Today we’d like to introduce you to Bert Lopez.
Bert, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I remember the exact day I fell in love with fitness. I was 18, naïve, confused, in and out of trouble and thought I knew it all. Hoping to curb my behavior, my dad introduced me to Dodd Romero who would become my coach, mentor, lifelong friend and family. Little did I know at the time how much fitness would be a part of my life, how it would actually become the core of everything I am, everything I do. What I did know that day was that I was hooked, I was in love, and life would not be the same.
You name it, I’ve done it. I have touched every single part of the fitness industry, and then some! I started as a personal trainer, went on to own several gyms, emerged into the meal prep/delivery service market, was a national level bodybuilder, trained other bodybuilders, trained celebrities, and most notably, built an international resistance band and fitness accessory brand, B-Force Bands®.
I founded B-Force Bands® in 2009 as a response to the evolution of on-demand personal training. I noticed that clients began to want to train at home, at their own pace, and at whatever time they wanted. Whether this meant that I would personally train them, or that they would work out on their own, providing the necessary equipment was expensive, heavy, and not efficient (whether I had to bring it or they had it themselves). My goal was to provide our now well-known system, “A Gym in a Bag!”
B-Force Bands® are an innovative and versatile set of resistance bands that provide a unique resistance training system. Our products provide a range of uses, including but not limited to sport-specific training, home and travel fitness, supplemental conditioning for weight training and physical therapy.
In 2018 I got the opportunity to combine my first love, personal training and body sculpting with my B-Force Bands and opened B-Force Fitness. Using only B-Force Bands, I developed the B-Force Method which is a training method that can be used anytime/anywhere to achieve the same results one would get in a fully decked out gym. In 2018 I decided to reopen a gym, but this time a little different. A semi-private gym in the heart of Miami, B-Force Fitness, is the most unique 28-minute High-Intensity Resistance Training workout on the market today! Group training of less than ten people per session burns up to 500 calories in less than 30 minutes. Divided into two sections, B-Force Fitness also offers a more traditional type of gym set-up, allowing me to combine the best of both worlds and get the best results for all of my clients.
Similar to the fitness industry, I continue to evolve daily, as does my brand. B-Force Bands continues to grow, change, adjust, and evolve. Our products are now sold internationally, can be seen in local and larger chain gyms and fitness studios, can be purchased on Amazon, or still be picked up locally. B-Force Fitness also continues to grow, keeping its family-like feel where I teach classes and train my clients personally. In an era where options are plenty, it’s the culture of B-Force Fitness I’m most proud of. You can drop in at any point and see my dad and I training while clients stay after their sessions to get some cardio in. We really are one big family.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As with any journey, there are small speedbumps, potholes, mountains, and then sometimes you just drive off the cliff. There is no such thing as an overnight success. I opened several gyms and remembered when I had to make the decision to close their doors. I launched an informercial and it never took off. I invested money, time, sweat, literal tears into projects that never made it. I have been told that I didn’t have what it took to launch “these resistance bands” in a well-saturated market that relied on Instagram algorithms and influencers (a new phenomenon). I worked out of my apartment, where I barely made rent. You name it, I’ve dealt with it!
For every successful product, client, idea there have been 25+ failures. But every failure has been just as valuable as the win. I learn I adjust, I change, I work harder and smarter. Ironically, every single struggle serves as a constant reminder as to why I fell in love with this industry in the first place.
Please tell us about B-Force Bands.
B-Force Bands® are an innovative and versatile set of resistance bands that provide a unique resistance training system. Our products provide a range of uses, including but not limited to sport-specific training, home and travel fitness, supplemental conditioning for weight training and physical therapy.
In 2018 I got the opportunity to combine my first love, personal training and body sculpting with my B-Force Bands and opened B-Force Fitness. Using only B-Force Bands, I developed the B-Force Method which is a training method that can be used anytime/anywhere to achieve the same results one would get in a fully decked out gym.
In 2008 I decided to reopen a gym, but this time a little different. A semi-private gym in the heart of Miami, B-Force Fitness, is the most unique 28-minute High-Intensity Resistance Training workout on the market today! Group training of less than ten people per session burns up to 500 calories in less than 30 minutes. Divided into two sections, B-Force Fitness also offers a more traditional type of gym set-up, allowing me to combine the best of both worlds and get the best results for all of my clients.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck to me is being in the right place at the right time. It’s the alignment of unpredictable forces in your favor. It’s what I would consider as being blessed, and one of the driving forces in my success. I have been incredibly blessed to have met the right people in the right places in my life during the right times. While my hard work and tenacity have been pivotal to my success, had it not been for the luck or blessings of these people, places and things I have had along the way, I would not be able to be sitting here today writing this article.
Pricing:
- Unlimited small group training rates $150 month
- 1 on 1 Personal Training Rates $150 Hr
- Meal Prep and Planning starting at $100
Contact Info:
- Address: Bert Lopez
6992 SW 47th street
Miami, FL 33155 - Phone: 3052987591
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @bforcebands / @bforcefitness
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bforcefitness
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/b-force-fitness-miami-2
- Other: www.bforcebands.com / www.bforcefitness.com
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