Today we’d like to introduce you to Maz Movahed.
Maz, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In 1998, I was doing my college internship at Woodbridge Sport & Health. My best friend Ray was the Fitness Director at Woodbridge Sport & Health. After being there for about a month, I asked Ray “How many people are members here?” He said to take a guess. I said 200 because I saw the same people every day. He smacked me upside my head and said “How would they be open if they only had 200 members. Man, this first industry is a scam.
They sign people up knowing they will never come to the gym.” This is the sad truth. 88% of people that join a gym after 6 visits keep paying for their membership but they don’t come to the gym. Owners/executives in the fitness industry know this fact and make jokes about it laughing their way to the bank. In 1998, I had no idea this was how the fitness industry was. Growing up training and sports were always a part of my life. I worked out every day. When thought everyone worked out. I didn’t realize people barely worked out. Even worse I didn’t think fitness business people could be so bad that they would prey on people’s good intentions and take advantage of this fact I stated previously “88% of people that join a gym after 6 visits keep paying for their membership but they don’t come to the gym.”
For me, training and fitness made me who I am and gave me everything I’ve ever attained in life, and I know how it can positively impact one’s life. To think fitness business people would do this disturbed me to my core. So, I decided I have to help these people. I knew they needed training services but personal training was so expensive and could not help enough people. So, as soon as my internship ended I decided to start a program called TNT Fitness. For $60 per month, you would get 2 group strength training sessions people week, a general nutrition plan, and a structured cardio routine. At the time no one was doing group personal training, especially the way I did it right in the middle of the weight room floor around all other members, not in the group. The goal was to give affordable training services to all people. The program exploded at Woodbridge.
From 1999-to 2016 we expanded to 35 sites. We were in most of the Sports and Health Clubs in the DC metro area, a handful of YMCAs, a handful of Merritt Athletic Clubs, and 4 Corporate Sites. In May of 2016, US Fitness which owns Sport and Health and Onelife Fitness bought TNT Fitness from me. I ONLY SOLD IT because the owner said they would change their ways and actually work to get people to use the gym more especially through affordable training through group personal training. Well, safe to say I’m a sucker. 3 months after I sold TNT to them, I’m in a meeting and I say “I’d want to move forward and start reaching out to members throughout the company that is never coming to the gym.” These are the exact words said back to me and I’ll never forget “We’re never going to do that. We don’t want to wake up that sleeping dragon”. I could not believe what I heard.
I said, “You said we would do this when I agreed to sell TNT to you”. He said, “No way, are you crazy”. I didn’t give up and kept trying to force change for the next year but they were not having it. I finally left and decided to open Halo Fitness Experience with my amazing business partners Adam Waddell, Tyler Parise, Dan Hong, and Jason Brand. We have created an amazing place at Halo helping so many. In our first year in 2019, we raised $7000 for a used women shelter called Shelter House. In 2020 during the pandemic, we raised $20,000 for an organization called Charity Water. In 2021, we are going to do even more!!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Never a smooth ride when you’re doing something different than others.
The biggest obstacle is the fitness industry. The owners of the big fitness chain ARE NOT in fitness for the right reasons. They have no interest in taking steps to make people healthier. That is something they don’t care at all about. For them, it’s about making money.
There is nothing wrong with making money, but if you’re making money preying on the good intentions of people there is a lot wrong with that.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Halo Fitness Experience?
Our mission is to provide affordable training at the highest quality for all people. That mission is on a giant banner in the middle of the gym. We specialize in group personal training.
We have multiple types of group training in our facility. We have a CrossFit which was voted the best in Northern Virginia. We have other group training formats that we’ve invented that don’t have a branded name like CrossFit but they are great too. Our price is $89 per month!!! That’s $89 per month for unlimited group personal training sessions!!
When members join they have to commit to working out 4 times a month or simply email us once per month to get that $89 rate…we need to keep them connected or they will fall off the workout wagon. Through our membership-based in 2019, we raised $7000 for abused women, and in 2020 in the pandemic, we raised $20,000 for Charity Water. That is what we’re most proud of.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Simple… Follow your heart.
Pricing:
- $89 per month for unlimited group personal training.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@halofitnessexperience.com
- Website: halofitnessexperience.com
- Instagram: @halofitnessexperience
- Facebook: halofitnessexperience
