Rick Fizdale had been the chairman of the board, CEO and chief creative officer for the Leo Burnett Company, one of the world’s largest advertising agencies based out of Chicago. However, in 1993, Fizdale couldn’t even raise his arms over his head, but he had started exercising in the gym of his apartment.
“I was working out in an attempt to get rid of tremendous pain I was experiencing in my joints,” said Fizdale. While working out, Fizdale met Mike Schwartz, who was a personal trainer using the same apartment gym.
“At the time I was walking with a pronounced limp and couldn’t raise my arms above my head,” explained Fizdale. “Mike offered to help with a rare type of resistance training and I jumped at the chance to work with him. We began meeting several times a week, and in a couple of months I had regained a full range of movement everywhere in my body.
After Fizdale and Schwartz first met, it wasn’t long before Schwartz was featured in Vogue Magazine as the “the best trainer in Chicago.” “He later went on to study a new therapy called ‘Muscle Activation Techniques,’ or ‘MAT,’” explained Fizdale. “We remained good friends over the years and when he decided to open a boutique gym and MAT center in Chicago, I invested in his business.”
Fizdale and Schwartz opened The Symmetry Center in September 2006. The facility was established as “a gym for trainers” where trainers could bring clients. The Symmetry Center helped trainers with a location to train while not giving up the same client profits they may have lost working for a fitness center.
“Mike and I provide the 12,000 square foot space, a classroom, the equipment and other amenities,” said Fizdale. “We grew the core business by word of mouth and added new offerings over time; MAT, Jui Jitsu, a spa, yoga and a program that combines nutrition and exercise.”
Mike went on to attain master levels in MAT training and has established the largest MAT practice outside of Denver. “Mike has been a trainer and a trainer of trainers for NASM for many years and he has worked with a number of well-known athletes.”
Recently, The Symmetry Center has run into obstacles with the name. “We learned that outsiders did not understand that Symmetry Center was a gym,” explained Fizdale. “When people would ask we’d always describe it as a ‘trainer gym,’ and eventually we started considering a name change. This year we officially changed the name to ‘The Trainer’s Gym’ to help the company evolve and continue our growth on a more productive path.”
The key to The Trainer’s Gym’s success has been its fair prices to customers — often below market. “Unlike typical membership-based gyms where trainers are employed by the gym and only receive 20 to 30 percent of what the customer pays, trainers at The Trainer’s Gym pay a nominal fee to work out with their own clients at the facility,” explained Fizdale. “The more the trainer uses the gym, the less he pays per session. In this model, the trainer keeps 70 to 80 percent of what the client pays. As the trainer takes in more business, so does the gym.”
According to Fizdale, The Trainer’s Gym is by far the largest trainer’s gym in Chicago. “That alone separates us from most gyms,” he said. “We also have high standards for the trainers in our facility. Each trainer is unique in the certifications and specialties they posses.”
Schwartz used his knowledge of personal training to get the business moving forward. “I trusted Mike’s knowledge and integrity and decided to invest a relatively small amount of money in something that I did not understand, but have grown to love,” explained Fizdale. “Mike showed me first hand how effective personal training and physical therapy could be. If it weren’t for him, I’d be in a wheelchair today.” -CS
Tyler Montgomery is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com
