Get fitter, healthier and stronger, together. Burleigh-based gym and physical fitness centre, The Strength Collective, gives us the full rundown on their science-based programming, solid community and how they made it where they are today.
Built on the motto “Unlike Any Other”, we delve deep into what makes them different and what they love most about group strength training sessions.
[VERVE] Your facility is unlike most training facilities. Tell us how you got the idea and why focus on science-based programming? Who came up with the idea, and what were some influencing factors?
[The Strength Collective] Thank you! Our system is unlike most. We have developed it over a few years, and to this day, it continues to develop and grow. It all started with one goal in mind: to help people with their health and fitness honestly.
No gimmicks, just good quality fitness and hard work! We love working with people, and we love watching people grow physically and mentally. After all, this is why we are in this industry.
I think most people start a business to make money, but I can honestly say that we started this business solely to help people – and anything else was just another bonus! We are so lucky that our members love and support our mission.
You market yourselves as “Our system is unlike any other”. Please elaborate. And why is there a need for this? How do you introduce strength without fear?
Our system is unlike any other because we focus on strength training in a group setting. In addition, we focus on a cycled program that grows with you as your goals do; and we work towards our 1RM (One Rep Max) testing.
Our environment isn’t like your standard gym! Our members are welcomed with a friendly hug or a pepped-up high 5.
In addition, we have a dedicated section in our program to just stop and chat to every member during their warmup - this helps create a friendly, open and collaborative atmosphere that everyone loves.
We have both men and women coming together without any ego – everyone is equal here. And yet another fantastic thing about our classes is our excellent coaches!
Our coaches have learnt our system and product knowledge so well. They’re the best spotters you’ll ever have - they just know how to get around to everyone on each set and assist with spotting, making it easy for everyone to feel 1:1 in our classes.
We love the focus on culture as it dictates how you move, act and create. Please tell us what culture means and is at the Strength Collective. What does it mean to “feel at home”?
I love this question! At the end of the day, we started this business to HELP people – not just make a quick buck. Creating an excellent gym culture isn’t easy, though. To us, it’s the most challenging part of owning a gym.
How we achieved a great gym culture starts by giving back at every opportunity we can. We are forever grateful for the support from our members, so we do our best to show them our gratitude.
For example, we’ll often provide fresh juices or raw treats at the end of classes (this also supports small businesses - a bonus). We organise a lot of social gatherings and provide recovery sessions... the list goes on!Feeling “at home” is hard to describe.
But, if I could put it simply, it’s a place where you can be yourself and relax.
How is your facility different to a PT studio or a group class?
We go the extra mile in everything we do. If a member has chosen us to help them with their health and fitness, we don’t take it lightly – we take action! We are forever grateful for our awesome members, so we’ll do everything we can to help them.
Plus, our workouts are forever changing, so no session is the same – this keeps things interesting! Usually, we spend hours working on our programming and developing our system each day, making sure they’re spot-on.
And another bonus with TSC is that you will receive that 1:1 feeling – even in a big class. Our coaches work hard to get around to everyone.
You did a significant fit out with VERVE last year. Why VERVE? How was your experience?
Firstly, VERVE looks the best – the equipment looks and feels like great quality. We love the simple black designs. Second, the price of the equipment is also amazing.
We are young, self-funded business owners, and VERVE made it easy to create the space we had in our minds for so long.
What keeps you motivated? Any words of wisdom for someone looking to get started with opening their dream facility? Something you wished you had known before?
What keeps me motivated is seeing the joy our classes and coaches bring to people. We have had members cry with excitement when they hit a PB (personal best) - that is truly inspiring to watch!
Words of Wisdom for someone wanting to open their dream facility... be prepared for hard work. And I don’t mean just a few extra hours; I mean be ready to wake up at 4 am every day and get home at 9 pm every night (that’s seven days a week).
We dedicated our lives to this concept, and only now is it starting to pay off. But It’s been extremely rewarding and fun along the way, too. And it’s only the beginning.
I wish we had known before that everything will work out in the end, don’t sweat the small stuff, focus on the people first, and everything else will grow too.
Also, progress in this industry is NOT linear. You cannot be successful every month; members will come and go all the time, so don’t take it too personally.
What are The Strength Collective’s plans for the future?
Plans for the future... lots to come. Maybe even a TSC 2.0 facility! For now, we want to grow our amazing community, continue to provide the best Strength and Conditioning classes that money can buy and invest in our people.
Find out more about The Strength Collective by heading to www.strengthcollectivefitness.com, or by emailing them at strengthcollectiveteam@gmail.com.
