Source https://www.tucsonstrength.com/tucson-gyms/
Business is a funny thing. Everything appears to be going great, but it really isn’t. We have been blessed to be a successful gym for going on 9 years. If you have been around this organization for a while, you know that things are rarely stagnant. There is always something happening, sometimes subtle, other times extreme. As the founder of Evolution Fitness Systems I started this company as a cure for my inability to stay employed by a fitness outlet for more than 2 years. I always loved pushing the limits and coming up with better ways to do things.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t the one writing the checks. In order to innovate I had to put my money where my mind was. My worst nightmare was to manage the day-to-day of a company with no growth. Actually that is my worst nightmare for life in general. It hasn’t been about changing just to change, but the pursuit of continually making a better product and service that isn’t offered elsewhere. What started as a 1,000sqft studio in 2010 has now grown into a 12,000sqft Strength & Conditioning Facility.
When I started Evolution Fitness Systems in 2010, I wanted to create a training environment that offered strength and movement based group instruction and personal training. Crossfit was starting to take off and I was an early adopter in 2008, but I realized quickly that Crossfit wasn’t my thing. It was great for some people, but wasn’t for everyone. At our original location we used kettlebells and some barbells with an approach that I felt was more suited for the people I wanted to train. We designed programs with a focus on mastering the fundamentals while pushing hard but not excessively. As word got out, we expanded and we became the training facility for people that didn’t want an LA Fitness or Crossfit. The ones that found us loved our approach and philosophy.
Over the years our offerings have expanded to mobility classes, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, indoor rowing, nutrition coaching, and a running group. Each specialty is led by an experienced coach and I am extremely proud of everything we offer. Our coaches are truly the best people I have ever been associated with.
“Not only did we need to have a place for people to learn to become strong, we needed to be Tucson’s home for the strength enthusiast.”
But the truth is, over the past 4 years I’ve been spinning my wheels. The business was successful, but I felt like I was just changing the paint color instead of innovating. Though we increased our offerings I knew we were missing the mark. In 2016 I decided to change the name from Evolution Fitness to Tucson Strength, which was one of the best decisions I ever made (it came to me in the middle of the night). We were able to fully express what we were in our name. Fitness lumped us in with EVERYONE else and I knew we had a different approach to training. We didn’t want to attract the LA Fitness bros, the $9.99 gym hoppers, or the crowd that jumps on every Transformation Challenge being offered. We wanted people that already believed in the value of strength and needed a new home. Though we were thriving, I knew we could make a bigger impact. Then the idea hit me and I couldn’t sleep until we made it happen.
Not only did we need to have a place for people to learn to become strong, we needed to be Tucson’s home for the strength enthusiast. We also needed to get out of a tucked away warehouse and take strength to the main street. Strength had to be a destination. We wanted to create the perfect environment for those that already saw the value in strength training, because they already lived it. Weekly, I would get people asking me if they could train on their own at my gym because they were frustrated with their big box gym. From not being able to find a decent bar to lift with, to waiting for a squat rack because some bro was curling in it are common problems in the gym world that seem to just be accepted. I also had Crossfitters calling me because they wanted a place to do a WOD on their own and they no longer wanted to do classes. The problem is big boxes don’t accommodate the Crossfitter. I couldn’t accommodate them in my training facility either without interfering with our classes, and I really wanted to be a solution. The answer? Build a facility that allowed us to run our training groups like we always have, while simultaneously being able to accommodate the strength enthusiast who needs a home to train on their own with the best equipment. After months of searching for a building the opportunity to take over an old Chuck E. Cheese down the street came up, and without hesitation we moved on it.
The result has been nothing short of mind blowing.
To the average person it may look like just bars and weight machines, but when seasoned strength enthusiasts walk in, their eyes light up when they see our specialized equipment. We have numerous deadlifting Platforms, Olympic lifting platforms, competition benches and squat stands, a belt squat, Texas Power bars and deadlift bars, and too many specialty bars to list. Our cardio area boasts self-propelled treadmills and other pieces not found in most big box gyms. The monkey bar obstacle course rig and turf area really highlight the space.
The truth is, though, the equipment is just a small piece of why this gym is special. It’s special because it isn’t just a gym. Tucson Strength is a community of those pursuing strength, better movement, and health. Our community, more than any of the equipment we can boast about, makes this place amazing. Members here for 1-on-1 training, group training, or open access help each other and create a great environment you won’t find in other fitness gyms. It is common to see one of our powerlifters who can squat over 600 lbs hugging and chatting it up with an 85-year-old client because they are both here for the same reason: to become stronger as part of a community made of like-minded individuals.
Each member agrees to our code of conduct that outlines our expectations. We aren’t a sales organization that sells a thing called gym memberships. We are a strength training community that will always put our values above money. Anyone can copy our equipment if they want to, but what makes this place so amazing is the diverse community coming together because we believe strength has a greater purpose.
The post Not Just Another Gym appeared first on Tucson Strength: Personal Training, Tucson Gyms, Kettlebells, Powerlifting.
Source https://www.tucsonstrength.com/tucson-gyms/
Business is a funny thing. Everything appears to be going great, but it really isn’t. We have been blessed to be a successful gym for going on 9 years. If you have been around this organization for a while, you know that things are rarely stagnant. There is always something happening, sometimes subtle, other times extreme. As the founder of Evolution Fitness Systems I started this company as a cure for my inability to stay employed by a fitness outlet for more than 2 years. I always loved pushing the limits and coming up with better ways to do things.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t the one writing the checks. In order to innovate I had to put my money where my mind was. My worst nightmare was to manage the day-to-day of a company with no growth. Actually that is my worst nightmare for life in general. It hasn’t been about changing just to change, but the pursuit of continually making a better product and service that isn’t offered elsewhere. What started as a 1,000sqft studio in 2010 has now grown into a 12,000sqft Strength & Conditioning Facility.
When I started Evolution Fitness Systems in 2010, I wanted to create a training environment that offered strength and movement based group instruction and personal training. Crossfit was starting to take off and I was an early adopter in 2008, but I realized quickly that Crossfit wasn’t my thing. It was great for some people, but wasn’t for everyone. At our original location we used kettlebells and some barbells with an approach that I felt was more suited for the people I wanted to train. We designed programs with a focus on mastering the fundamentals while pushing hard but not excessively. As word got out, we expanded and we became the training facility for people that didn’t want an LA Fitness or Crossfit. The ones that found us loved our approach and philosophy.
Over the years our offerings have expanded to mobility classes, Olympic weightlifting, powerlifting, indoor rowing, nutrition coaching, and a running group. Each specialty is led by an experienced coach and I am extremely proud of everything we offer. Our coaches are truly the best people I have ever been associated with.
“Not only did we need to have a place for people to learn to become strong, we needed to be Tucson’s home for the strength enthusiast.”
But the truth is, over the past 4 years I’ve been spinning my wheels. The business was successful, but I felt like I was just changing the paint color instead of innovating. Though we increased our offerings I knew we were missing the mark. In 2016 I decided to change the name from Evolution Fitness to Tucson Strength, which was one of the best decisions I ever made (it came to me in the middle of the night). We were able to fully express what we were in our name. Fitness lumped us in with EVERYONE else and I knew we had a different approach to training. We didn’t want to attract the LA Fitness bros, the $9.99 gym hoppers, or the crowd that jumps on every Transformation Challenge being offered. We wanted people that already believed in the value of strength and needed a new home. Though we were thriving, I knew we could make a bigger impact. Then the idea hit me and I couldn’t sleep until we made it happen.
Not only did we need to have a place for people to learn to become strong, we needed to be Tucson’s home for the strength enthusiast. We also needed to get out of a tucked away warehouse and take strength to the main street. Strength had to be a destination. We wanted to create the perfect environment for those that already saw the value in strength training, because they already lived it. Weekly, I would get people asking me if they could train on their own at my gym because they were frustrated with their big box gym. From not being able to find a decent bar to lift with, to waiting for a squat rack because some bro was curling in it are common problems in the gym world that seem to just be accepted. I also had Crossfitters calling me because they wanted a place to do a WOD on their own and they no longer wanted to do classes. The problem is big boxes don’t accommodate the Crossfitter. I couldn’t accommodate them in my training facility either without interfering with our classes, and I really wanted to be a solution. The answer? Build a facility that allowed us to run our training groups like we always have, while simultaneously being able to accommodate the strength enthusiast who needs a home to train on their own with the best equipment. After months of searching for a building the opportunity to take over an old Chuck E. Cheese down the street came up, and without hesitation we moved on it.
The result has been nothing short of mind blowing.
To the average person it may look like just bars and weight machines, but when seasoned strength enthusiasts walk in, their eyes light up when they see our specialized equipment. We have numerous deadlifting Platforms, Olympic lifting platforms, competition benches and squat stands, a belt squat, Texas Power bars and deadlift bars, and too many specialty bars to list. Our cardio area boasts self-propelled treadmills and other pieces not found in most big box gyms. The monkey bar obstacle course rig and turf area really highlight the space.
The truth is, though, the equipment is just a small piece of why this gym is special. It’s special because it isn’t just a gym. Tucson Strength is a community of those pursuing strength, better movement, and health. Our community, more than any of the equipment we can boast about, makes this place amazing. Members here for 1-on-1 training, group training, or open access help each other and create a great environment you won’t find in other fitness gyms. It is common to see one of our powerlifters who can squat over 600 lbs hugging and chatting it up with an 85-year-old client because they are both here for the same reason: to become stronger as part of a community made of like-minded individuals.
Each member agrees to our code of conduct that outlines our expectations. We aren’t a sales organization that sells a thing called gym memberships. We are a strength training community that will always put our values above money. Anyone can copy our equipment if they want to, but what makes this place so amazing is the diverse community coming together because we believe strength has a greater purpose.
The post Not Just Another Gym appeared first on Tucson Strength: Personal Training, Tucson Gyms, Kettlebells, Powerlifting.
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