Today we’d like to introduce you to Stuart Davidson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Like a lot of people, I spent most of my work days sitting in front of a computer and before I knew it I was overweight, more so as I was diagnosed as obese and developed joint pain among other issues. So, I decided I needed to change my career path and get back to doing what I loved and had a passion for all the while healing myself. It had to be physical and interactive and in the water. A couple of key things happened that brought AquaFit Miami to fruition.
Firstly, I went out and bought just about every kind of water fitness gear you can imagine such as buoyancy foam, webbed gloves, float belt, kick boards, hand paddles, hydro bells, swim fins and realized that something was still missing in terms of maximizing the properties of water as a tool for fitness and well-being. From what I bought I had developed some excellent exercises that aided in strengthening upper, core and lower body but I wanted to streamline the gear since I was using a combination of equipment and to simplify things I figured I would need to design my own gear to actually maximize the benefits of the exercise regimen I came up with. I knew this would cost me money and time but as if kismet would have it while I was researching and losing inches I came across an interesting article about a former professional sports team strength training coach working with an elite professional star athlete in the water using fitness gear that had just been developed for his rehab and strength training. I found info on the company and bought some of the gear to test. The gear included some exercises that were along the lines of what I had been doing. This was huge in getting the ball rolling.
Secondly, to target my business and develop an approach to clientele, I combined the fitness regimen and gear with personal concierge services similar to a spa or massage therapist to create AquaFit Miami and although I started with specializing in one-on-one training we have also been doing small groups and classes for a while now.
Currently, I’m developing an AquaFit Boot Camp on Miami Beach. Combining land and water training to maximize strength, cardio, flexibility and not overheat in the process of pushing yourself exceptionally. So after you do the land training and are pushed to exhaustion you hit the water and take it to the next level of training with built in recovery. The water can undo some of the damage from land training and allow you to push yourself even further.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, there have been many bumps in the road along the way, initially I had a small budget for advertising and not to get too specific but it took about a year and the majority of clientele since has come much more so from word of mouth via friends, family and a few informed doctors and physio-therapists that understand the advantages of water dynamics and how everyone can benefit.
The biggest challenge is overcoming the stigma associated with water fitness being exclusively for old people. Call it the “Cocoon” effect (based on the movie) where older people are in the water using buoyancy foam listening to the oldies. We only use buoyancy foam for clients who are beginning rehabilitation or are too weak to use any kind of additional resistance and the music we play is based on the tempo of the workout some examples from R&B; James Brown, Michael Jackson and E,W & Fire to rock; with The Stones, STP, Led Zeppelin, Queen and U2 to FloRida, Cake, Madonna, Public Enemy, House of Pain to Disco to pop to Jazz to HipHop to New Age like Pat Metheny, Michael Hedges and ShadowFax.
A great example of breaking the stigma which has happened several times is we have female clients who work out solo or with a girlfriend or two and their husbands dis-guard the workout as being too easy for them. After convincing them to try it they all have been blown away at how hard it can be. Remember the basics that the harder you push the harder the resistance and in the water, you don’t max out like you do in the gym so in effect you can push even harder. As well you don’t expend any energy keeping your body temperature lower.
Please tell us about AquaFit Miami.
We are a one stop shop for water fitness that mimics most exercise regimens that are done on land without the gym smell, sweat or stink our atmosphere is outdoors in fresh air either in the shade or sunshine. We do water Pilates, water yoga, boxing, dance, martial arts, core dynamics, aqua kettle bell core, cardio endurance, vO2 Max (high altitude training), simulate exercises for other sports (ex. golf, tennis) plus therapy/rehab training, we provide pre and/or post-surgery as well as pre and/or post pregnancy.
Every exercise incorporates stretching, most include a core component since you are wearing resistant gear on your ankles and grips in your hands. We have worked with obese preteen children to a 92-year-old who is fully mobile, agile and years younger because of the water training he does 3x a week. We have worked with injured athletes who have shortened their recovery time by 20% and athletes who train for tournaments, marathons and races. We have worked with a burn victim who couldn’t train on land because of his pores, we work with a 56 yr. old former professional hockey player who had ankle replacement surgery. We work with clients who have bad backs, knees, hips, shoulders, necks, elbows, hips. We help those that live on land in a wheel chair or walker get into the water and are able to stand up and do what they cannot on land. The water is the best and safest environment to train and get stronger. The gear we use comes in different sizes so you can do more reps with less resistance or less reps with more resistance.
The omni-directional resistance means no matter which direction you are pushing or pulling it is all uniform resistance somewhat similar to resistance bands without being tethered. Whereas weight training uses gravity and utilizes the negative and buoyancy foam only provides a small range for resistance. The gear we use maximizes the range of motion with resistance in all directions plus with the different sizes you can have two people at different fitness levels doing the same exercises and both will experience a refreshing workout. We have had three generations working out together with grandparents, their children and four grandchildren together the age range from 10 to 72 yrs. old.
There really isn’t anyone else in Miami who can offer the type of services we offer by coming to you, we provide all the gear and you benefit by having a personal water fitness trainer come to you, working with you and your needs.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have worked more closely at establishing availability to local municipality pools for those that cannot afford personal trainers and/or secured a pool for set scheduled classes in an assortment of programs i.e. basics/yoga/dance/cardio/core/pre-post natal etc.
Pricing:
- Initial Consultation for One-on-One Clients $99
- One-on-One Sessions for Therapy and/or Personal Training: 6 Sessions for $600
- Small Group of 2 to 3 people: 6 sessions for $360 per person
- Small Group of 4 to 5 people: 6 sessions for $300 per person
- AQF Class of 6 or more people: 6 classes for $120 per person
Contact Info:
- Address: North Bay Village, FL 33141
- Website: http://aquafitmiami.com
- Phone: 786.220.1799
- Email: aquafitmiami@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Copyright 2017 AquaFit Sports Therapy LLC
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