Exploring Life & Business with Brandon Burden of Fitlab AZ

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Burden

Hi Brandon , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Fitlab AZ is an accumulation of working in the health and fitness industry for 15 years and 20+ years of dream of having my own place. I graduated with my Kinesiology Degree in 09′ and worked for corporate gyms for 2 years before venturing off and starting my own personal training business.

I’ve always been a gym rat since I was in middle school, reading the old bodybuilding magazines we had in our house back in Iowa. We had plastic dumbbells in our basement that you could fill with sand and I would try and emulate the exercises I saw in the magazines and I was hooked from there.

I’ve spent my entire adult life going to as many gyms as I could, even on vacations. Yes I enjoy working out but mainly because I’ve always enjoyed getting to check out all different types of equipment each gym had. New brands that I’ve never used or seen excited me and I would take mental notes on how the machine worked, did it make sense in terms of how the machine functioned vs how the intended muscle trained was working? From there I dove into biomechanics and started to quickly realize which machines where garbage and which ones were the best of the best.

After figuring out the machines I wanted, I had to figure out the experience I wanted to provide for my customers. European gyms to me always had the best atmosphere. Great lighting, great music and I found the members where chatting with each other more then gyms here. I quickly realized a lot of them weren’t wearing headphones and I found it was due to the sound systems and music the gyms were playing. I saw a need for a gym like that here in Arizona and once the right opportunity presented itself I took a leap of faith and here we are 2 years later getting ready to move into a brand new gym that will be almost 3x the size of our current space.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. I started looking at spaces in October of 21′. Covid was still kind of going on and the biggest hurdle was finding a space that would rent to a gym. Unfortunately so many gyms had went out of business during covid that the property management companies where hesitant to rent to gyms and if they were interested, they weren’t interested in negotiating, it was a take it or leave it scenario. I was rejected over 70 times and didn’t get a yes until August of 22′.

The other big hurdle was timing the equipment orders with finding a space. A couple of the equipment companies had lead times or 10-12 months so I had to actually order the equipment before I had the space and pray that I would find a space in time. Spoiler alert, I still didn’t have a place when they shipped so I had to find storage units out here until I found a space, which just created even bigger financial and logistical headaches.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Fitlab AZ a 24/7 access gym that is all about putting the experience of the member first. Nothing ruins a gym more then when it’s over crowded, you can’t do anything, your working around trainers, working around big group classes and your spending double the time there just to get everything done. We offer an experience that doesn’t have independent trainers or group classes on the floor.

People that become members of our gym want 2 things. The best of the best equipment and the ability to get in, get there workout done and go about there day. Even with the most popular pieces, we offer 2 or 3 varieties of those pieces so you never have to wait to use your favorite piece.

Our ideal customer is someone that goes to a place like Lifetime to escape the crowds at EOS and LA Fitness but there not happy with the equipment and environment that they get at a Lifetime or The Village. We bridge the gap for those that are willing to pay good money for a gym but are unhappy with the basic options that are available to them.

In our new facility we will also be offering cold plunges, infrared saunas, compression therapy, DXA scans and online programs. The membership will come with free access to our Fitlab AZ App that will have workouts members can follow, record their weights and watch quick tutorial videos on how to do the exercise. We will also provide a coaching programs through the app that will allow the member to choose their goal and frequency of training that will give the member a program to follow and it will change every 4 weeks.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My family and my amazing wife deserve the most credit. I am definitely a dreamer at heart and I come up with some wild ideas and instead of bashing them or thinking I’m crazy, they support my ambitions and dreams. Kudos to them for knowing how to provide constructive feedback, asking legitimate thought provoking questions, and not being afraid to express concerns if there are things I overlook or underestimate( which happens all the time). I just feel blessed I have a family that supports my dreams and the ability to give me healthy reality checks.

I also have to give a big thanks to all my clients that have supported my business the last 13+ years. Without them I don’t have a job, without the success of the business there’s no way I qualify for any business services nor am I able to qualify for a commercial lease. Big thank you to those that have stayed with me for 13+ years straight and anyone else that’s believed in my business no matter how long or short you’ve been apart of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.azfitlab.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azfitlab/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093642426628