What exactly is Samuelson Body Shop? It’s a question I have received more of in the last week. If you don’t want to read the whole explanation, the short version is that SBS is a personal training studio and lifting club. It is private, not connected to any other gym or company. It’s just me and my dreams.
And that’s the first point. This is my dream facility. I have been blessed to work out in some wonderful gyms over the last 30 years, and this is exactly what I want. This dream goes back to high school. At Helena Capital, in the mid-90s, the weight room was two classrooms with the wall between them removed. It was kinda dirty, in a chalky way, not in a gross way. It was dark. And it created some of the best athletes Helena has ever produced. AC/DC was on heavy rotation. In short, it was awesome. Oh, and the sign above the door said “Bruin Body Shop,” which is exactly where I got the name for SBS. The fall after I graduated, they finished construction on the new gym, which featured a shiny new weight room more than twice the size. I’ve been in there, and it is great. It just doesn’t have the grit that the old weight room had. And I have been chasing the feel of that old weight room for the last 28 years.
At its heart, SBS is a garage gym on steroids (gym pun somewhat intended). It is not an accident that I am in the building that I am in now. It’s the perfect spot. It’s small enough not to have many people in, but big enough to continue to bring in more equipment.
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The other day, I used the term “anti-gym” to describe SBS. And there is some truth in that. Before I continue with that, I want to point out beyond a shadow of doubt that I have zero issues with any gyms or workout facilities in Miles City. I have lifted at the Centra for more than 25 years, was a member of Door 804, and was part of the planning of the new MC Fitness (and if I ever get married, one of the owners will likely be my best man). I have no desire to compete with anyone. We might be in the same fitness universe, but on much different planets. I have nothing but love and support for all of those facilities, and it is my hope that each of them continues to thrive and Miles City becomes the fittest little town in America. How sweet would that be?
SBS is much more of a niche place. I have worked in multiple gyms, of all sizes, and know the fitness industry well. SBS is a part of the fitness industry, but on a much smaller scale. While most gyms are looking for as many members as possible, I am not. And this is not a dig at the bigger facilities. As a rule, gyms are not great money-making places. Equipment is freaking expensive, and you need a lot of real estate to house it all. So I don’t see any of us in this to make millions.
As I mentioned, I am not interested in SBS becoming a big facility with hundreds of members. I am not sure I want dozens. What I am interested in is bringing in personal training clients who want to work with me in a more private setting than a gym. And a few members who share the same mindset that I have. I want the outsiders of the corporate fitness world: the bodybuilders and powerlifters who are the nicest people in the world, the women who are too nervous to join a gym for whatever reason, and mostly those who want to work out and keep to themselves. What SBS is not is a social club.
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Think of SBS as more of a club than a gym. Only a very limited number of members will have access to the facility. Does that limit my earning potential? Absolutely, but that is kind of the point. Everyone pays the same amount. There is no family plans. There will not be guest passes or day passes. There will be a trial membership, that will be a trial for both the potential member and myself. This is not the way most gyms are run, and again, that is the point.
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If this sounds like your kind of place too, please reach out. I would love to give you the 23-second tour of the building and share my future plans. I can be reached on Facebook at Samuelson Body Shop, or at 406-853-4236. Or stop in and say hello at 105 S. 5th, if the door is unlocked that means I am inside and ready to chat.
