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Gym owner lending equipment to help with fitness goals
Since closing his doors, Reggie Collier of "Reggie C Fitness" lost 50 percent of his clients. Instead of waiting for more to cancel, he came up with an idea to thank the ones who stayed.
HOUSTON - Closed gyms may mean bad news for working on your beach body, but that’s not stopping one local owner from welcoming members to his studio.
Reggie C Fitness is known as a mecca for physical transformations.
With tens of thousands of followers in Houston and online, owner Reggie Collier, has built a fun fitness culture.
But he wasn’t immune to the effects of COVID-19.
“We are so hands-on, we really had to make the transition to a virtual format,” he says. “It’s almost like starting a new business.”
Since closing his doors, he's lost 50 percent of his clients.
But instead of waiting for more to cancel, he came up with an idea to thank the ones who stayed, inviting them to the gym this past weekend.
However, the invite wasn't for a workout. Collier wanted to loan them all the equipment he had so they could stay on track with their fitness programs.
Colliers says the women showing up at his door, attracting the attention of another news station.
“We thought maybe somebody had called because they saw the women - some of the women were standing outside,” he explains.
But he says his members set the news crew straight; he wasn’t disobeying orders to stay closed. Instead, he was making sure they had what they needed to stay fit.
“It actually took my wife and I the last four days, from eight in the morning to midnight, to get all the equipment that we have in our facility and to bring it to our main location,” says Collier.
“When clients came in, we walked them around the room and asked them what they needed, put it on a dolly, take the dolly to their car, and put the equipment in there.”
He says 150 clients came out to load up barbells, kettle bells, dumbbells and much more, and he even purchased more equipment to make sure everyone had what they needed. They also spaced out the pickup times and practiced social distancing; many members showed up wearing recommended face covers.
Now that his members are on track, Collier says he will soon release a “Co-Fit” Challenge so for everyone dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.