Leaders Spotlight : Adam Huzella
In our 10th year of sweating and connecting we are sharing stories from our dedicated and passionate volunteers.
Introducing Adam Huzella, a FitFam Shanghai volunteer since 2025. You can not miss him with his height and endless energy, he leads regularly at BFC, Lujiazui and On Empty streets.
Tell us about yourself
I'm Adam from Hungary, been living in China for 10 years in various cities and provinces.
Your first FitFam workout
The first time I participated in FitFam activities was in 2021 when I lived in ZheJiang province and visited a friend in Hangzhou. It was guided indoor gym HIIT and also an introduction to American football. Some years have passed and after moving to Shanghai I quickly realised that I miss the mountains, hiking and outdoor swimming. So need to look some alternatives. I came across a wechat article about famous sport community groups in Shanghai, so I tried FitFam first at locations in Pudong near where I live (Century Park, Lujiazui) got hooked then gradually expanded the scope and type of workouts I joined.
Becoming a FitFam leader
After around 100 workouts, Amy and Cory asked whether I have interest in leading. I had, yet at the same time also had to battle my inner "impostor syndrome", questioning why would anyone wanna follow my lead, sometimes I still wonder, haha. Being a leader elevated my experience for multiple reasons. I get to be selfish and do the exercises that I choose. When i'm a regular participant, I often tend to be a little lazy, trying to just "survive" the session. When I lead, I get extra adrenalin and boost to keep going since all eyes on me. That's the energy I try to project and pass it onto others.
Why become a FitFam leader?
Come on, it's free, it's healthy, uplifting, motivating, great for making friends, be the one to push your friends to join, show them good example. I can't think of many better ways to spend your free time. Being a leader is a way towards personal growth and fulfillment.
Favorite Sweat and Connect moments
The camaraderie, the special events when we got together in big numbers like BBB on West Bund or on BFC rooftop, or my personal favorite, the Chinese New Year Zodiac animal runs. Furthermore on races like marathons the FitFam cheering squad radiates extra energy boosts needed for the finish. Also thanks to FitFam I was able to experience and participate many special activities, such as Hyrox, running races, sponsor workouts. Some of FitFam's many challenges also get the best out of me, my favorite is the +5/+10km running challenge, brings me to just the right amount of suffering.
Anything else you would like to share?
I am super grateful to have met and worked out alongside many fellow FitFammers who are truly role models and inspiration in fitness and in personal life. I thought ultra runners, Ironman triathletes must be superhumans, turns out they are like you and me just with a special dedication, passion and commitment. Thanks to their example, i have taken part in competitions and pushed myself to limits I didn't even considered before. Two more things: Shanghai summers I just can’t stand. Way too hot and humid. I wish to just skip that season. Some others don't want to work out in the winter but for me that's the opposite. I think it's crazy to workout when doing nothing already makes you sweat a pond, but the people around me seem to be ok with it, so I guess we are doing it. To me, FitFam can get a little addictive (or compulsive?). Often times I get FOMO (fear of missing out), I don't want to miss my usual workouts due to other arrangements, holidays or just general tiredness, tapering for an upcoming race. Sometimes in a strange way, I feel relief when a workout gets cancelled due to rain or bad air quality, this way I don't feel guilty for missing out, allowing myself to get some rest.