Najeeb Baha, Athletic Trainer in charge of the Alexandria campus Fitness Center. Photo by Kama Storie.

By Malin Bergstrom

 He woke up one morning and could not move his left leg. His first thought was that his cousin had tied his foot to the bed – they often used to mess with each other. After a while he realized that also his left hand was totally numb. He managed to get out of bed and when he saw his own reflection in the mirror he freaked out.

“What the hell happened to my face?”

Najeeb Baha, only 13 at the time,had had a stroke.

 He regained the ability to walk and move after three months, but his face never fully recovered. However, hours spent at the gym and a wise grandfather made Baha become stronger in many dimensions. Today, at 33, he wishes to pass on this strength and the lessons he learned to the students he meets at the fitness center at NOVA’s Alexandria campus.

Baha is the oldest of four brothers. He was born in Afghanistan and came to the U.S. with his family 14 years ago. The first few years in his new country were hectic.

“He worked a lot to take care of the family, but he did make sure to spend time with me, too. He played with me and he took me to the park or other places I wanted to go,” said his youngest brother, Haseeb Baha, 18.

After a year in the U.S., Baha started taking some classes at NOVA and explained that since he “was always curious about things,” he studied everything from psychology to computers. In 2000, he was offered a job on campus.

“I took a PE class, mostly for fun and to relax myself. I guess the teacher noticed I was doing well,” he said.

Starting with a tiny room with three machines, he helped to establish a fitness center at the NOVA Alexandria campus. After two years he was working there full time.

“Najeeb is a personal trainer for everyone who asks for it,” said Mulengeta Mekonnen, a NOVA student and an employee at the gym since 2005.

For Baha, the duty of being a personal trainer is much more than just helping people with their workout routines.

His interest in strength training started after Baha had the stroke. He was embarrassed by how the incident had, as he described it, “deformed” his face, and he felt uncomfortable around people. The gym became his refuge. When he worked out he felt like people paid attention to his actions and not his appearance.

His grandfather, a tall and muscular wrestler, had always been a role model and a teacher for Baha. Their relationship became even more important during this period of his life.

“He was the one who always said I have to move on,” stated Baha while giving his grandfather credit for making him understand that appearance is not everything and that to succeed he needs to work with what he has.

This mindset made Baha successful when he was competing in Mixed Martial Arts. He never feared the strengths of his opponents but always made sure to focus on doing what he knew he was good at.

Today, when Baha helps students with their workout routines, he still has that notion in mind. He finds it important to understand a person’s abilities and ambitions, what skills they have and what goals they wish to achieve. Furthermore, he wishes the students, too, will learn to appreciate what they have and recognize what they can become.

“Sometimes I’m not really pushing myself, and then he reminds me that I have to try hard enough to reach my goals,” said Anthony De Gregorio, a student who has a football try-out coming up.

Baha wants to see the students succeed with whatever goals they may have, but he also wishes to pass on something his grandfather taught him about failure and moving on. He remembered how he once was told to look upon failure as an experience and make sure to learn from his mistakes. His grandfather also told him that he should always have optional solutions to problems he might encounter.

As a personal trainer, Baha wants to teach the basics and then leave it up to the person doing the exercises to experiment and find out what works.

“He wouldn’t give routines, but he taught me lots about technique,” confirmed De Gregorio, who explained that he used to be skinny but has managed to build muscles with the guidance of Baha.

To be able to communicate his ideas, Baha finds it crucial to establish a good relationship with everybody he works with. He stated that he knows “something personal about at least 90 percent of the people who come here,” and that it helps him to do his job better, as it simplifies the process of working toward the students’ goals.

When somebody walks into the gym, Baha is genuinely interested in knowing how that person feels – both physically and mentally. By making you feel welcome, his hope is that you will not only do your exercises and leave, but also “keep it with you in the long run.”

Creating a good atmosphere becomes a win-win situation – students get the most out of their workouts, and they return and even bring friends.

“I don’t go around asking people to work out, you don’t see fliers, it’s that bonding experience,” he said.

The increasing number of students who come to the gym – so far this semester over 200 people – might be taken as proof of the job Baha is doing. Mekonnen and De Gregorio, who is also an employee, have become good friends with their boss. They both like working for Baha, since they feel appreciated and respected for who they are.

“But he’s also a bit special. He likes things organized in a particular way,” added De Gregorio.

Baha feels comfortable when he gets to take on the leading role. This has sometimes left him working 12-hour shifts, but throughout the years he has become better at planning his duties and delegating tasks to others. Although, working at the fitness center is more like a hobby for him.

“Besides office politics and everything, I love what I do,” he said smiling.

When he was 13 years old he was ashamed of being around people. He locked himself in his room for over a month and for a long time had a limited social life.

Today, he gets his satisfaction from talking to everybody who walks in to the gym where he works. His mouth still gets a bit droopy when he is stressed and his eyes easily water when he laughs, but he has accepted that as a part of who he is.

Attitudes cannot be changed at one stroke, but one stroke can guide someone to a new way of living. Today, Baha gets up in the morning because he knows there is somebody out there waiting for his help.

NOVA student Olivia Wikstrom (Journalism and PR) gets fitness pointers from Athletic Trainer Najeeb Baha at the Alexandria campus Fitness Center. Photo by Kama Storie.

Photo by Kama Storie.

By: Contributing Author

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