By
Jonathan Widran
As
hard as it is to believe given the geographic distance, had a certain Gold’s
Gym location actually opened in Times Square in the mid-90s, thousands of
people in suburban Los Angeles would have missed out on a fitness system so
powerful and effective that its very name—Results Fitness--guarantees the
industry’s highest standards and remarkably changed bodies and lives.
Launched
in 2000 by Alwyn and Rachel Cosgrove, the multi-faceted Santa Clarita,
California based facility has been voted one of the Top 10 Gyms in America by
Men’s Health Magazine. The couple’s commitment to their mission of changing the
way fitness is achieved has brought over 50 new fitness business owners and
coaches from all over the world—including England, Spain, Switzerland and
Lebanon—to Results Fitness to learn how to emulate the Cosgroves’ successful
system.
Both
Alwyn and Rachel share their unique expertise with the world as successful
authors of fitness books. Rachel’s The
Female Body Breakthrough: The Revolutionary Strength-Training Plan for Losing
Fat and Getting the Body You Want (2009) offers a revolutionary plan that
uses a combination of innovative strength training and sensible nutrition.
Alwyn has co-authored several books with fitness writer Lou Schuler, including
the 2010 work The New Rules of Lifting
for Abs: A Myth-Busting Fitness Plan for Men and Women Who Want a Strong Core
and a Pain-Free Back – in which the authors debunk ab-training myths while
showing readers how to strip off even the most stubborn flab.
Armed
with her physiology degree from UC Santa Barbara, Rachel headed to NYC, where
she began building a clientele working as a personal trainer at different chain
gyms. She met her future husband at Gold’s Gym, where Alwyn—a native of
Scotland with a strong martial arts background, who had also worked in New York
for several years—was set to be the new fitness director. When that fell
through, they kept their gigs as trainers and eventually went independent.
Rachel
later moved back to her home base of Southern California and Alwyn lived back
in Scotland for a time before he headed out to California. The couple got
engaged, married in 1999 and – partially out of their growing frustration with
conventional gyms they hooked up with in L.A. – opened Results Fitness in 2000.
“We
started to ask ourselves where we wanted to be in five years, and we had become
increasingly disenchanted with the current standards in the industry,” says
Rachel. “We were sick and tired of clubs where sales numbers were more
important than member results, personal training was ridiculously poor and
training programs and qualified instruction were almost impossible to find. We
also realized that there weren’t many gyms around that offered fitness
professionals like ourselves stable, long term careers. We set out to create
the solution – and we did.
“We
wanted to provide a place where the standard of fitness training and coaching
was higher than what motivated people could get anywhere else,” she adds. “A
key factor was creating an aesthetic that was far from the ‘big box gym’ feeling,
and we knew any chance we had to be successful would be based on our dedication
to superior individualized customer service. The fitness industry is notorious
for bad customer service and we wanted to offer a radically different system of
programs that would ensure real, standard setting results.”
The
Cosgroves tout the fact that Results Fitness is the only fitness facility in
their area where a prospective client can experience before he or she makes a
commitment. Seekers can come in and meet one of their fitness coaches and
become a member for 21 days to see if their gym is a good fit without any
obligation. Before being taken through a workout, those who choose to join are
given a Results Fitness Body Blue Print, which details the very specific plans
the staff will use to design a program to help each member achieve their
individual goals. Every single person who works out there has one of these
designed for them.
During
this consultation period, the staff evaluates such factors as the client’s health
history, any past injuries, training history and specific starting goals. They
also take the client through a range of motion and flexibility tests and the
base of the blue print – the Functional Movement Screen, during which clients
perform basic movements that determine where their program should start. Any
imbalances the client may have that could eventually cause an injury are taken
into account before a client joins a general program semi-private training
class. If the initial score is too low, the client is given an individual prep
program to get him or her ready for the classes.
Fulfilling
the Cosgroves’ founding mission to be innovative, Results Fitness is on the
cutting edge of the industry bringing the hottest fitness craze in North
America, Group Coaching Classes, to their facility. Many people strength train
with weights while others do cardio or aerobics. Somewhere between these is
their group coaching, which allows clients to get the benefits of both.
The
concept is set-up in group class with certified instructors using tools
including kettlebells (a weight with a handle on it), sand bags, ropes,
medicine balls, TRX’s (suspension training rings) and other fun, different
equipment. This type of training is a great way to shake things up and give clients
a full body workout (functional exercises using the body, without conventional
exercise machines), burn calories and get the metabolism stirring.
All
the personal training at Results Fitness is done in a semi-private environment,
in which each coach works with up to three people at a time. “It’s like private
one on one training, but it provides a more social setting and accountability,”
Rachel says. “Typical one on one is limited and we get better results with
clients this way – plus they have more fun and get to know other members. We teach people how to better leverage
their time, and it’s less expensive. We set up circuits, and for each member we
regress or progress the exercise depending on their individual programs within
the setting. So if say, squats are difficult for you, in the group, we would
give you a variation exercise.”
Alwyn
elaborates further on the psychological background and specific benefits of
small group training: “People sometimes assume that in a small group, each participant
does the same thing, but a generic program doesn’t serve anyone’s needs. What
we do is individualize it but make them part of a dynamic social culture, which
guarantees better results. Scientific data says if somebody watches you work
out, you will do 30 percent more work. The group setting is about motivation,
encouragement and accountability. Rather than isolate people, we’re training
them at the same time just with unique specifications. We’re creating a culture
of success to help our members do what they need to to, empowering them to
succeed even if the coach would leave the setting. Someone comes along on the
journey but instills the confidence to do that.
“The
idea of group training occurred to me when I compared fitness coaching to swimming
and martial arts, or even physical therapy, medical school training and Weight
Watchers – all of which is done in groups,” Alwyn continues. “So in this
industry, if we could take what we believe is the best training program in the
world and deliver it in such a manner that the results are better, why wouldn’t
we do that? It’s a positive experience for everyone. Coaching ultimately is
about trust, and relationship between the trainer and the client. The X Factor
at Results Fitness is the culture we create and the positive energy that comes
out of that.”
Alwyn
comes by his own optimistic spirit naturally, having successfully battled
lymphoma from 2004-2008. He is almost five years into a life reborn via a bone
marrow transplant. “You’re talking to a guy who is trying to change people’s
bodies, who knows the value of life and how fragile it is,” he says. “I can’t
afford to be anything but positive.”
Rachel
adds, “We feel as though we have provided a place where fitness coaches could
build a great career, and we work with them as a team. Results Fitness grew in
clientele and scope because we started getting results for our clients and
developed a strong rep for building systems that were strong enough to run
without me and Alwyn being hands on with every detail. I knew we had succeeded
when we had to step out for months at a time when he was fighting cancer for
those four years, and during that time, the business grew. That’s because we
were truly changing the way fitness was getting done. One of our other goals is
to be the best part of our members’ day, every day.”
Another
of the ways Results Fitness achieves this is by offering a scientific
alternative. Using the application of science, their program design specialists
develop a customized approach to fitness, health, physique enhancement and well
being for each member. These include: Appropriate Cardiovascular Activity;
Appropriate Resistance Training; Professional Assistance and Scientific
Manipulation of these activities; and providing General Nutrition Guidelines to
follow.
Alwyn
says, “Our clients put their bodies and well being in our hands, and when we’re
able to help them break through and solve their problems and help them
cultivate a healthier lifestyle, we feel blessed. It’s a responsibility we take
very seriously here at Results Fitness, and we are honored that they put their
faith in us.”
