Today we’d like to introduce you to David Ford.
David, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been involved in sports and fitness my entire life and am a former collegiate athlete, so I am familiar with a lot of different physical training programs. My fiancee had been going to another boutique fitness studio at the time and was looking to change up her routine. Her nutritionist happened to be a member at F45 Training in Cinco Ranch and suggested we try out the F45 Training studio near us in West University, so we did – and loved it! The workouts are 45-minute functional strength and cardio interval training, so you get a great workout in a fun, team training environment and the class duration fit well with our busy schedules. It wasn’t long before we decided to invest in our own F45 Training studio and bring the world’s fastest growing functional fitness network to East Downtown Houston. We believe EaDo is the perfect neighborhood for an F45 Training studio due to its proximity to downtown and the growing population of fitness-oriented, time-poor people that live and work in the area. Our studio is in the East Village development, next door to Truck Yard and Chapman and Kirby, and is near lots of other fun places to hang out after a tough workout.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We decided we wanted to become F45 Training franchisees last November and it has been a very interesting journey, to say the least. We’ve dealt with many challenges including a close call with the looming eminent domain issue due to the rerouting of I-45 east of downtown, lease negotiations, permitting issues and the typical surprises you run into during the construction process. The latest issue we’re working through is getting permanent power connected to the building since many of the sub-contractors that work with CenterPoint are headed to the east coast to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. While we have experienced many speed-bumps along the way, it will all be worth it once F45 EaDo opens and we are able to start transforming our member’s health and fitness!
Please tell us about F45 Training EaDo Houston.
F45 Training is the world’s leading functional fitness network with over 1300 studios in 36 different countries. F45 Training offers functional, 45-minute workout classes that provide a personal training experience in a group setting. All of our workouts incorporate functional, high-intensity interval training, which is scientifically proven to burn fat and build lean muscle. Our Mon/Wed/Fri classes focus on cardio-based circuit training, Tues/Thurs is strength-based circuit training and Saturdays offer an hour-long hybrid strength and cardio workout complete with a live DJ. Our workouts are programmed by our F45 Athletics and Peak Performance Department who have developed a database of over 4,000 functional exercises, so you’ll never do the same workout twice. When you walk into an F45 studio, you’ll instantly realize it is unlike any fitness studio you’ve ever been to before. The training floor is split up into three sections, or pods, and there are different exercise stations within each pod with equipment for those exercise stations already laid out for you. At the front of each pod, there are exercise TV’s that show you exactly what the different movements are for that day’s workout, so there’s no confusion as to what you’re supposed to be doing at each exercise station. This frees up our trainers to allow them to give you as much of a personal training experience as possible. We also have timer TV’s showing the different work/rest periods, movement TV’s that show you how to rotate from station to station within each pod and heart rate monitor TV’s that incorporate our proprietary LionHeart heart rate monitoring technology.
F45 Training is the only boutique fitness concept out there that incorporates all different kinds of fitness into our workouts, rather than focusing on a single type. There are many studios that focus on a narrow range of fitness such as cycling, rowing, kickboxing, treadmills, MMA, etc. Our F45 Athletics Department makes sure to incorporate all different kinds of fitness into our workouts so your fitness will never plateau or level-off – we keep your body guessing with every workout. Functional training incorporates total body, multi-plane, compound movements, with plenty of instability work, that focuses on working muscles through full ranges of motion. Our goal is to condition you to perform the actions and movements of daily life more effectively and efficiently. We help you build strength, power, and mobility that translates beyond the gym – it’s “real world” fitness. At F45, we are not here to turn you into an Olympic lifter or help you get better at running on treadmills, our goal is to help you improve your fitness in ways that help you function in your daily life with more energy, mobility, and efficiency.
The most important thing to know about F45 is that it is entirely scalable to your individual fitness level or ability. All of our exercises are time-based, not rep-based, so we encourage you to listen to your body and do however many reps you are comfortable within a given work period. Our trainers are there not only to ensure proper technique and form and to motivate you to achieve your fitness goals but they are also there to offer modifications to all of our exercises based on fitness level or injury.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory has to be participating in all kinds of sports and building great friendships with my teammates. This is one of the reasons I decided to get involved with F45 Training – it provides a fun, team training environment where you will develop lasting relationships with your fellow F45’ers. This goes right along with the F45 Training motto of “Team Training. Life Changing.”
Contact Info:
- Address: 1110 Hutchins Street, Suite 101
Houston, TX 77003 - Website: https://f45training.com/EaDoHouston/
- Phone: 713.425,4199
- Email: eadohouston@f45training.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/f45_training_eadohouston/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/F45-Training-EaDo-Houston-204252076851387/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/f45-training-eado-houston-opening-soon-houston
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
