As a nutritional sciences master’s student, Grace Burton, 23, spends her days going to class, completing assignments, and now, owning and operating her own gym. With its recent grand opening, fitness classes at F45 Training West Athens are now in full swing.
“We’ve only been open for two weeks and I’m already seeing members who are working out with us for the first time and are just loving life,” said Burton.
With over three years of experience as a fitness instructor, Burton became familiar with the F45 brand during her undergraduate years at North Carolina State University. Falling in love with the F45 fitness community during her time coaching for NCSU in Winston-Salem, an F45 training center was the only thing Athens was missing for Burton.
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After the University of Georgia declined a college partnership with F45, Burton decided to take matters into her own hands.
“I took this as an opportunity. Ever since I was young, I’ve wanted to open a business, so I was like the need is there, let’s just go for it,” said Burton.
Situated in Building D of 175 Tracey St., F45 Training West Athens is the first Athens location of the international F45 franchise, which features 45-minute HIIT, or high intensity interval training, workouts. In its workouts, F45 combines personal training with a group fitness environment, resulting in a community driven yet personalized experience.
“You get to know all the members and each other, and I worked hard to build a team that will cultivate that kind of community,” said Burton.
While there are no levels to F45 classes in order to create one training community, their coaches are on hand to help modify class exercises to individual needs such as a knee injury or postpartum recovery. The gym also does not shy away from fitness innovation with full body scanners, LionHeart heart rate monitors, and the F45 Challenge app, which connects users with nutritional programs.
Burton’s future aspirations for the gym as well as her career all comes down to helping people.
“My goal starting in dietetics was to help people and to show people how treating your body well can benefit your life in the short and long term and my goal as a dietician is always going to be to help live healthier lives, and I think seeing F45 benefit my clients so far, it’s already been so rewarding,” said Burton.
Graduating with her masters this upcoming December, Burton plans to stay out the year in Athens growing the F45 community before pursuing an internship in dietetics.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: UGA grad student opens HIIT training gym in Athens