Externing with Fit Crew

In mid May, I took an externship at a local gym: Fit Crew. In one week, I learned the ins and outs of owning, maintaining, and regulating a gym. I was fortunate enough to have this opportunity and I definitely appreciated it. From opening the gym to closing the gym, I had a very eye-opening experience. I was given the hospitality of the staff and the guidance of Andrew. Day by day, I would see people train extremely hard with literally every client leaving drenched with sweat and joy. All in all, this experience was very insightful and I want to thank Fit Crew Bradenton for such an opportunity.

At 4:30 AM I would come in and set up for the morning classes. This would either consist of moving the rowers or setting up barbells in their proper spots. At Fit Crew, every day consisted of a different workout and that means it would be vital to properly set up every day. A couple minutes after opening, an influx of very fit people would come in with energy. Personally, I was not accustomed to waking up this early so my energy was not as high, but the positive energy of the staff and the clients made up for a very enjoyable atmosphere. When the classes started, it was non stop work. While the trainers could choose to sit and watch the clients train, they instead choose to motivate and push their clients vocally. Personally I tried even though yelling at adults was not my speciality at the moment, but eventually I got a little more vocal. From the start, I was surrounded by positive yelling and upbeat music that I occasionally saw people dance to. Even though setting up and moving equipment is not the most enjoyable job, it’s the satisfaction factor that you get when you see the clients training on the platform you set up. After a class, I would wipe down the equipment for the next class. Sometimes at the end of the day I would even help their cleaner organize and sanitize the warehouse for the next day.

In addition to group classes, I had the opportunity to shadow the personal training in the back of the room. I would watch and observe the workouts and learn about why and how each exercise is carried out. Specifically, Andrew would help me by explaining each exercise and explaining how it would benefit that specific client. I also learned the skill to change workouts on the spot if an injury is causing more problems to the client that day. Something that the trainers shared in common was their skill to appeal to their audience. Each trainer knew how to approach different clients at different times. In addition, Andrew specifically taught me the business aspect of the gym, which gave me insight on keeping a gym functioning and making it better.

If I could summarize my experience in two words it would be: “grind” and “family”. Every day I would walk in and glance over the whiteboard and notice each hour of both Andrew’s schedule completely packed. This would mean a 16 hour job with little to no breaks in between. I really respect the “grind” aspect of this business and even though it might not seem appealing to the eyes of a high schooler, it ultimately is the reality that I eventually will face. Therefore, I am thankful to face this earlier in life. Another aspect that I noticed was
“family”. It seemed like everyone was family there. It really felt as if everyone knew each other and that the Fit Crew team and its members were a big family. Each day fun, giggles, and laughs surrounded the positive atmosphere. It really made the long hours enjoyable. At the end of the day I would like to thank Tori, Judy, Andre, Anthony, and Andrew for such an insightful experience that I will look back in the future for guidance.

-Samson