Latest / Sweat Community / Ep. 4 From Members to Owners: Colorado’s First BFT Studio | Science-Backed Strength Training & HyRox

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Ep. 4 From Members to Owners: Colorado’s First BFT Studio | Science-Backed Strength Training & HyRox · Sweat Community

• Sheena: Today's guests are the owners behind the first and currently only Body Fit Training or BFT studio in the state. diving into what makes this training concept stand out in a crowded fitness world. If you've heard of people talking about BFT being science-backed, Can you break down the different class types? This was such an educational conversation. And I think what stands out most is how intentional BFT is, just with the workouts, but with the community they've built. From science-backed programming and strength training ⁓ HIROCs and heart rate tracking, it's that there's a real purpose behind everything they do. And if episode made you curious to try it out for yourself, BFT Highlands Ranch is offering listeners ⁓ three free when you mentioned sweat community. Wondered what HyRox actually is, or have been curious about why strength-based group training is exploding right now, episode is for you. we're also getting into the realities of running a boutique fitness studio, and some inspiring transformation stories along the way. Which is a great way to experience the different class styles and see what the community is all about. And don't forget to follow along at sweatcommunity.com and subscribe to stay up to date on upcoming events and new episodes. Thank you so much for listening. And as always, what made you sweat this week? Can't wait to connect soon. Bye. Welcome back to Sweat Community. This is your place to discover new workouts, meet the people behind them, and stay in the know on what's happening in the Denver Health and Wellness Community. so excited for this conversation. Let's get into it. I have Megan Howell and Tracy Sika here today with BFT Body Fit Training. Welcome, ladies. Hi, You are the only in Colorado. ⁓ Tracey Sica: Hi. Megan Howell: Bye. Sheena: How did that opportunity come about and what made you say this is the one? Tracey Sica: Well, this studio opened in August of twenty twenty-three Megan and I actually started out as members when it first opened. Megan's a founding member and I started probably about three weeks after that. And we very passionate members, for a year ⁓ and the previous owner had conflict with ⁓ her job. and I decided that we didn't want the studio to go away. We were very pleased not only our own progress, but the community that had been built and what it stood for there is nothing like BFT out there from a programming we wanted to keep it going, so we took it over. Sheena: That is so cool. So you guys were members there, you loved it, and you were like, we don't want this gym to close, so we are taking it over. I love it. BFT is known for being science backed, which sounds really cool, but for somebody who doesn't know what that means, can you explain a little further on that? Tracey Sica: Exactly. So the people who do the programming for us are ⁓ personal trainers. that's hub, that's their field. And every one of our programs ⁓ on three systems within our bodies. So our energy system, our muscle fibers, our planes of movement. And our programs are equivalent to hiring a personal trainer. sessions are eight ten blocks and they're 50 minutes ⁓ each day, so you're and out of there an hour. every day is different and every session has a purpose. and every session will be different as you go in. So it does keep the newness, if you will. You're never gonna get bored of the workout because it's always different. Sheena: Yes, that is so important to keep people interested and from being bored. said that they're programmed. Is this programmed locally just for your studio or all across BFT studios, they have the same programming? Tracey Sica: Globally it is the same program. And what's about it is if you're a member here at BFT in and you're traveling, say, to Texas and you find a BFT there, ⁓ that session that day be the same session that we would be here in Colorado. Sheena: that's so great for travelers or people who work in different states and whatnot. ⁓ That's Tracey Sica: Yeah. The other thing that keeps us a little bit different is that say for instance today a strength day and it's happens to be lower body focused, but every session today is that lower body strength. So Meg and I usually work out at 9 a.m. But if some reason we can't make that and we come to the noon session, it's gonna be the same thing. So you're not missing out and you're not having to pick and choose what you for that day. It's programmed in and it's designed for you to get the most out of it. You probably wanna come it four times a week. it is designed to build upon each other you're not gonna go from strength to another strength. You're gonna go strength and tomorrow will be more of a cardio based or a hybrid type session. Sheena: Great. were saying these programs change every eight weeks. What if somebody comes in at the middle of a program? Tracey Sica: it just means that they're gonna pick up, at that point and they'll progress for the following four weeks. But each block has a from a programming standpoint. ⁓ for instance, a couple of times a year we do eight week challenges, which are fat loss focused. you'll test at the beginning how strong you are, and then you stay with the program, the idea is that you would be gaining strength so that you test again at the end of the block ⁓ and you will have seen some gains in your strength. Sheena: Nice. I love that you can track throughout. you know where you are and how to keep progressing. So one thing that really stands out is your use of heart tracking devices. how does that help members train and not just harder? Tracey Sica: Yes. there are targets to have your heart rate be in certain zones for said exercise. it's easy for the member to look up to their name on the screen and to see, are they pushing themselves too hard? Are they not pushing themselves enough? And they go for cardio and for strength, right? Because sometimes it's not about lifting the heaviest that you can. you want to keep your heart rate in a certain zone. And that's all given to you throughout the workout. And at the end of the workout, you get rewarded with a gold medal or a silver medal silver medal or a bronze medal. Megan Howell: Thank Tracey Sica: But it's a nice way to really track like, did I do what I was meant to do that session? And I think we have a lot of our members who come from training with themselves in the garage and they're like, I never really knew if I was really pushing myself enough. most of us would say there's probably some gas in the tank that we haven't used that we don't think it's there. the heart rate monitor really is a great way to Push yourself a little more. Or, the contrast pull back a little bit. You're going too hard and you don't need to go that hard in this session. Sheena: Yes. Do you find that people get competitive with the metal since there's a gold or a like they're like, ⁓ I need the gold and I ⁓ Tracey Sica: ⁓ a hundred percent. So the the the members get recognized at the beginning of the month. we do a little social media posting as to who got the most medals. and then within of our competitions we'll start tracking people's medals and yeah, they get very competitive. Shocking. ⁓ Megan Howell: 100%. Sheena: Right. how beginners to that when they see ⁓ people that are in there and going for these goals? Do you think that motivates them how do coaches keep them from getting intimidated? Tracey Sica: think we have a mixed bag. it becomes really you competing with you, not so much you competing with someone else in the session. Now, at the end of the month, yes, did I get so many gold medals or whatever, there's the competition within the community that way. But during the session, the heart rate monitor ⁓ is tailored to your So your weight, your age, all those things that go in. it's about you making yourself stronger. it's a very supportive environment in the session. Sheena: very good. a thing that I really liked when I tried your class out. is there were multiple coaches on the floor during the session. And that I don't see Usually there's one coach. So ⁓ how does that impact member especially for somebody new just trying you out? Is there always more than one coach on the floor? Megan Howell: Yes, reason for the multiple coaches is because we want to make sure that our members ⁓ and ⁓ prospective members ⁓ are the correctly. so and foremost, we are focusing on We don't focus on how much weight you can move or how fast you can move it. then once they have the correct form, we encourage to start increasing the weights on the strength days. For the cardio sessions, it's good energy to have the two coaches to bounce off of each other, but also to give that personal training experience is really what it's all about. Sheena: Fantastic. Megan Howell: we have 13 different class types or session types. During any given week, generally there be an upper body strength focused day, a lower body focused day, a full body strength focused day. And in between there will be cardio sessions. But even in our cardio sessions, there are strength aspects Sheena: Mm. Do you find that people gravitate towards the strength more or the cardio or they like the mix? Megan Howell: So like for me personally, I joined because I wanted strength And then quickly I was like, what is that? Ooh, I like that session. Tracy and I were there five to six days a week. Sheena: Mm-hmm. Megan Howell: And we still do the workouts, even though we are owners, but we are still very passionate about the programming. do have some members who really like the strength aspect. We have some members who are like us, who do it all. And we have some members who focus more on cardio. So it just depends on where you're at in your fitness journey. We do see, especially living in Colorado, a lot of times our strength sessions tend to be ⁓ a little bit larger because people do cardio outside. Sheena: Yes. I feel like that would be the same. I would probably go there for the strength and then end up finding I actually like the cardio as well. Tracey Sica: I follow Dr. Stacy Sims and Peter Atia in the health and wellness space about what we should be doing to keep our bodies healthy and our quality of life and you do need both, women particularly middle-aged women are over cardioed. we need to have the balance there. But you still need the cardio. your health and wellness space. And what I love about BFT ⁓ is I can show up and be in and out of there in an hour and I've done something that is great for my health with the I've done over 600 sessions and they it's never repeated. Not once. Sheena: ⁓ wow, that's cool. Tracey Sica: So it's, you know, I love that because I've done other modalities where after a while, I'm just bored. Sheena: Definitely. And you want something that keeps you questioning and keeps you curious and also your body, you don't want to just be stuck in that same routine. You want to mix it up and ⁓ not knowing coming will do that. Tracey Sica: Yeah. And speaking of your body not knowing, we we kind of have this little running joke that the sessions are challenging, but not so challenging ⁓ you can't come back the next And there'll be many days where I'm like, just have this I call it the BFT soreness. I'm kind of constantly sore ⁓ because I'm constantly being challenged in some form or fashion. we always have a little giggle that, maybe the warm-up. Sheena: Hm. Mm-hmm. Tracey Sica: on one day from the next day I'm like, Ooh, I can feel my arms. I can feel my butt, it's like, ⁓ that was from yesterday's workout. Okay, here we go. ⁓ so ⁓ Sheena: Yeah. Hello Yes. Tracey Sica: after six hundred sessions, both Megan and I we've been doing this for a while, I'm still seeing great results And we have that is free to our members, an evil it's not a DEXA scan. It's below that, but would it's above an in body. And we really like to recommend our members get on there once a month and not to focus so much on your weight, but to really focus on your fat and muscle ratio. it gives you a from a nutrition standpoint. you do need fat, you need carbohydrates, need protein, are you, underserving yourself in one area? getting on there once a month and really tracking your progress is a great way to see that the program's Even if the scale isn't moving. Sheena: Absolutely. That's so in yeah, that's so encouraging if the scale is not moving, ⁓ then you can like, wow, but I'm gaining muscle here and I'm losing fat there. Or the other end, you be like, ⁓ I'm not gaining the muscle I thought I would be. Maybe I should go up in weights and challenge myself a little bit more. Tracey Sica: Uh-huh. ⁓ exactly. A lot of data points between the coaches who have a ⁓ of knowledge. All of our coaches are either degreed in exercise science or kinesiology or they have a certified personal training certification from a national certification. it's not just willy-nilly in there giving the program. they know what they're doing and they're really helpful. Sheena: ⁓ some. Tracey Sica: with our community and delivering the BFT program. Megan Howell: it kind of segues into what makes a great coach and what we're looking for when built our team. And it really is a supportive person who knows their stuff, who can do the movements and who is really focused on our members meet their goals. Some people wanna move every day, And some people training for high rocks, some some people want to lose weight, so we have very knowledgeable coaches who can help each person and keep tabs on them, just like a personal trainer would do. Sheena: Yes, When I was there, my coach was Coach Brian and he not only was so encouraging and motivating, he knew what to look and was correcting my form ⁓ helping me ⁓ get better to improve my session. knew he knew what he was talking about. Megan Howell: That's our goal. Sheena: Yes. so BFT has that athlete style intensity, but also a strong community feel. How you intentionally create both at the same time without it feeling intimidating? Megan Howell: first and foremost, we are very inclusive. you walk in the door, we greet you by name, we meet, the person where they're at. we had one member had never lifted a barbell before in their life. they were very intimidated and our coaches work with them one-on-one, especially when know that they are feeling a little bit shy or intimidated. they walk them through. We have smaller barbells to start out we can always transition to dumbbells. So coach knows modifications to help each person. ⁓ And just because I'm doing the weight that I'm doing, I'm also encouraging other members like, Hey, do want me to help you with that? you need a spot? you'll get there if you want to get there, just come each day and you'll see your body get stronger. Tracy and I have seen it. on a barbell bench press. I could barely do the bar when I first started. in two years, I've added 35 pounds to my bench press. So it's over time and it's continually doing the workouts, our members are super friendly, super supportive as are our coaches. And that's really the environment that we are harboring. And with that, if a new person comes in, they'll be able to the and feel the love, so to speak. And if you're intimidated, we pull you over to the side see what is intimidating you. And then we get the movement down and give you a big old high five when you get it. that, increases your confidence in your ability to do the next movement or do that movement the next time. So you know what you're doing. So it's really the hands-on approach. And we all just want everybody to ⁓ have a good time and get stronger. Sheena: Yeah, so you've built that wonderful community that's so welcoming to anybody that comes in. Which I felt when I was there, there were partner workouts, and I was like, ⁓ my, ⁓ but I was with someone who is a regular and he was actually also a PT ⁓ and was just encouraging. And I felt that through the whole class. It was really neat to see. ⁓ Megan Howell: Yes. Tracey Sica: think it's great when you do have a partner, in that workout I mentioned earlier about metals and all of that, but you're not competing with them, it's how do we support each other especially if someone's on the cusp of getting to the zone that they need to be, you'll hear people in the gym, Go, you're almost there. because people can see what zone we're supposed to be in and where do you want a target it's a lot of fun. to work for yourself, but also to do it around this really encouraging, supportive group, both the coaches and the members. Sheena: ⁓ yeah. It was so cool. everybody was just high fiving each other. I felt that. what would you say to someone who says they can only come once twice a week? Can they still see those results? Tracey Sica: ⁓ anything that you're gonna consistently, ⁓ is what you should to do. from what I've read in the medical rags they want you to do strength training at least twice a week. So if that's all you can do, then you have to just look at the schedule pick the sessions that you wanna go to. it maybe slower progress, but you're gonna see progress. Sheena: Mm-hmm. Megan Howell: You will definitely see progress being consistent in any aspect ⁓ no matter what you do, as long you do it consistently. But also you have to pay mind outside of the gym like the kitchen and other places. Stress adds complexities to our results as well. So it's really just finding the time you. And if that's into BFT twice a week, you'll definitely be able to see results. it might be a little bit longer than somebody who comes in four times a week, And you'll also feel the amazing community and the camaraderie within the four walls of our studio. Sheena: Yes. And I feel like if you are stressed, BFT would be a good way to help knock some of that out. So yes, yes. can share a of a member who had a transformation ⁓ that really inspired you through BFT. Megan Howell: 100%. Well, actually, I'm going to talk about myself. I was in very high stress corporate America job ⁓ I ended up retiring April of 2023. I was not in good shape at all. my blood work was awful. I was really run down and my. liver and my kidneys were not doing well. I was in a very bad state. Started BFT in August and from ⁓ of twenty three today, I had my blood work last Friday and I am down 40 pounds and I have perfect blood work. My liver is fine. My kidneys are fine. I have increased My energy, my self-confidence is just amazing and I attribute it to being in my workouts at BFT and also being mindful in the kitchen. Sheena: Wow, that is incredible. Especially the labs. So you have that data right there, not just the weight, but the labs that completely transformed, Megan Howell: then also using the E-Volt scan. in the beginning, I see ⁓ the number on the scale change and I was getting discouraged head coach at the time was like, get on the E-Volt scan. And so ⁓ I did. And it showed that even though the number on the scale hadn't changed, my composition my body changed. I had more muscle than I had fat from the previous scan, saying my body is still recalibrating. what I'm doing is working ⁓ and my bio age has gone down I'm optimal in my measurements even visceral fat, is ⁓ really important to pay attention to because it's around your organs And now I have goal be ⁓ an athlete, but that's a personal goal just because ⁓ I to see if I can get there. It's a really cool but it's also shows that the number on the scale is just a number on a scale, right? it's not indicative of what's going on inside of your body. So that's another thing that I want people to really focus on is there's a lot more than just the pounds that you weigh. Sheena: Mm. Yes, and I feel like so many people heavily rely on that number when really it it goes so much beyond that. Megan Howell: It's hard not to when BMI and the focus especially growing up. in the eighties and nineties, that's what, they focused on. And it's trying to reinvent the focus. I have twin daughters that are 13 and I don't talk to them about number on the scale. I talk to them about eating healthy and getting their veggies, their fat, protein and carbs and ⁓ fueling your body for what you want it to do and fueling it right. Sheena: Yes, feeling our bodies and feeling better ⁓ is it's at versus that number, a hundred percent. Megan Howell: Absolutely. Sheena: So I seen this on your schedule it's HyRox. ⁓ I don't really know much about it, ⁓ but it's getting a lot of attention now. can tell what that is? And is it only for advanced athletes? And how do you incorporate HyRox into your studio? Megan Howell: Hirox is fitness competition that has exploded within last two years, I would say. So you know CrossFit has CrossFit games and they've had it for years. CrossFit is a unique animal all out itself. Sheena: Mm-hmm. Megan Howell: Whereas high rocks is meant anybody can do the high rocks races. You exactly what you're going to have to do in the race. it's burpee broad jumps, a sled pull, a sled push, farmer carries, it's skier, the rower, wall Tracy and I not in high rocks, ⁓ between every movement, you do a kilometer run. So running basically eight kilometers during this whole entire race in between movements. because it's offered to, anybody and everybody, all fitness levels. I think that's one of the reasons why it's so popular. And body fit training programming is very complimentary to being able to do rocks. they actually just announced is going to be a race in Denver in November So on our corporate office has provided what we call high rocks programming. So it's a specific workout is going through the different movements for the high competition. And so those sessions are actually an hour and a half long instead of 50 minutes, but it's, doing burpee broad jumps, doing rower, the skier, all the movements that you're going to be doing in competition over a period of time. And then multiple times throughout the year, we will run simulations you do it as a pair or you can it individually. I'm so excited because we have a bunch of members now who are really excited about doing High Rocks in Denver. we have at least two of our coaches who are going to compete in High Rocks in November. So it's really cool to see and to be part of that community for sure. Sheena: That is really exciting. And it's really cool that a lot of your members are interested and it's growing in the studio as well as your coaches. really neat. let's talk behind the scenes for a second. What's the biggest challenge in running a boutique fitness studio right now? And what do people not realize about owning a gym like BFT? Megan Howell: I would say there's two different challenges. One is making sure you have the right staff. I think in any business, you have employee turnover. I think in the fitness business, there is a little bit more turnover on the coaching side than in many other. vocations and I think part of it is part-time. So they're doing part-time here, doing part-time here, so the right fit for our team and getting the cohesive has been more challenging than we expected. And I think it happens in any boutique because we have friends and other boutique fitness and it's very similar. have a lot of the same challenges, will say. think the other challenge is it is a member-based business. so your depends on how many members you have trying to keep the members to sure the members are getting what they want out of it. And there's a lot of competition. So sometimes the pricing becomes an issue. right now specifically with the economy prices have been ⁓ rising. A of times the gym membership is the first thing to go when you're looking at your discretionary spending. trying to get enough members in the door is more challenging than I think we expected, but We're doing all right, but please come check us out. Sheena: how you measure if your studio is thriving? Is that based solely on memberships Megan Howell: nobody goes into business saying I want to lose money every month, So there is a desire to ⁓ be in the green, making sure you have enough money to operate studio and bring some home. That is the ultimate goal in any business and in our business. But also ⁓ when you have members who stick around where you this community, We wanna be the third place for people to go. You have your home, your family, you have your work, but we want BFT to be that third place that you want to be at. And that's really the goal. being above the green and having this amazing community is success Sheena: Hmm. I love that. what long term success look like to you? What's your vision for the next twelve to twenty four months? Megan Howell: Continuing to increase the number of members that come through the door, and continue to provide a really workout that gives the results you're looking for. Sheena: Yes. what is your advice for someone who's thought about opening up a fitness studio Megan Howell: would say just make sure you know exactly what you're getting into. Tracy and I have learned a lot in this process. It was a pretty quick decision to take the gym over. But making sure you understand the business model, understanding what it takes to make it successful, and being prepared to do You have to be passionate about not just boutique fitness, but it can go in whatever vocation that you're looking to getting into. Just make sure you're passionate about what it is you're doing, otherwise it's not gonna work. Sheena: Hmm. Yes, you have to have that drive, that love for it. ⁓ what been the most rewarding part about opening BFT and running it? Tracey Sica: would say our community. Yeah, it is, Megan and I work out at nine most mornings, but do try to bop around to the other sessions Our members know us and we know our members. Megan Howell: people. Tracey Sica: and it's just great. It's great to walk in the door, talking to people about their kids, about, holidays that they're going on if someone's missing for while, they get it, hey, where are you? Haven't seen you. it's really feeling like you're not just showing up and doing this fifty minute grind and then leaving. it's definitely a nice little community. Sheena: Mm, yes. what has been the hardest part about opening it? ⁓ Megan Howell: The people, I mean, it's the same. a different way, like getting enough people in door, making sure we have the right staff and members, ⁓ I think is, it goes both right? opening a business, running a is hard. ⁓ it's fun and it's rewarding the upside just watching our members transform. sometimes they don't even see it, but you see somebody who, couldn't lift, let's say 10 pounds in the beginning and now they're going up to 50. And it's like, holy moly. do you remember when could only do this? our goal is to have a place where somebody can come and get healthy really transform their mind, body and soul in very supportive ⁓ and amazing environment. Sheena: Yes. as you were saying, I feel like you catch on ⁓ to progress probably before they might. you're there, you them and it's fun that you it out like I see this improvement in you. And then they'll probably be like, ⁓ you're right. ⁓ I totally can lift heavier. I am on the bigger weights. And is ⁓ huge. That's a big accomplishment. Megan Howell: Yeah. Tracey Sica: Absolutely. Sheena: Hmm. All right. Let's switch it up. We are going to move into rapid fire. going to have quick questions, quick answers. This is something fun that I like to do. ⁓ All right. Let's go. most rewarding moment you've had in the Tracey Sica: being able to see how much I can actually lift my progress and the weight I can challenge myself with to where I was when I started is is pretty significant. And ⁓ yeah, so I I really do Megan Howell: I agree with that. Tracey Sica: I mean I come home, especially if I've something really good and I'll be sharing it with my husband, like this is what I lifted today it's the strength aspect that I feel like, ⁓ I was able to do that. carries into my everyday life, right? So it's traveling and lifting ⁓ heavy or just feeling really good feeling very strong within my body and capable. and I have BFT to thank for that. Megan Howell: I would say the same. think the other thing is being able to carry the five gallon of water or picking up my 50 pound bag dog food and not being like, ⁓ you know, like really struggling. And it's like, all right, I can do this. And I do the same. I come home and tell my husband like, guess how much I deadlifted today or guess how much I back squatted today. You know, like, so it's ⁓ something I find very cool. Sheena: Love it. Yeah. That is so cool. And like you said, it carries outside of the studio. I can carry all my groceries in this one trip without struggling or dropping anything or asking for help. Megan Howell: Yep, functional fitness. Sheena: Yes. All right. Early bird or night owl? Tracey Sica: Early bird. Megan Howell: Early bird. Sheena: ⁓ pump up song right now. Tracey Sica: Yeah. I like old school stuff when it's in the gym. eighties rock nineties. it I mean it also depends the session. I will tell you that you can tell if there's been more men Megan Howell: Cool. Sheena: yes. ⁓ Tracey Sica: And it's a strength session, they really like to rock the heavy metal. ⁓ And then get to our session and it's mostly women and they'll be like, Yeah, no, change it, change it up. That's not that's not working for me. Sheena: Hmm. Mm-hmm I love that. So the members can decide to change the music or ⁓ make it what they want it, like played it to Tracey Sica: Yeah, we well or we or we can vocalize there's certainly this this is great or not enjoying this so much. ⁓ Sheena: and last rapid fire I have is one word to describe your community. ⁓ beautiful. Love it. before wrap up, ⁓ I have one question I ask ⁓ everybody, ⁓ and that what you sweat this week? Megan Howell: amazing. Tracey Sica: Yeah. Amazing. They're just brilliant. They're great. Megan Howell: Bye for training. Tracey Sica: For training, exactly. Sheena: There you go. There you go. right. ⁓ if someone's been curious about body fit training where can they find you to try their first class? Megan Howell: Visit us at bodyfittraining.com and search for Highlands Ranch. if you come in and mention Sweat Community, we will give you three sessions for free. Tracey Sica: Come and see us. We are in Highlands Ranch, right next door to the Whole Foods. You cannot miss us. Sheena: Yay. Awesome. And I think that three classes is so great because then you can try the different styles and get a better feel of what body fit training actually is. Well, thank you both so much. ⁓ was such an insightful, fun conversation. Tracey Sica: Yeah. Well thanks for highlighting us we really appreciate that. This has been a lot of fun. Sheena: Absolutely. Yes, yes. This was so fun. you guys are so in that you're the only one in Colorado ⁓ and it's fun to about So I hope the Denver metro area gets to try you out. Tracey Sica: Thank you. Thanks for how that is. Thank you, Sheena. Have a great Friday. Bye. Bye. Megan Howell: We do too. Thank you, Sheena. Sheena: Thank you so much. Thank you, Megan. Thank you, Tracy. Bye. You too. Thank you.