By Blake Bramer, Founder 413 Fitness
Saturday Sweat is always a fun session to be a part of. There is such a variety of people in class; from young guns in their 20’s to Jack & Jill married and in their late 50s. And the best part is, when they partner up, something synergistic happens and all of the sudden people are working harder than I could possibly get them to on their own. My personal favorite is after finishing an Assualt Bike challenge and everybody crawls to the ground to assume the “star stretch” a.k.a dying quietly on the inside…
A PLACE FOR COMMUNITY
Belonging to a community is one of the most basic needs we have and that’s exactly what you find at 413 Fitness. A small, personal training facility in Southern Indiana is bridging the gap in community from the church to the gym.
Just as we grow spiritually with a supportive community and accountability, the same growth occurs when training in the gym with a group. Small group training provides accountability with people whom you know and everybody pushes to work harder as a result. Cheering each other on through the challenge of the month, or competing at a fitness fundraising event, are both fun ways to get outside of your comfort zone. And you’re doing it to shoulder with your training buddies.
At 413 Fitness, we train using the 4 pillars of human movement (locomotion, level-change, push/pull, and rotation), with 1 mission to provide a unique training experience that builds into all 3 aspects of health: mind, body, and spirit. While training, we reiterate positive affirmations to our members because having a little mental tenacity is crucial to success. A strong mind visualizes successful repetitions; a strong mind perseveres; and all of the sudden having a strong mind becomes a trait that bleeds into other aspects of their life.
I AM STRONG. I AM ABLE.
Coming to the gym and having a programmed workout to complete is a huge advantage over just having a “gym membership.” But it is even better improved when all of our members can workout together no matter their experience level. Making simple progressions, or regressions, to each movement is a practical way to scale intensity while recycling the same workouts. Intern, this provides members similar training experiences and more to talk about outside of the gym with one another. Come as you are and plan on leaving stronger than the person who walked through that door.
GREAT COACHES – FAITHFUL FITNESS
A good trainer is competent to coach proper form for an exercise, but great coaches will que the intensity and how to conceptualize the movements. As we pray for patience, we have to expect moments in which our patience is tested. The same can be said for getting stronger. We have coined the term “faithful fitness;” those times when you’re only thought is taking your next breath, have a little faith and know that we are provided the strength to persevere. Just as I see their face cringe and turn red, this is when I remind our members that they are strong and able. Having them verbalize it back to me also helps them to push past where they wanted to quit.
HOW TO START AND GROW A PERSONAL TRAINING FACILITY
In the summer of 2015, Blake was lead to move back home to Southern Indiana from Cincinnati to open 413 Fitness. Starting in a room the size of a large cleaning closet meant that there was no room for machines that took up lots of valuable (limited) space. Only small equipment was used like ropes, dumbbells, and resistance bands. But more importantly, this allowed for training to focus on developing better movement patterns with body weight exercises.
As membership grew, Blake began to pray to be a catalyst for a healthier community and leave a bigger footprint. Through this, he realized the importance of working with key people of influence in the community and hoping for a “trickle down effect” in health. By working with all of his church staff, the leaders of the church began to get healthier, feel better, and have more energy. How much better will their work be in discipling others because they are physically fit?
A PLACE FOR THE WHOLE CHURCH TEAM
Since working with his church, 413 Fitness has branched out to other local churches to invest in their staff as by holding weekly staff workouts. Providing a place to exercise is great to encourage a healthier culture, sure. Another, and maybe even more important, benefit is the team morale by having shared experiences outside of the office for church staff. Many times, there is a separation between pastors, to admins, to the creative team, and janitorial staff. But everybody is together and equally uncomfortable for an hour at a time in 413 Fitness!
Read more about how Blake, Margaret, and the members of 413 Fitness have found 6 ways to fit out.
