How You Can Get In-Shape Without a Gym Membership

While driving around your town recently, you may have spotted a big red van with a pair of cartoonish men sporting bulging biceps painted on the side cruise by or parked in your neighbor’s driveway. Curious? The big red van is how local business GYMGUYZ brings the gym to you (yes, you heard us correctly).

GYMGUYZ’s Westchester franchises are co-owned by childhood best friends Sam Langer and James Bonavita. After opening their first franchise in 2014, Langer and Bonavita’s business has become so successful that they now employ six full time coaches, six part-time coaches, and have five fully stocked and operational vans.  In 2015, the pair won Westchester Magazine’s 914INC. Wunderkinds awards.

What sets GYMGUYZ apart from other personal training models is that they come to you (so now you really have no excuse to not get your workout in). They provide workouts that are geared towards getting your heart rate up and involve HIIT (high intensity interval training) or circuit work. Movements like jumping jacks, burpees, or pushups are great cardiovascular exercises and require little more than standing room, making them perfect for home workouts.

“People don’t want to go to a gym or they don’t have time to go to a gym,” Langer said. “Their lives are busy with their kids, with their families or they just feel uncomfortable in the gym setting.”

“You don’t realize how busy someone’s day is, and when we are able to come into the house and give you the workout at home, you can’t beat the convenience factor,” Bonavita added.

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Another big part of the GYMGUYZ business model, besides the convenience and creativity, is customization. Everyone’s first session is free and includes an evaluation. Here, they conduct an assessment to determine any pre-existing injuries, client goals, and body measurements to track progress; a fitness test is also involved. Sam explains that after the assessment, clients are then paired up with a coach that is the best fit.

Skeptical about working out in your own home or worried you don’t have a good enough space? Don’t be. Langer and Bonavita claim that no space is too small.

“We use your house against you,” said Langer. “If it’s in the way, we’re using it,” Bonavita agreed. “You have to be creative when coming into a space because you don’t know what you’ll be working with.”

Along with making sure clients are having fun by changing up the workouts each session – because, let’s face it, it’s not fun to keep doing the same thing every time – GYMGUYZ also makes sure to pair clients and coaches based specifically on a client’s needs.  “We’re not like a gym where we just throw you with a random coach,” said Langer. For example, if a client has Parkinson’s disease or lower back pain, they would be paired with a coach who has expertise in those areas.

GYMGUYZ offers single session rates with no long-term commitment or contract that range in price from $75 to $88 — on average, clients opt for two to three training sessions per week. Want to try to bring them to work with you? They also have group rates and have started working with corporate offices. GYMGUYZ operates from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and until 6 p.m. on weekends.