Breaking a sweat comes easily for Jamerican fitness influencer Korey Rowe. The hard-earned, muscularly lean bod and magnetic personality have already secured more than a million followers across his social media platforms. These days, however, what Rowe is most pumped about is building a personal brand with wellness at its core. Having masterminded the KR Method —derived from his initials—five years ago, which he describes as “a strength and mobility-based training system to help people build a body they can trust", Rowe attracted interest from major shoe companies Lululemon and Vivobarefoot.Both athletic retailers subsequently inked separate brand partnership deals with the exercise coach, whose formative years were spent on the island's southwest, to upsell their footwear to his online fan base."I’ve been a Lululemon ambassador since 2021," he reveals to Lifestyle in an interview from his Queens, New York apartment, where he lives with his wife, financial consultant, Yanelly and their three-year-old son Kaleb. "[The partnership involves] leading events, creating educational content, and representing the brand through community experiences focused on movement and wellness."Signing on the dotted line two years ago with Vivobarefoot, a British running shoe company, Rowe explains, "I partnered with them to educate people on foot strength, natural movement, and long-term joint health through content and events.”For Rowe, the affinity for fitness began in his adolescence. "I played sports casually, but fitness became serious for me when I was 17," he discloses, in between prepping for a personal training client session. "I started weight training consistently, and it quickly became something that positively shaped my life. It gave me confidence, discipline, structure, and the experience of working toward something measurable and seeing progress through consistency."The younger of two sons born to carpenter Lingburthon Rowe and stay-at-home mother Norine, Rowe grew up with his brother, Nakia, in Carlisle, St Elizabeth. He attended Red Bank Primary before moving on to Manchester High and later Munro College.Rowe moved to the capital city to pursue higher education at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus, to read for a bachelor's degree in management studies.During freshman year at UWI, he was scouted at a model search by SAINT International's chief executive officer Deiwght Peters. Good fortune smiled on Rowe, who won the Male Fashion Face of the Caribbean title in 2011.He reminisces with deep gratitude for the experiences he absorbed from that era of his life."Modelling took me to places like South Africa and New York and gave me opportunities to work with brands and platforms such as GQ, Men’s Health, cologne and fashion campaigns, and New York Fashion Week. It taught me professionalism and how to carry myself in different environments," he tells Lifestyle.While Rowe relocated from The Rock to The Big Apple to chase modelling dreams, he concedes that "over time, fitness became my deeper purpose. I joined Dogpound in 2018, and it exposed me to a high-performance environment that helped shape my approach to coaching and business".Dogpound is a curated gym with locations in New York and Los Angeles that integrates bodybuilding, boxing, weight management, cardio and recovery. A lightbulb moment clicked, and Rowe says he made an entrepreneurial leap in 2021 when he realised that he wanted to “build something that could impact people beyond one-on-one training sessions”. Thus, his company, KR Method, was born.Detailing what his current fitness regimen entails, he points out that "most of my training revolves around mobility, strength work, and conditioning using my own methods and framework. I focus heavily on joint health and longevity. Recently, I’ve also started incorporating more running into my routine".His growing list of partnerships now includes collaborations with Centr, the fitness and wellness platform founded by actor Chris Hemsworth. There is yet another brand ambassadorship with PerfectAmino, a supplement manufacturer. Of this alliance, he says, "I educate people on recovery, muscle health, and healthy ageing, while incorporating their products into my own training and recovery practices."BUILDING COMMUNITYWith an ardent million-plus following, Rowe is fully cognisant of the value of engagement online. "Social media has become a tool to share knowledge and build community at scale," he rationalises. "I focus on creating content that solves real problems and genuinely helps people. Consistency, honesty, and making the audience feel seen matter more to me than chasing virality," he explains.Eyeing an expansion of his brand, the fitness influencer and businessman is currently looking to tap into the Asian market. Back in March, he was invited by Vogue Taiwan to be a presenter at their Wellness Week.Bigger yet, Rowe and co-founder Lucie Wang, who is based primarily in Asia, have been building community through KR Method and American Bar Academy training experiences. “We’ve been engaging the region through wellness events, educational experiences, certifications, and strategic partnerships,” he adds.In August, the two are slated to host a wellness event in Shanghai.When he’s not maintaining his physique, Rowe values his downtime. For him, it's " time with family, reading, wellness practices like saunas and cold plunges, and moments that help me slow down and recharge".Home is also where his heart remains. "I always enjoy returning to my hometown, Carlisle district," he reveals of annual vacations to Jamaica. "It keeps me grounded and connected to where I started. I also enjoy spending time in Treasure Beach for the slower pace and sense of peace it brings."High on the agenda for the 36-year-old is furthering the groundwork for a local foundation through which he hopes to give back to his home country."I’d like to eventually start with my alma mater, Munro College, and build from there. Movement and health changed my life in many ways, mentally and physically, so I’d love to help make training and nutrition more accessible to young people," he says.In January, Rowe's fitness company partnered with the Rotary Club of St Andrew, of which his brother, Nakia, served as a past president, to donate JMD $1 million to assist with repairs to buildings at Munro damaged in the passage of Hurricane Melissa.lifestyle@gleanerjm.com