Arrowhead Athletics is committed to making world-class athletic tape (always made in USA) for customers around the world. Whether an Olympic team or a small gym just getting started, we believe that we don't sleep unless our athletes, trainers and coaches are happy with our products. Today, we are featuring an athletic community in Concord, North Carolina. Their new gym consists of 20,000 s/f and is staffed with coaches dedicated to helping their athletes reach their goals. Today our blog post belongs to CrossFit Vitality.
Learn more about CrossFit Vitality from Steve Pinkerton,one of its owners:
When did you found Crossfit Vitality?
We started in 2009 out of our garage.
Why did you open a gym? What motivated you?
I opened the gym because our area had a huge need for CrossFit and no one was providing that. I loved training and had been involved since I was a kid. I was getting out of the Marine Corps and it was the next best option outside of being a Marine.
Current location, class hours, most popular class time?
We just moved and built a 50,000 s/f building that has 9 additional tenants, with CrossFit Vitality as one of them. We have 11 classes a day from 5a until 7p. Our busiest classes are the 5a and the 5pm.
How did you discover crossfit?
I discovered CrossFit while in the Marine Corps.
What is unique about crossfit, compared to other training regimens you have done?
CrossFit is unique in many ways but the community is the thing that gets underestimated by those that haven't done it.
What might a class/session look like? How do you plan out the class time?
Our classes are very structured. We start on time and that has always been important to me. We begin with roughly a 6-8 minute warm-up and then we circle up and do individualized mobility and stretching while my coaches explain the progression and workout portion of the class.
How would you describe the culture of your gym, its coaches and athletes?
Our community is very family based. We have a ton of couples that train together and quite a few that have their kids enrolled in our CF Kids Program as well. We are very fortunate to have the community that we do.
What's an ideal recovery day for you?
I love basketball so for me, if I am taking the day off, I will go out in the parking lot and get some guys together to play basketball.
What is something you’ve learned about owning a gym that you think would surprise people?
Too many people think that owning a box is easy. I think if people understood the amount of work that goes into operating an affiliate, we may not have 14,000+ affiliates:)
Favorite conditioning technique
Assault Bikes, period.
Favorite Arrowhead Tape
Lite-Guard
How do you use Arrowhead Athletic Tape?
Lite-Guard is great for gymnastics and barbell work and keeps my hands from getting torn up while training.
Favorite music for training?
Oldies. Nothing bothers me more than people that have to have some type of music to train. I have said it for years, if you can remember what music was playing while you workout, you are not pushing hard enough. So to punish people when they ask for specific music, they get oldies.....and I love Oldies so it's a win/win for me.
Outside of crossfit, what are you most passionate about?
CrossFit and Business. Because of CrossFit, I have learned a ton about being an entrepreneur...and being broke....I guess they go hand in hand, at least for a while:)
