A new kind of physical training
Jodi Butler is adjusting to a new normal but still helping the community stay healthy
When Jodi Butler, a North Side resident, started Pittsburgh FIT in Koenig Field Park in Edgewood in 2011, she had three clients while moonlighting on her job as director of patient experience at UPMC.
In 2013, her fast-growing clientele outgrew a rented classroom at Wilkins Community Center in Regent Square and moved into a 1,200-square-foot space on the third floor of a warehouse. Her dream was to fill the space with people from diverse backgrounds united in a holistic approach to health and exercise. She also wanted it to be a radically inclusive space.
“I left my 15-year career at UPMC to grow Pittsburgh FIT and make this dream a reality,” the 52year-old said. “By 2017, we needed even more space and moved into our current location with 9,000 square feet in Wilkinsburg.”
— Jodi Butler, owner of Pittsburgh FIT
Finally, Pittsburgh FIT was in a space big enough to accommodate two classes conducted simultaneously and keep its 10 coaches — half full-time and half part-time — busy with clients for individual and group instruction from dawn to dusk.
Then COVID-19 hit, shutting down the country and forcing Ms.
Butler to reimagine physical fitness instruction conducted via computer and through social distance protocols once it was safe for clients to return to the gym. She now has five coaches on hand and has cut back on the classes dramatically.
“During the COVID quarantine, we transitioned to virtual classes immediately,” Ms. Butler said. “Coaching and interacting through Zoom, though not ideal, has prepared us for distance-focused coaching. It may have even made us better coaches in the long run. If you can teach someone to swing a kettlebell properly
“We motivate, we demonstrate and we inspire. Our coaches are not cheerleaders. We are experts in human movement that specialize in development of health through exercise.”
through a virtual training session, you can definitely do it from 10 feet away in a class.”
Asked what makes Pittsburgh FIT distinct from other gym experiences, she summarized it as succinctly as she could: “We motivate, we demonstrate and we inspire,” she said. “Our coaches are not cheerleaders. We are experts in human movement that specialize in development of health through exercise.
“Each of our coaches spent countless hours analyzing movement and practicing it ourselves. And yes, it stinks that we can’t highfive someone who finally hits their first full pushup or pullup. We encourage them in different ways now.” Air high-fives, shoutouts and random texts during the day keep the encouragement flowing.
As to be expected, masks are mandatory for everyone as soon as they walk through the doors. Pittsburgh FIT bought hundreds of reusable masks and gives them to customers free of charge.
“We’ve adjusted our class programming to reflect the increased strain of exercising with a mask on, focusing on strength-building movements, breath and body awareness and steadystate cardiovascular recovery periods and rest periods,” Ms. Butler said.
“The masks do take some getting used to for both the coaches and members, but it’s doable with this new format.”
The gym also has designated spaces marked on the floor for up to 16 athletes to use for what is referred to as “open gym.” All classes are hosted on Zoom as well. At-home workouts are offered to members who aren’t comfortable in public spaces yet.
“We have also done things like limit class sizes, cut back the schedule to accommodate more cleaning time and offer more ‘open gym’ times for people who are nervous about jumping back into classes,” she said, adding the gym is currently operating at 15% capacity. Between those who are attending classes via Zoom and those doing remote training, the five coaches that have worked through the pandemic have been kept busy.
“At this point, we have had nearly 40% of our members put their memberships on hold or change their membership to personal training or individualized program design until the pandemic is over,” Ms. Butler said. “Several of our members have set up home gyms as well; in this case, our individualized programming has been a great fit.”
Pittsburgh FIT has an exceptionally loyal clientele that is the opposite of the drone-like masses working out at most franchise gyms.
“Our community is made up of people from all walks of life,” Ms. Butler said. “We have school teachers, teenagers, physicians, nurses, contractors, professionals, senior citizens and collegiate allAmerican athletes all finding their way through this together.
“We have people who have never done a single pushup. We are not gym rats at Pittsburgh FIT. There are places for people to rip their shirts and bang and clang their weights while their friends spot them on a lift. That’s not us. We attract adults who realize the value in health and community.”
Ms. Butler is a charismatic leader who seems to have an affection for almost every member who enters the gym. Pittsburgh FIT is like the bar on “Cheers” — she wants it to be a place where everyone knows everyone’s name.
“We draw members who are socially inclusive and environmentally conscious individuals, which I feel makes our community a rich mix of diverse and interesting people from all walks of life,” she said.
“We focus on the quality of functional movement, progressive strength programming and individual coaching. What we do is more than a ‘race to the finish’ of workouts. Community is at the heart of who we are, and exercise doesn’t define our members, but it does allow them to pursue their life with vitality,” she said.
Still, even Pittsburgh FIT has its share of challenges during this pandemic. “Our business has been built on people coming in our doors to work out,” Ms. Butler said. “COVID-19 makes this hard. We routinely had classes of 20-plus athletes, with two classes running at a time. Now, we limit our class size to a fraction of that with only one class at a time.”
“As a business, we have to pivot. We have to offer remote, online fitness and create offerings like individual programming, at home personal training, remote personal training and nutritional coaching that do not require people to walk through our doors. Because community is the foundation of who we are, we have had to rely heavily on social media and text messaging,” she said.
Ms. Butler realizes after months of sheltering in place, many Pittsburghers are “feeling heavy, slow, lethargic and depressed.”
She has advice for them: “Just start.”
“If you’ve been stuck in your home, get outside, walk, jog, just move.”
But Jodi Butler wouldn’t be the successful entrepreneur she is if she didn’t add one more suggestion: “Call us.”