I hate commercial gyms

I’m Chris Rombola.

I started Fit House because I hate commercial gyms. My wife says I shouldn’t start with a negative, but commercial gyms make my blood boil to such an extent that I must. I’m been a member of quite a few, I’ve been the #1 trainer in every one I’ve worked at, and I’ve run the personal training department in several—and after all that, I had enough.

The reason commercial gyms are so inexpensive is because there is absolutely no service. A 20,000 square foot gym can accommodate approximately 300 members on the floor, yet they have 6,000 members. Why is that? They count on you failing. Commercial gyms bank on only 18% of members using the gym and on over 80% of members quitting within five months. And they’re ok with that. They have an industrious marketing machine that keeps pumping out flyers in the mail and continuously recruits new members. People are disposable to them. They promise that you will get in the best shape of your life for only $10 a month. A glass of wine at a casual restaurant costs $12—only $2 more than getting in the best shape of your life. Someone is lying.

The salesperson’s job is to quickly sign you up to a membership and then throw you to the machines. Now, you could be successful at a commercial gym like this if:

  • You know how to periodize your workouts.
  • You know how to progress through different training modalities and bust through plateaus.
  • You know how to build a solid nutrition plan.
  • You know how to restore a broken metabolism.
  • You know how to manipulate variables over time to ensure you progress.

Maybe you’ve tried all these things on your own. Maybe, like most commercial gym members, you’ve quit within the first 90 days. Or maybe you’ve stuck with it and have hit a plateau, despite your best efforts, and are frustrated that you look exactly the same today as you did one year ago.

Commercial gyms don’t teach us what to do. We’re left to peruse magazines, listen to a friend’s advice, or succumb to the vortex of misinformation known as the internet. Most of us need someone with expertise to put an arm around our shoulder and say, this is what you need to be doing to accomplish your goals. This is what you need to be eating to get healthy, to get leaner, or to build muscle. Most of us need someone to hold us accountable, motivate us, and show us the path to a leaner and stronger body. Heck, I’ve worked with Barry Bonds’ trainer, with another professional who’s trained countless NFL and NHL athletes, with an IFBB bodybuilder pro, and been certified by a guy who’s trained over 800 Olympic athletes, and I STILL have a trainer. Even the best of us need guidance.

That is why I created Fit House. Fit House is a private personal training and small group training gym serving Kenmore, Tonawanda, Amherst, Buffalo, and all of Western New York. Our trainers aren’t learning on the job. They’ve lived it, and they are professionals. We have zero tolerance for crash diets or any fitness programs that make no sense. We know you’re busy, and we will get you to your goals using the most cutting-edge methodologies in strength training and nutrition to optimize your time in the gym. We will show you how optimal health and fitness fits into your life.

Fit House is a community. We focus on bringing each other up through motivation, positivity, and encouragement. Unlike commercial gyms, we fight for your success. Our entire business is built on referrals—people cannot be disposable to us. We can’t afford to have you quit. The more success you achieve, the more people ask you what you’re doing and where you’re doing it, and the more amazing people we meet. You and your results keep our mission going.

And our mission is you. We will get you to your goals, teach you how to maintain them, and help you achieve the greatest success of all—strength, health, and happiness.