

• Pursuit of further education and a growing curiosity led to work with elite athletes, including AFL teams.
• Cameron found that the principles of training and connecting with individuals applied equally to elite athletes and everyday people.

Identifying a gap in the fitness market

• After taking a break from elite sports training, Cameron identified a gap in the commercial fitness space for strength-based group training programs.
• This was an opportunity to apply the principles of periodisation and progressive programming used with athletes to the everyday gym-goer.
• This led to the creation of Body Fit Training (BFT), a unique fitness franchise model that focuses on strength and conditioning in a group setting.

Embracing the franchise model

• BFT was not initially conceived as a franchise but evolved into one after testing and refining the model.
• He saw franchising as a way to scale the business quickly, reach more people, and empower passionate individuals to own their own fitness studios.
• He sought advice from experienced franchisors and invested time in developing robust systems and processes to support franchisees.

Learning from mistakes and adapting

• The importance of learning from mistakes, especially in the early stages of starting a business.
• The importance of being open to feedback, making necessary changes, and continuously refining the business model.

Embracing competition and growth

• The importance of healthy competition in the fitness industry and his respect for competitors.
• The experience of facing a legal challenge from a competitor and the importance of focusing on one’s own business and doing good work.
• The importance of setting ambitious goals, such as his vision of having 1,000 BFT studios globally, and the need to adapt and learn as the business expands internationally.