As each new year dawns, countless people will inevitably resolve to get into shape. And before the end of that first month, many will abandon that goal for another year.
Brandon Floyd, co-owner of Level Up Fitness Jax, suggests mentally preparing oneself for as much as six months prior to tackling this goal and then take it one day at a time. Don’t try to get in shape within the first week. Set long-term goals and take baby steps if necessary.
It’s all part of adopting a new lifestyle, a perspective that reflects the approach Floyd and the other trainers take at his popular Jacksonville Beach gym.
Level Up Fitness Jax got the most votes in The Recorder’s recent Best of the Beaches campaign. In a community with many successful fitness programs, that’s no small achievement.
The focus of Level Up Fitness Jax is body transformation, and before-and-after photos covering walls in two of its rooms attest to its efficacy. It’s a style Floyd developed over many years, beginning with his first job as a fitness instructor for the YMCA in Raleigh, North Carolina, when he was only 16.
A major part of the program’s success is that it’s highly individualized.
“You’re not just coming in the gym and doing reps and sets predicated on what everyone else is doing,” Floyd said. “For each person who’s in the gym, the programs are designed to tailor-fit their needs.”
The training begins with a body scan that measures body fat percentage and analyzes posture, as well as photos to use as a reference to guide progress. The client is entered into a portal where the details of each workout are posted.
“We’re documenting what performance level you’re at, how intense was your workout,” Floyd said. “We’re documenting things such as what we need to stay away from versus things you’re good at. We’re taking notes on you every workout.”
This helps the trainers “level up” their clients from their initial condition to the goal they have set for themselves.
And while body transformation is the most obvious aim, it is part of a larger effort to holistically elevate mind, body and soul.
“If I’m not changing your mindset and if this program is not helping with that, the results are not going to be permanent,” Floyd said. “It’s not going to be a lifestyle. It’s just going to be what I call a temporary fix.”
And anyone mature enough to appreciate the value of working out can “level up.” Floyd has clients across the age spectrum, even into their 80s. As with any client, the fitness program is tailored to their individual needs.
“We help them gain mobility, functionality in the muscle and get them where they need to be,” Floyd said.
Floyd’s journey began with a rough childhood, starting with a sickly birth.
Though small as a kid, he nevertheless exceled at sports, and he knew that if he was ever to get out of his hometown, he’d need to rely on those talents.
He set his eye on football. But if he was to be competitive, he would have to work out and get strong. Along the way, he discovered a love for fitness. In fact, he was so successful that others took notice and began to ask him to train them.
He began to understand that, even if he never made it in professional sports, he could always go into the fitness industry.
Floyd attended Each Carolina University, but as a transfer student he was not able to align his credit hours with NCAA rules. When he learned that Edward Waters University, an NAIA school, offered the opportunity he was seeking, he came to Jacksonville. He earned his degree in health and physical education and also elementary education.
Upon graduation, he was determined to find a job in the fitness industry. He walked into a popular gym, seeking work as a trainer.
Initially, the gym owner was not receptive, but Floyd’s persistence paid off. The man agreed to hire him if he could sign up the next person who walked through the door. It proved to be a challenge, but Floyd’s powers of persuasion won out and, much to the gym owner’s surprise, he got the new client to agree to a contract for training one day a week.
Floyd was hired.
Over the next several years, Floyd developed his own system for training, a method for successfully transforming the human body at a faster, higher rate.
Eventually, he found himself working as a trainer in Ponte Vedra Beach, where he made an important contact.
Floyd met former Jacksonville Jaguars safety Josh Evans at a football game where both of their sons were teammates. Evans was looking to get back into the NFL and, learning that Floyd was a trainer, signed up.
The NFL gig didn’t pan out and Floyd asked his friend what he planned to do going forward.
That’s when the men decided to open a gym, and the rest is history. Level Up Fitness Jax has been at 311 10th Ave. North, Jacksonville Beach, for five years now.
For more information, call the gym at 904-738-0034 or go to levelupfitnessjax.com.
