Stacy Edwards runs the GYMGUYZ, a mobile personal training company that brings equipment, trainers and workouts to homes and businesses in the local area. MARK KLAAS, Auburn Reporter

Stacy Edwards runs the GYMGUYZ, a mobile personal training company that brings equipment, trainers and workouts to homes and businesses in the local area. MARK KLAAS, Auburn Reporter

‘Gym on wheels’ brings flexible fitness to customers

Local man’s company equips van to go just about anywhere

Long work days, hard commutes, too little time.

Stacy Edwards gets the lifestyles of today’s busy households, working couples, and career-first individuals as they struggle to add a little me-time exercise to their daily lives.

Recognizing the challenge, the Federal Way man and fitness enthusiast decided to bring the gym to them.

“We’ll go anywhere,” said Edwards, who recently opened the area’s first GYMGUYZ franchise, a mobile personal training company that brings equipment, coaches and workouts to residential and commercial clients. “We basically answer the call: where do you need us, and when do you need us? And we just go … “

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Edwards’ red van is a versatile “gym on wheels” that reaches people of all ages, walks and abilities throughout the area, from Federal Way to Kent, from Auburn to Maple Valley, from the Eastside to Everett. The van comes ready, fully stocked with anywhere between 365 and 380 pieces of fitness equipment.

The idea is to deliver creative, convenient and customized training to help people achieve their fitness goals. Clients vary: could be a man in his mid-80s, a business executive, a young man with autism, a stay-at-home mom.

Edwards is training a couple – she a Seattle doctor, he a Microsoft employee – at their home late at night.

“It’s 7:30 by the time she gets home. She cooks dinner and tries to spend time with her children and her husband, and it’s 10 o’clock,” Edwards said. “And to her point, she’s not going to get into her car at 10 o’clock at night and go to a gym. It’s just not going to happen.”

Edwards and his lineup of eight trainers schedule and meet for one-on-one sessions or group exercise classes in homes, garages, parks and workplaces. The curriculum varies, too, from strength to performance training, yoga to Zumba, Pilates to self-defense, boot camps to sports-specific workouts. Sessions run between $50 and $89.

“We have one van at the moment. We can accommodate about 80 (usually, one-hour) sessions per week per van,” Edwards said. “We use the ice cream truck model when we have multiple sessions during an hour. … We’ll drive up to a house, (ask) what do you need? … We’ll get all (the equipment) out. The trainers do the workouts. They clean it all up, the ice cream truck comes back to pick it all up, and we move on to the next location.

“Also, some of our clients are in their 80s and don’t need the full complement of equipment,” Edwards explained. “In those cases, the trainer will meet up with the van, grab what they need and drive their own car.”

Most important, Edwards tries to match the right trainer with the right client.

“And we try to match their (fitness) goals with trainers,” Edwards said.

After losing several young friends to health complications, Edwards decided to dedicate his life to helping others get in shape. As a father and businessman, who also coaches basketball, Edwards understands that getting to the gym is almost impossible for people who work full time and have families.

He wants to change that with the latest trend in flexible fitness.

Headquartered in Plainview, N.Y., GYMGUYZ has more than 100 locations throughout the country. To learn more, visit gymguyz.com. To reach Edwards, call 425-559-4252 or email stacy.edwards@gymguyz.com.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in Business

t
Ezee Fiber breaks ground in Kent for new internet system

Residents will have another option once company completes construction

t
Kent-based Blue Origin’s space flight draws praise, criticism

Katy Perry sings ‘What a Wonderful World’ during all-female crew flight; some critical of exclusivity

The city-owned Riverbend Golf Complex in Kent will soon have its fifth restaurant in the last 15 years at 2019 W. Meeker St., when the Riverbend Bar and Grill opens this spring. COURTESY PHOTO
New restaurant coming soon to Kent’s Riverbend Golf Complex

Riverbend Bar and Grill scheduled to open this spring at city-owned facility

t
Kent-based Blue Origin plans all-female spaceflight

Katy Perry, Gayle King among the six crew members for spring trip

t
Kent-based Blue Origin completes 10th human spaceflight

Company has flown more than 50 people into space since first flight in 2021

Courtesy Photo, The Herald/Everett
Joann to close fabric stores in Kent, Renton and Federal Way

Part of nationwide closure of more than 500 stores after filing for bankruptcy

t
Kent-based Blue Origin to reduce workforce by 10%

Estimated 1,400 to lose jobs at Kent and other locations

t
Kent-based Blue Origin successfully completes 29th New Shepard flight

Unmanned mission launched Feb. 4 from West Texas

Ezee Fiber, based in Houston, Texas, features orange vehicles with white lettering, and will be offering service in Kent in 2025. COURTESY PHOTO, Ezee Fiber
Texas-based Ezee Fiber to offer internet service in Kent

Company announces $400 million expansion to Washington state; regional headquarters in Kent

t
Kent-based Stoke Space receives $260 million in new investments

More than doubles the company’s total funding, bringing it to $480 million

t
Kent-based Blue Origin launches first flight of New Glenn rocket

Achieves orbit on first attempt after liftoff from Cape Canaveral in Florida

t
Kent-based Blue Origin reschedules New Glenn rocket launch | Update

Company plans unmanned first flight for Thursday, Jan. 16 in Cape Canaveral, Florida