Vernon Moodley (34) is an inspiration to those who love fitness and want to follow their dreams as he turned his passion into a thriving business.
Hailing from Chatsworth, Moodley developed a love for fitness as a child, taking part in sports and physical activities.
Moodley’s passion for working out and eventually owning his own gym had humble beginnings and today, the name of his gym tells this story — Barbell Alliance.
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Training and working out came naturally to him, but he could not afford the gym lifestyle.
“[When I was 14] someone donated some weights to me, and my dad made a few makeshift barbells, so I trained at home for years with those. I couldn’t afford a gym contract up until 2015.
“So, for the most part of my life, it was training at home with some music on CDs, which was the norm at the time, using just some dumbbells and a barbell,” said Moodley.
Moodley, who initially studied marketing and design after school, said his life has changed dramatically since his days of working a nine to five job.
He is constantly working on improving his knowledge in the industry and stays in touch with the latest technology and trends. Today, he works nearly 16 hours a day, taking on significant responsibilities, but he loves it.
At the moment I’m working on a new gym location that we’ve opened, and it’s going great. We’re looking to grow even more in 2025 with new services
Moodley said he is inspired by his mother, who lived a well-rounded life despite having epilepsy.
“Many people inspired me for different reasons. One of them is my mum, who had epilepsy her entire life, yet she had a normal marriage, raised two strong boys, managed an entire household, and got up every day to take care of everyone — despite being on chronic medication.
“She never let her health get out of control with overeating, despite her condition. Now in her old age, she also trains with us at the gym and pushes through every day,” said Moodley.
Moodley’s latest achievement is as an actor with a role in the Netflix movie Meet the Khumalos. Speaking about his role, he said he enjoyed working with Khanyi Mbau.
“Someone sent me the role that suited my character type exactly. It was loads of fun and also an eye-opener into how much work and effort really goes into film production. Everyone was on point — super professional.
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“Khanyi Mbau was hilarious and a super cool person to work with. One of the reasons that scene looked so authentic was because I allowed her to throw actual full-powered punches — because I could take it — and that made for a great scene,” said Moodley.