CrossFit trainer expands business in the valley

People tired of carrying around extra weight and willing to do some serious work to lose it could look at CrossFit Land Mine, a relatively new gym in town.

Gym owner, Riley Trombley, at the end of the second year, has seen his gym double in membership and is taking on new members where others gyms have failed. His gym is at 1375 State Street, Suite 1.

He acknowledges his gym costs more to be a member but says he gets results.

“People that paid to go to Custom Health and Fitness, which was expensive, come to me despite my gym being more costly,” Trombley said. “I have seen an increase in membership and people are saying, ‘I have no other option but to come to you.’”

The young businessman started his CrossFit business, CrossFit Land Mine, knowing he was taking a chance, but now finds himself expanding in CrossFit members and also expanding with new classes, such as a spin class.

“We are mainly a CrossFit gym, but I saw an opportunity to have a spin class and I want to see that grow too,” he said. The spin class is being taught by Julie Floyd.

He said the reason he is still around is because he and his coaches are passionate about what they do.

“The biggest thing about us is we depend on word of mouth,” Trombley said. “To do that you have to be passionate about your business because word travels quickly.”

He said part of being passionate is making your clients feel special.

“To make our clients feel special we learn their names and learn about each client’s background,” Trombley said. “We don’t want our clients to feel like a number. And we strive to please our clients.”

A closer look

Trombley wants his business to grow.

“I want to employ more people out here to teach classes,” he said. “I am looking for coaches passionate and fired up to go.”

Trombley said the military has used CrossFit in boot camp. He serves in the Army Reserve and they were using it when he went to boot camp. He thinks they started doing this about mid-2000 because of the high-intensity workouts.

“CrossFit is not just a fad,” the young coach said. “This is one of the fastest growing sports because people get results.”

And he is correct. CrossFit is now a competition that is being featured as the CrossFit Games on ESPN, where people compete to be the fittest on Earth.

He said you work closely with coaches when you do this and so it is safe.

“This is something that always challenges your body,” he said.

He believes in this so much that he is also opening classes to seniors.

“We have a life program for seniors,” Trombley said.

A woman’s story

Maria Melendez started the CrossFit six-week challenge and is hooked on it.

According to Melendez, the six-week challenge is where you give the CrossFit coaches six weeks to transform the body and also build self-confidence.

“I saw an online ad for this and it took me awhile to sign up for it,” Melendez said. “I wasn’t sure that I could do it and I kept thinking, what if people laugh at me.”

Melendez said one of the things that kept her going through the training was why she did it in the first place.

“The ‘why’ got me to keep going,” she said. “When I was thinking of quitting, I would think of the why.”

She said that CrossFit works.

“At first I was ashamed of my body,” Melendez said. “I saw no difference at first. Then the clothes sizes started to go down. This program is tremendous and it does so much. I have changed my eating and I feel better about myself.”

She went from a size 16 to a size 12 in five weeks.

“I think it is more than 12 because even those clothes are too big,” she said.

She is just finishing her sixth week and is anxious to see how much weight she has lost. She is barely 5 feet tall and weighed 188 pounds. Melendez said Trombley told her not to weigh herself until the end.

For more information, call CrossFit Land Mine at 775-283-8771.

Contact sports editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com