1. BY EMILY STEVENSON
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AMY RANDALL PHOTOGRAPHY
Upstate Fit
For More
Fitness
Centers
48 GREENVILLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2016

2. I
f losing weight is at the top of your
New Year’s resolution list, Greenville
has no shortage of gyms and fitness
centers. Many of the facilities have
been in the area for less than a year.
But how much is too much?
Ashley Andrews, general manager
of Madabolic, believes the city hasn’t
become oversaturated – yet.
“More fitness facilities are opening,
but the city is growing so it’s meeting
the supply and demand,”Andrews says.“I
think as of right now it’s at a good point,
as long as the city continues to grow as it
expects to.”
Katie Williams, co-owner of Barre3
Greenville, echoes Andrews’ sentiments.
“I think as a whole the Upstate is
growing, regardless of fitness,” Williams
says.“The demand is there.”
But with that demand, and that vari-
ety, comes a price: competition.
“I think people can now be really
picky, so you have to be on your game
to make sure your studio is clean, warm,
and welcoming,” she says.“You have that
first 30 seconds to make an impression,
because if they don’t like it they can go
somewhere else and get it.”
PERSONALIZED
Facilities across the Upstate have
worked hard to make their workouts
Greenville Sees
Demand For Boutique
Facilities, Efficient Workouts
FEBRUARY 2016 | GREENVILLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE 49

3. stand out.
While the various activities run the
gamut from barre to Crossfit to yoga,
they all have one thing in common: a
small, personalized feel.
“I think more and more people are
looking for something different than
the typical gym atmosphere that they
only had for years,” says Marie Crosby,
co-owner and managing partner of Barre
Evolution in Greenville. “The whole
trend of boutique fitness has really been
the focus lately.”
Crosby, who relocated from Charles-
ton to Greenville to open the studio
in October of 2014, teaches classes in
addition to her management duties. She
attributes Barre Evolution’s success in
the Upstate to its customizable work-
out - the classes can be modified to any
fitness level, including expectant moth-
ers and those recovering from injuries.
“People were looking for a studio
that could make it very personalized for
them, and we specialize in that,” she says.
Williams, whose Barre3 studio is in
the newly renovated South End Augusta
shopping center, says barre’s popularity
is due in part to its accessibility.
“Anyone, at any age, can come
in and feel successful after just one
workout,” she says.“We have modifica-
tions that every class has layered in, so
the class can be tailored to fit everyone’s
needs.”
EFFICIENT
As people’s attention spans grow
shorter, thanks to 140-character Tweets
and 30-second sound bites, workouts
have since shortened as well. Gone are
the days of spending hours in a gym.
“High-intensity interval training is
on the upswing,” says Andrews.“A lot of
people are taking notice of it because of
the results. It’s something you can do in
a short amount of time which, in today’s
society, everyone wants.”
Like Crosby,Andrews, who hails
from Charlotte, moved to the area to
open her studio. She describes Mada-
bolic as an innovative and role-based
strength and endurance program with
a different work-to-rest ratio every day.
Classes are 50 minutes long, and she says
clients are completely drenched in sweat
when they leave.
“That’s a big appeal because a lot of
our clients are active, busy people who
A Crossfit workout enables participants to use
workout time most efficiently.
Barre offers a customizable workout for
all fitness levels.
50 GREENVILLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2016

4. do lots of things outside of [the gym],”
she says.
Another popular intensity training
program is Crossfit.The workout is
designed to “make you better at every-
thing,” according to Swamp Rabbit
Crossfit owner William Timmons.
“Crossfit is the most efficient use of
your time,” he says.
At Crossfit, instructors focus on
leading high-intensity interval training,
which changes every day.Workouts are
designed to complement the various
muscle groups so clients attending every
day receive a well-rounded workout.
Crossfit seeks to obtain the best, most
efficient response from each athlete’s
body.
“[Crossfit] has been empirically
proven to be the most effective way to
cause change,”Timmons says.“High-
intensity interval training is the future of
all exercise.”
HEALTHY
Timmons says there are about 30
Crossfit gyms in the Upstate, to say
nothing of other types of workouts. He
attributes the demand for fitness centers
to a growing awareness of health in
Madabolic classes are 50 minutes long, with a
different work-to-rest ratio each day.
ONE-ON-ONE TRAINING
For All Levels:
Beginner, Intermediate and Expert
Contact us for more information:
(864) 248-0791 | gur@PerformanceEvolution.co
576 Woodruff Road, Suite G | Greenville, SC 29607
PerformanceEvolution.co
#CoachGur
FEBRUARY 2016 | GREENVILLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE 51

5. general.
“The terrible situation of health in
this country is spurring up the gyms,”
he says.“Fifty years ago we didn’t
have any fat people.We didn’t have
this incredibly unhealthy world where
people take a handful of pills and think
that’s an acceptable way to live their
lives. I think the general quality of life
as related to health and fitness is causing
a huge push toward doing something
about it.”
Timmons opened his center along
the Swamp Rabbit Trail a little more
than three years ago after moving back
to Greenville from Columbia. He had
taken Crossfit classes there, and he knew
he wanted Crossfit to be a part of his
life for the rest of his life. But at the
time, he couldn’t find many options
for that in the Upstate, and eventually
opened his own facility.
It’s a common theme; Krish Patel,
founder and owner of SoulYoga, and
Timmons’ business partner, knows
something about that as well.
Three years ago, while building his
business Wireless Communications, he
found himself working 12-hour days,
seven days a week.A team member
noticed his stress and suggested he try
hot yoga. Patel resisted for some time,
but at the end of 2012 he attended his
first class and fell in love.
“It was the most rewarding physical
practice I’ve done in my life,” he says.“I
can reset my brain, and nothing matters
besides me, my breath, and my mat.”
Eventually, his three-day-a-week
practice turned into five, a year went by,
and Patel saw a loss of 30 pounds. He
realized this yoga practice, which was so
beneficial to him, was underserved in
the Upstate. In October of 2015, Soul
Yoga was born.
Patel asserts that yoga is a superior
workout because it’s accessible to
anyone, no matter their age or level of
physical fitness.As a workout that’s been
around for 5,000 years, it’s stood the test
of time while other exercise fads come
and go.
Although yoga will always be his
passion, Patel welcomes the birth of new
fitness centers.
“It’s about taking control,” he says.
“I think it’s great that there are all these
different products and opportunities
out there, because they’re all different
vehicles that go to the same place –
taking charge of your body and your
life.”
“It was the most
rewarding physical
practice I’ve done
in my life,” he
says. “I can reset
my brain, and
nothing matters
besides me, my
breath, and my
mat.”
As a workout, yoga has stood the test of time.
52 GREENVILLE BUSINESS MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2016