Correspondent photo / Maurita Hoffman Phil Albenze poses with Karen Himes, a former client turned trainer. Himes said she learned to love boxing in her 70s, thanks to Albenze.

There is no room in Phil Albenze’s life nor in his training facility, Body by Phil, for negativity, chastising or criticism.

“I meet people where they are,” Albenze said. “I’m here to help and encourage — not tear anyone down.”

Albenze, 56, lives in Austintown but grew up in the North Jackson-Lake Milton area. He was born prematurely, spending time in the neonatal intensive care unit and enduring health struggles throughout his youth. He said he was lucky to have a loving family who supported him during his younger years.

After graduating from Jackson Milton High School, Albenze joined the Army, serving from 1987 to 1993.

He said he drank while in the Army, but he spiraled when he left the service.

“It really got out of hand when I got out of the Army,” he said.

He said he’d been addicted to alcohol for 20 years when he finally accepted that he needed help, and his weight had ballooned to 304 pounds.

The acknowledgement came prior to gall bladder surgery. Albenze said his 9-year-old son, Phil, was with him at the doctor’s office.

His “blood pressure was in the stratosphere,” his liver was fatty and he was on the cusp of being diabetic. Upon examination, Albenze said the doctor told him he was “a ticking bomb, that the inside of my body was like that of a 70-year-old man — I was 43 years old then.”

When his son cried, “I don’t want you to die, Dad,” Albenze said he realized he did not want his son to grow up alone, without a positive role model.

“I knew I had to change, and I went to the gym that day,” Albenze said.

“My trainer was positive, he met me where I was and encouraged me and helped me,” Albenze said. He also said his trainer inspired him and helped him to lose weight and get into shape. Though Albenze had not been interested in bodybuilding, after losing 140 pounds in that first year, he said his trainer suggested he try it. After training, Albenze entered his first bodybuilding competition in 2012 — the USA All Natural in New York. He placed fourth in that contest.

In 2015, he went on to compete in the National Gym Association Open Northeast Ohio All Natural. Albenze explained an open competition meant “competing against men of much younger ages.”

Anyone 18 or older could enter, but that didn’t matter.

“I won the Black Sword!” Albenze grinned. The Black Sword is the championship trophy for that event.

Today, Albenze owns a training studio, Body by Phil. He opened it eight years ago and, in this gym, Albenze follows the lead of his first trainer.

“I meet every person who comes in here at their level,” he said. “I walk with them step-by-step if needed to help finish even one exercise, if that is what they are capable of.”

Smiles and lots of cheerful banter abound in the gym.

“This isn’t like one of those reality diet/fitness shows,” he explained. “There is no yelling and screaming at people to do more and do better.”

Albenze said he promotes kindness and understanding to help people reach their goals.

Albenze noted that often it is the fear that stops people from trying.

“If you’ve been told you’re weak and fat and out of shape, you believe it and are afraid to be hurt,” he added.

He cited numerous examples of the effects positivity has had on clients.

“We had a woman here who was obese, had not been able to lose the weight,” he said.

He and his trainers guided and “encouraged her and in three weeks, she had lost 37 pounds.”

Additionally, Albenze has worked with people with disabilities. Helping a blind man who was turned away from other gyms because his disability was seen as a liability, Albenze said, “We walked him through each station, demonstrated what to do and he did it.”

He described working with an autistic teen who “didn’t talk, didn’t like being around people.”

“At first, we cleared the gym for him to be able to work out,” he continued.

Today, according to Albenze, not only does that teen talk to people, but he also participates in a group exercise program, “high fiving people and smiling and talking to them.”

“It has given him confidence,” Albenze said.

He has worked with amputees and with stroke victims. He cited one woman who had a stroke 14 years ago and lost 90% of the mobility in her right side. He said doctors did not offer hope for her to improve.

“After six months training with me, she was able to regain 45% of her range of motion back in her arm,” Albenze said.

Karen Himes is a trainer at Body by Phil. She is 78 years old and admitted to needing a friend to bring her to the gym for the first time, seven years ago.

“I had bottomed out,” she said. “I could not get off of the floor without help.”

Albenze gave her the confidence to try.

“It’s infectious here; you want to do more, I didn’t feel intimidated here,” she said.

She chuckled when she explained that not only is she a trainer now, she also has learned to box and loves it.

Albenze’s wife, Kimberly, encouraged him to write a book about his struggles. He said he decided to take her advice, and he wrote “The Black Sword.”

“God put me here to help,” he said, regarding his motivation for writing the book. “He gave me the strength, with help, to overcome my problems, and now it is my turn to help others.”

He admitted it was difficult to put himself out for people to see.

“I felt very vulnerable, but I know what these people are going through and I am confident I can help them reach their goals,” he said.

Albenze added that he thinks “The Black Sword,” published in July 2025, has been successful because, “It’s an underdog story. People are inspired to see someone’s life turn around.”

He added, “If I can do this, anyone can.” “The Black Sword” is sold on Amazon and through Barnes & Noble’s online bookstore.

Albenze was quick to credit others for his success.

“People who didn’t know me took the time to help me,” he said. “They took the time to make me understand that we all need to feel important and have self-confidence. And now, it’s my turn to pay it forward to others.”