Today we’d like to introduce you to Ali Sheridan.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Landing in the fitness industry was far from a coincidence. I struggled with my weight from middle school through college. This was especially hard, being a competitive athlete and often led to bullying from opposing teams (players and fans) alongside being shamed from family and friends. I became both ashamed of my physical body AND the person I had become. Years of frustration from following fitness trends, creating an unhealthy relationship with both food and exercise, my biggest focus became debunking my “genetic curse”.
The majority of this quest took place in the Midwest, where I grew up. During which, a special person was plopped into my life, named Zach. This person later became my fiancé & business partner in developing The GymLab.
Fast forward a bit, after relocating to Miami, FL & then back to Kansas City (where we became Real Estate Agents)… We had one of those critical, life-changing moments. We recognized we were not happy doing what we were doing, & asked ourselves if nothing was a concern, what would we both want to be doing?
I knew deep down I wanted to work in the health & fitness industry & wasn’t sure what that looked like, but I felt it was the direction I was called to. Zach was an aspiring wakeboarder, who also saw the power of healthy habits & lifestyle. This brought us to the decision of making one more move across the country, to Orlando, FL, where we could try to pursue it all!
We relocated and were quickly recruited by a local corporate gym to become a personal trainers. -A SIGN!!! After getting certified, we began our new career path as fitness professionals. I could write a book about mine, and other’s experiences working for a corporate gym…But in short, it wasn’t what we signed up for & it wasn’t focused on the employee’s or the client’s best interest.
So…we did what any normal aspiring personal trainer would do. We quit, astroturf’d our living room, used any and all available funds to purchase fitness equipment, and started training people out of our living room and back yard. We even morphed our guest bedroom into a “cardio room”. We also trained out of local independently owned studios-basically whatever we could to keep this dream alive to buy us enough time to figure out what the hell to do next! We had meetings and brainstormed what our vision was, what we’d call our brand & what kind of people would take part in representing us. About 6 months later, we went for it and started building The GymLab.
Life threw a big curveball. After months of all the blood, sweat and tears from building our new home, it was time to open. Just before the big day, Zach was taken from this world unexpectedly. That was about 6 years ago now. The Gym Lab still stands, stronger than ever and with the same vision we originally set out with.
…Being an innovative gym with a personalized approach to fitness. And consisting of a team of caring professionals that are unique in character, values & atmosphere.
I am so proud of how far we’ve come and couldn’t have continued to pursue this dream without such an amazing & supportive community.
PS- Speaking of community…I would be remiss not to include my personal bff and our gym’s star trainer, Bill the Dog! You will find Bill on our website and he also makes weekly visits to the gym to support our fitfam.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are a personable, semi-private personal training and small group training gym.
Here are some bullet points of what sets us apart:
24-hours access (appointment only)
No more than 3 Trainers/Clients scheduled at a time
All Coaches are certified personal trainers
Sessions based around your schedule (availability permitting)
All the features of a Big Box Gym in a private, less intimidating, no equipment-hogging setting
An exclusive feel that’s still welcoming
No more wasted gym fees—you pay for your scheduled session and no more! The Gym Lab believes that getting yourself back to health means setting your own pace. So start your journey with us today. At the gym lab we welcome everyone, regardless of your fitness level. Here, it’s all about the individual’s journey, so you only have to live up to your own standards. We pride ourselves on being innovative & having a personalized approach to fitness. We are a team of caring professionals that are unique in character, values & atmosphere. We want clients to have fun while getting fit on their terms
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
The best way to get connected with me for a collaboration or just to get to know me more, is through my instagram @aliandthegymlab. The best way to get started or get more info about personal training or group training, is to check out our instagram page @thegymlab or visit our website at https://www.thegymlab.com
Simply click “Get Started” and we will send you two questionnaires to get to know you and your goals better. Once we receive your completed forms, we will contact you to set up an in-person or over the phone consult to discuss your goals further and set up the best plan for you. We want you to succeed! After that, your trainer will start designing a custom program for you. Expect to start gradually; our goal is to teach you proper warm-up & form, expose any imbalances we will want to fix along the way, and most importantly, not to kill you or discourage you from working with a trainer again! At the Gym Lab, we don’t treat exercise as punishment.
Just a side note: While most gyms only offer clients an average of short 30-45 minute sessions, we feel a full hour is in YOUR best interest & results in a safer, higher-quality workout. Warm up and cool down stretching are key to safety and progress. We do however, make special accommodations for those requesting a shorter workout.
Pricing:
- Pricing is simple. You pay for your upcoming month of planned sessions (unless discussed with your trainer). Session costs vary per hour & range from $55-$70.
- We are also about to launch small group training (GT) that will range from $30-$35 a session
Contact Info:
- Email: info@thegymlab.com
- Website: https://www.thegymlab.com/about
- Instagram: @aliandthegymlab | @thegymlab
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aliandthegymlab
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-gym-lab-orlando
- Google: https://g.page/r/CfhgqVKIIErIEAE
Image Credits
self Zachary Brock Kollar, co-creator of The GymLab, also pictured inside The GymLab, performing a very advanced exercise consisting of kettlebells while balancing on an Indo Board.
