Blog Post #1: The Who, the Why, and the How

Welcome to Franz Fitness!  I’m excited to have you check out my blog.  I wanted to take this first opportunity to introduce you to Franz Fitness:  who we are, what we aim to do, and why we exist!

The Who

I want to start by introducing myself.  I am David Franz, the founder of Franz Fitness.  As I grew up, I took an interest in wrestling, which took me all the way through high school.  I also took an interest in tennis and cross country, but nothing quite stuck like wrestling did.  When it came time to apply to colleges and everyone asked me what I wanted to study, I stumbled upon this gem called “Exercise Science,” which enabled me to spend the next four years studying how to optimize human performance, develop programs, and help people enjoy better lives through strength and conditioning.

While in college, I went through two internships: one with members of the senior population and one with executives at a corporate wellness center.  Sure, I wanted to work with the athletes, but those internships were highly competitive, and all I heard those interns talk about was how they had these early morning hours with the athletes and then spent the rest of their days just setting up weights and cleaning the facilities, and how they often ended up feeling chained to the facility for twelve-hour days, at the very least.

Following college, I took a leap of faith to root myself in Columbus and start my career as a personal trainer.  While in Columbus, the wrestling bug caught up to me again, and I had to do something closely related.  I spent almost every day at my internship watching and learning from Jiu Jitsu videos, and I found a reputable academy in Columbus and joined it.

While working at a big box gym in Columbus, I decided to take another risk: I sought out an unpaid internship as an adult college graduate with bills to pay, something a lot of people seemed scared to do, but one of the best things I could have done.  I was fortunate to find a small strength and conditioning gym that gave me the opportunity to work with youth athletes, professional athletes, as well as general population adult clients.  After the internship came to an end and I had soaked up all they had to teach me, the owners of the gym offered me a job, which I accepted.  As I write this blog post, I am still working at that small gym, where I have easily learned as much as I learned while I was in college.  I still currently practice Jiu Jitsu, and in both the coaching that I do and the martial arts that I practice, I seek to learn as much as I can, not only to help myself grow, but also to be a resource for those I am fortunate enough to work alongside.

The Why

At Franz Fitness, we realize that the freedoms we enjoy are never truly free.  People sacrifice day in and day out for all of us to enjoy the lives that we do.  Our goal is to work with the tactical community, including military personnel, law enforcement, EMTs, and fire fighters. Combat athletes such as wrestlers, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioners, and mixed martial artists are also a part of the tactical community that we hope to serve.  While we have our areas of specialization, our goal is to help any athlete improve his or her performance and to help any adult improve his or her life through strength and conditioning training.

We realize the world is full of coaches and trainers so you might wonder, “What makes you the option that is best for me?”

Following my time as an undergrad, I also went on to get my Personal Training Certification with the American College of Sport Medicine.  I am also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association.  And I am a Tactical Strength and Conditioning Facilitator certified with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. 

These certifications, together with my formal education in the field of exercise science, my experience as a former wrestler and current Jiu Jitsu practitioner, have helped me build a solid understanding of the very real demands made of athletes and tactical professionals. And I am here to do what I can to help get you optimally prepared for the challenges of your discipline.

The How

We will be offering a variety of programs that clients can purchase and begin to implement in their own home or training facility. Those programs will vary, depending on what demographic a specific client might fall into as well as what goals each client sets for himself or herself.

We are working to develop membership options for those who want to build regularity and consistency, as well as longevity, into their programs.

For those who need more individualized attention, we will be offering one-on-one personal coaching via an online option with an in-person option coming soon.

Thank you for taking some time to get to know about us. 

We look forward to collaborating with you to get you one step closer to your goals!