Forrest Walden is a long-time friend and somebody I have watched evolve over the years, both as a person, as a business man and as a fitness enthusiast. Play the video below for a brief introduction:
He graciously allowed me to ask him a few questions, so read below to learn more about him and about Iron Tribe Fitness.
For those that don’t know about Iron Tribe, what is the biggest distinction between you and your typical chain fitness facility?
“The biggest difference is the type of program we do, which is constantly varied functional movement done at high intensity. Some people know this is as CrossFit. Yet, there are a lot of facilities and gyms in town that offer CrossFit. What really separates us is our facilities, the fact that we have two full time coaches per class and the unmatched community that is the Tribe.
“CrossFit is our program and our facility is specifically engineered for that type of workout. You can’t do the type of workouts we do in a typical fitness facility (there are too many machines in regular gyms). Our workouts are designed to only work with functional movements, so a lot of work with kettle bells, bar bells, rings, ropes, rowing machines… a lot of things you just won’t find in gyms anymore. You used to back in the 1920s and 1930s before we started getting all of the latest and greatest fitness machines (which are literally useless). In order to do these types of workouts you have to have a facility that is setup to do them.”
Are there any age, weight or fitness restrictions/limitations for people trying to get into this?
“Not really. We have ages ranging from 12 to 71 years old (male and female). We have just started a new program for kids called Tribe Kids (ages 6-12). One of the biggest questions from our members is “How can I get my kids into this?” because they are enjoying it so much. The reason we can do that is because everything we do is scaled to capacity… meaning you’re going to do the same workout that I am going to do but I am going to scale it to your needs. As a beginner or if you have diminished capabilities, I am going to scale it to your needs and eventually get you up to do it as prescribed.
“For example, my wife’s mother had a heart attack last February. When she came in, she could do very, very little but she’s lost 45 pounds and it’s like every workout, she can do something new. She’s still not doing anything prescribed but she is getting closer.”
The economy has produced more frugality from consumers than previous years. Has this had an impact on Iron Tribe?
“We’ve only been opened 12 months, so I don’t have a lot to compare it to, but we went from zero to 225 athletes in 7 months, so I would say “no.” I think the reason for that is because there is so much value here. People are getting in the best shape of their life. Our testimonials and referrals are through the roof. I think it’s for a lot of reasons, but the biggest reason that can’t be overlooked is that the program works. It absolutely works. I think where there’s value, people will continue to pay, regardless of the economy.”
How have you leveraged the web, social media and technology to grow your business?
“Oh, it’s been huge from day one. One of the biggest things that affected me is what Seth Godin had to say in his book Tribes. He said, ‘For a tribe to be truly effective, you need four things: 1) you need a way for the leader to communicate with the members; 2) you need a way for the members to communicate with the leader; 3) you need a way for the members to communicate with the other members; 4) you need a way for the members to communicate with the outside world.’ I had that in mind when building the website. They can communicate with me and I with them. They can communicate with each other, whether it’s giving each other a high-five virally or challenging each other to anything they might want to challenge each other to. But they can also take anything we put on there and post it to the outside world. And also, everything we do, we put up on our social media outlets (Twitter and Facebook). That’s been really big for us. I’ve been able to track business directly back to those free mediums.”
What are your plans for future growth for Iron Tribe?
“We just opened our second location and we’d like to have three to five in the city in the next two years.”
If somebody is interested in joining up, what’s the best way to do that?
“The best way is to go online and look at what we’re about. Take a look at the video tour and see if it’s the program you want to get involved in. If so (and we think you’ll love it!), just contact us for a consult. We’ll give you a tour, show you why we are different, sit down and talk with you about your goals and make a recommendation. If you like it, we’ll do business. If not, we’ll part friends.”
Visit Iron Tribe Fitness:
Web
Twitter
Facebook
2809 Central Avenue
Homewood, AL 35209
205-874-6300
February 14, 2011 at 7:31 pm
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