‘I’ve always believed that everybody can train like an athlete.’

Michelle Anthony, Freeport

“I have always been and fitness into sports. I grew up playing sports. When I was younger, I played lacrosse and basketball, but track is what I went the furthest with. I ran hurdles in college. I just wanted to keep up with the fitness and athletic worlds because it was a big part of me.

“After college, I ended up going into the police academy. I became a police officer, but it wasn’t something that I loved to do. I just did it for the security and for the benefits. I ended up having my son, and I left the police department. I went to work at a gym. I was doing training on the side while I was on the job, but I went to work for a gym where I became a head trainer. Then the opportunity presented itself to open up my own space. When that gym closed down, I had a decent following, so that’s when Beast Fitness came around.

Franchising is the big goal in the future. Our location right now is small, so for this location we would love to expand.

“My partner was one of the members of the old gym I worked at. We got really close through our kids, and we decided to take the leap. She’s always wanted to open the gym as well. I’ve always wanted a gym where I could push members to their potential, where they don’t even realize that they can do certain things. I’ve always believed that everybody can train like an athlete. That’s what we try to do at Beast. People have realized their full potential at Beast, and it’s become a really great community. We provide small group personal training, so you’re getting really personal attention from all the coaches. We have high-intensity interval training and strength classes. We also provide nutrition coaching and personal training.

“The first lady I delivered to was sitting on her front porch with her friends and neighbors. I felt uncomfortable, because I didn’t want to interfere, but I felt right doing this. I gave her the pie and said, ‘I’m so sorry about your husband.’ It was about a week and a half after Sept. 11, and she said, ‘My husband isn’t dead; he’s a very strong man.’ Her saying that made me more apprehensive — I wondered, ‘Am I doing the right thing here?’ Because no matter how strong he was, I knew he had probably died.

“Franchising is the big goal in the future. Our location right now is small, so for this location we would love to expand. We have a wide range of demographics, from people who’ve never worked out a day in their life to people who are avid fitness goers. We offer modifications for all the exercises, or if you’re looking to challenge yourself a little more, we offer that, too. As hard as it is owning a business, this is what I’ve always wanted to do. We’ve been growing slowly but steadily. It has been nice how we’ve been growing. Our one-year anniversary is coming up July. I am living my dream.”

Interviewed by Victoria Bell