Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan and Bree Marsh. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Ryan and Bree Marsh are the current owners of Athens Personal Fitness (APF), a personal training gym in Athens, Georgia. Ryan started working part-time as a trainer at APF in 2001 while also completing his Master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology at the University of Georgia. Bree joined a few months later. Upon graduation, Ryan assumed the manager role and became a full-time employee. He held that role until he became part owner in 2006. Ryan and Bree wed in 2005 and continued to work at APF. Bree got her Master’s degree in Nutrition in 2006 and does nutrition counseling as well as personal training. After years in the management position, Ryan decided to take over ownership from founder and current employee, Dee Prince, in 2021. APF has grown to support 13 trainers and over 150 clients. APF services a wide array of clientele from all ages and fitness levels. Ryan and Bree have an extensive background in fitness. Ryan has completed 5 Ironman competitions between the years of 2009 and 2019 and is now an avid mountain biker. Bree has 20 years of experience in the sport of bodybuilding and became a professional figure competitor in 2016. They both enjoy being outside, hiking, biking, and traveling.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a smooth road for the most part. Previous owner, Dee Prince, worked hard to get APF up and running, and both Ryan and Dee have built up a strong clientele over the last 20-plus years. The gym has relocated a couple of times and Ryan had a couple of other job offers that he pondered over immediately after graduation but eventually declined and decided to make a career at APF. Bree also dabbled in a few other jobs, including School Nutrition Coordinator for Jackson Co. School System and registered dietitian for Reddy Medical Group. She ultimately found personal training to be the most rewarding. Covid was definitely a struggle. It was a challenge to maintain our employees and clientele during that time, but we were able to get creative with virtual at-home workouts and were vigilant in getting back to work as soon as possible when the shutdown was lifted.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Athens Personal Fitness?
Athens Personal Fitness is a 3,000 square foot personal training studio located in downtown Athens. We serve Athens and the surrounding area residents with superior service in areas of fitness and nutrition, backed by years of successful training and experience. We specialize in one-on-one hour-long personal training sessions designed to accommodate anyone and everyone’s health and fitness goals. We are known for our professionalism in the field of health and fitness and are proud of our ability to keep clientele consistent for many years. We currently have several clients that have been with us for over 20 years! We are a non-intimidating gym with a community atmosphere and a client-first based approach. Almost 100% of our members work with a trainer. All our trainers are nationally certified and/or have an educational background in fitness or nutrition. We have a flexibility specialist as well as a massage therapist. Each new member is evaluated and a program is designed specifically for their personal goals. We work with all ages and fitness levels. Our affordable prices allow clients to work with a trainer more often for better results. Clients come in anywhere from 1-5 days a week. We also have weekend group classes consisting of circuit training and mobility work. We stand by our quote, “Fitness for Everyone.”
How do you think about happiness?
Ryan and Bree are happy being in a career that they love and are able to share their passion for fitness with all of their clientele. We are happy to see our clients show up for training sessions consistently, put in the effort every session, and make progress toward their goals. We enjoy impacting as many lives as possible using a safe and healthy approach to fitness and nutrition. We are happy when we take our fitness outside of the gym for our hobbies, which include mountain biking, hiking, road and trail running, and downhill skiing.
Pricing:
- Training sessions from $44-$48/hour with membership
- Membership starts at $50/month and goes as low as $35/month
- Initial package includes one month’s membership and eight personal training sessions for $349.00
- Training sessions without membership $55/hour
Contact Info:
- Website: www.athenspersonalfitness.com
- Instagram: athenspersonalfitness594
