Perry native, former Alabama football player wants to bring his expertise home with new gym

For a Middle Georgia native who made his way to one of college football’s most storied programs, there’s one big reason why he wanted to return home and open a business.

“Serving Middle Georgia gives me the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” said former University of Alabama football player and Westfield School graduate Giles Amos who played tight end for the Crimson Tide from 2016 to 2019.

Amos, who grew up in Perry, has come home to serve the Middle Georgia community with a new athletic training facility in Macon.

Amos said while he was at the University of Alabama, then-Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran inspired him to get into the strength training and conditioning industry.

“Time was limited with your position coaches during the offseason, but Coach Cochran was a guy we were allowed to see every day,” he said. “Coach Cochran was the same person every day, he always brought the juice, and he was going to demand your best - that’s what made him who he is. The impact he made on me will be one that sticks for a lifetime.”

Amos took his coach’s guidance to heart and while living in Nashville and became a founding coach at D1 Training Hendersonville. D1 Training is a franchise of fitness centers that has trained more than 100 NFL Draft picks, according to the company’s website.

“I took so much pride in that. I trained a variety of athletes starting at age 7 all the way up to age 60,” Amos said. “I trained athletes that were trying to make the middle school team, current Division 1 athletes, and families trying to stay fit and have fun with it.”

Amos said it was at an awards ceremony that he realized the impact he could have and knew he wanted to make that impact in his home state.

“The first time I was invited to an athlete’s award ceremony was when I realized the impact I could have in the training world and the impact D1 could bring to a community,” he said. “At that moment, I began planning a way to bring D1 Training to where I grew up, the Middle Georgia area.”

Amos’ D1 Training facility will offer four age-based programs, including Rookie (ages 7-11), Developmental (ages 12-14), Prep (ages 15-18) and D1 Adult. Each fitness program is based on the five athletic-based tenets: dynamic warm-up, performance, strength program, core and conditioning, and cool down.

Amos said outside of group workouts, D1 Training will offer one-on-one training with world-class coaches.

“The goal is simple - to continue to train athletes who are dedicated to their sport or their fitness goals, regardless of age or athletic background,” he said.

Amos said D1 Training is a pathway to excellence.

“We provide personalized coaching and a supportive environment, tailored to everyone’s fitness goals. Everyone with a fitness goal is an athlete and we train like it,” he said. “We also incorporate technology to monitor progress and optimize your workouts.”

Amos has aspirations to give back to the community through his business with fundraisers for local causes and nonprofit partnerships. He wants to use those partnerships to provide fitness programs or facilities for their beneficiaries, host workshop seminars on health and fitness topics for the community, and volunteer for community clean-up projects, charity races, or other community events.

He said he also wants to provide sponsorship opportunities for athletes or people in need within the community, partner with local schools to promote fitness education and healthy lifestyle choices among students, and more.

“By actively engaging in philanthropy work, D1 can demonstrate commitment to the community and contribute to the well-being of its residents beyond fitness training alone,” he said.

“Serving Middle Georgia gives me the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives,” Amos said. “Overall, I see D1 as not just a fitness center but a catalyst for positive change and growth within Middle Georgia.”

D1 Training Macon will hold an open house on March 18, followed by its grand opening on April 1. The sports center will be located at 1625 Bass Road, Suite 285 in Macon.