Brookfield-based gym and studio Strive 4 Fitness is approaching its two year anniversary this coming November. According to owners Shawn and Victoria Groll, business is getting better, with an ever-expanding membership of over 200 people and 10 trainers.
To keep up with expansion, Strive 4 Fitness moved from its Brookfield location at 3749½ Grand Blvd. across the street to 3736 Grand Blvd., which has an additional 800 square feet. It also moved its second location from Berwyn to 3242 Harlem Ave. in Riverside this spring.
Though its membership keeps growing, Strive 4 Fitness, according to the Grolls, is a comfortable and personable community gym.
“You’re not just another number,” Victoria Groll said. “So we really try to get to know each individual that walks through that door and we listen to their story and we help them along.”
The motto of the gym stands out as “you have to want it,” evident by Shawn Groll’s constant effort to remind all the members to keep pushing themselves to improve.
“We make sure when you’re here, you’re gonna be accountable,” Shawn said. “There’s nothing like someone achieving something or hitting goals. It’s a good feeling to see people where they started from and where they’re going.”
In the age of social media and technology, Strive 4 Fitness utilizes platforms to its advantage, whether it’s through emails or showing off members’ progress on its Facebook page. According to Victoria, the exposure online is key.
“[Social media] gets people to interact with Facebook so they can talk about their experiences,” Victoria said. “And a lot of our marketing is done word of mouth so our members are our best source of marketing.”
The gym offers creative ways of exercising such as video chatting and competition between its Brookfield and Riverside locations, monthly weight-loss and running challenges and late-night boot camps. The gym also offers to host birthday parties for members looking to get their friends involved in the workout lifestyle.
“You never know who you’ll talk to next, and I always wonder who’s the next person that’ll walk through that door to change,” Shawn said. “That’s what I look forward to: changing people and helping them out.”
Member Vanessa Diaz has been with Strive 4 Fitness since February of 2017 and emphasizes the interaction as a group and community gym.
“Strive is a family,” Diaz said. “We complete challenges together, we encourage each other to push past our limits, we celebrate our accomplishments, and uplift one another when we feel like we failed.”
Some members have gone so far as getting a Strive 4 Fitness logo tattoo, which is paid for by the gym.
“It means a lot,” Shawn said. “That’s why I have no problem paying for it, but we question them before they go do it. We don’t want it to be cool. We want to make sure it has a meaning.”
With the increasing membership and ideas for workouts, the Shawn Groll says he’s considering the option of opening a third location. He said he would plan to keep it in close proximity to the Riverside and Brookfield locations.
