AMA [Fitness Facility Owner]

I see a lot of people have certain questions about working out, supplements and diets. Shoot me any question you want.

I currently own the largest gym in my county in Pennsylvania. I can post pics of the facility if you'd like to see it!

I can answer anything about gym/workout related things and if needed I can ask my General manager and head trainer.

Little about me:

Spoiler

I started working out in 2009 when I was 13, and started the gym in 2012 (with my dad) because all the gyms around our time were terrible. We used to drive over a hour to the gym everyday, so we started our own which is now thriving and I'm happy to call it mine. I used to workout for football until I tore my ACL in 2015. I now just do body building workouts. I'm not HUGE whatsoever, I'm 165lbs(5' 7") with ~7% body fat percentage.

My personal goals for working out:

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Bench 330 (2x my bodyweight) - Currently at 295.
Squat 455 - currently at 405.
Clean 275 - currently at 235

Shoot me any questions!

 

how much do you make from owning the gym.

 

What's something difficult about running a gym that most people wouldn't think about?

 

What's the drill when someone loses something in the gym, and never claims it?

Also what's the most expensive thing someone forgot/lost in the gym.

 

A gym costs a lot of money to put up, you won't start seeing profit for a couple years, we actually just had our first month where we made profit 2 months ago.

I'd say the hardest thing is trying to make the gym fit for everyone, we try to make it for more sport athletic activities, but we still have the 24.7 side which the older folks come in to workout. We want to make sure everyone's feeling comfortable, and it's hard to do that without knowing exactly the personnel you play to bring in.

People always forgot/lose their wallet, keys, headphones and phones. No one really loses anything else, but that. We usually keep it at the front desk and wait for someone to claim it, if no one does, it'll stay in the desk until then.

 

Any meals you normally would advice to eat for a lean and healthy cut?

 

A lot of meals depending on the workout you are doing, to know how many calories to consume. Always stay away from salty foods, and the main sources of eating should be meat/chicken, and potatoes. Potatoes are one of the best things for you. When I was working out heavy on a body building workout, I was eating roughly 6000 calories a day to maintain my weight. I can't give an honest answer without a workout plan to go off of. And current weight/build and what the end goal is.

 

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind, and thanks for answering .

In Denmark these workout plans normally cost a ton, that’s why I seek some guideance towards a healthier and better body

 

Shoot me a DM on discord. Ryder#8474 I'll send you some nice ones.

 

Bump!

 

Not really a question about the gym, but more of a exercise one.

From all of your many years of working out what was your biggest struggle or plateau and how did you overcome it? Whether it was diet, routine, or anything related to achieving your goals.

 

Why do I keep yawning in the gym? Haha

Also, what's your favourite tricep workout?

 

I've spent the better part of my life in PA, if you are on the eastern side, odds are I'm a member or have been at some point depending on what gym.

My question;

I've yet to find a gym that competes with the ones I used on military bases (one of the numerous reasons is that it was free) that being said, I'm thinking about making my own home gym once I'm settled in my new place. Any suggestions on some good deals for workout equipment?

 

My biggest routine was diet + hitting over 245 on the bench. Once I hit 245, I felt like I couldn't go up anymore for weeks, but after I hit over 255, I'm now back to going up over time.

For Diet, being in college, and working all the time, I have to meal prep, but I don't have time to do the cooking, so I pay someone to cook my meals for me.

Tricep Workout, would be Tricep Pushdown machine, Skull Crushers, Close-grip bench, weighted dips, and kickbacks. Reps/Sets matters on what your training for.

We bought all of our stuff used/refurbished and refurbished it ourselves. Best place to look is gyms that are getting new equipment, see what they're doing with their old equipment, and also colleges, they are always upgrading. Also, pm me to see if you've been at my gym.

 

How would reps/sets change throughout your basic chest/arm/leg split?

 

Well if you're body building or losing weight, you'd want to do more reps with moderate weight, for example: 20, 15, 12, 10, and if you're working for mass, you'd be doing lower reps so 4x4 with heavier weight.

It's all about what you plan to lift for, you always need a goal, weather it's to just gain muscle mass, to lose fat, or to tone.

 

Sweet. If I was trying to build muscle and tone at the same time, would I do a bulking period followed by a cutting period, or would I be able to both at the same time?

btw thank you so much, very useful advice

 

You want to do the same thing I did in my first 2-3 years of college. I bulked for 6 months, then cut for 2-3. And just keep repeating that. Once you're happy where you are, then you can do a maintenance workouts, which pretty much won't make you huge, but it'll keep you defined, and won't cut you so much that you're just skin and bone. You want to aim for 7-8% bodyfat in my opinion.

Eating is everything when you're trying to cut/build mass as well.

 

What's your macro ratio for this when bulking/cutting?

 

In all honesty, everyone's is different because of height, weight, current body fat % and much more. You'd need to find what works for you. it'll take some time, but will be well worth it in the end.
I never watched my macro's as close as I should've because I had my meals made for me and my bodystyle/workout style.