Learn More About Infinity

Cory

Hey, we're here with Brian Oberther, one of the owners of Infinity Athletics. I'm just going to ask him some quick questions just to kind of clear the air, to figure out what exactly Infinity Athletics is. Basically finding out what we're about, what we stand for, and you know, we'll kind of just dive right into it. So, Brian, you ready?

Brian

Yes, sir.

Cory

Okay, so first question, what exactly is Infinity Athletics?

Brian

Yeah, this is a question we get quite a bit. There are so many different iterations of gyms these days. And in Infinity Athletics, we view it as way more than a gym. First off, it is a personal training studio. And while many of you probably know what that is by now, just to give a little bit of detail on what a personal training studio does and what it can do for you. 

Basically, we break down fitness into an individual level that any gym bigger than a training studio has a hard time doing. So we start each client off with an assessment and a consultation, and that allows us to develop a relationship with that client and get an idea of exactly what they need. And then we develop from scratch a program for them that will include both strength and conditioning exercises in a well-templated plan and also some corrective exercises to not only help people after an injury, but try to make each client more resilient and stave off injury. 

So it's often easy to say what something is and it's almost better to say what it isn't. And what Infinity Athletics isn't, is it's not an open gym where people pay a membership and come in and work out on their own. It's not a class studio where people come in and they follow a cycling instructor led type of class.

It's not CrossFit where you are doing a “workout of the day,” a one size fits all cookie cutter workout, and beyond that, one of the things that we've really tried to do over the years is build a strong community. So, beyond a fitness facility, we view ourselves as almost a social club where we get together regularly with our clients whether it's a potluck or an outing of some sort, we've really been fortunate to develop a really good community within our doors.

Cory

Love it. It's amazing. Next question, what separates Infinity Athletics from other gyms in the Capital District?

Brian

Well in, in the capital district , we have one location and then in Ithaca, we have another, and within both of those communities, there is no shortage of other gyms and trainers in the area. What I think separates us is first off, it starts with the trainers. Every single trainer that wears the Infinity Athletics coach shirt has put in a tremendous amount of effort to ensure that they can deliver the best client experience. But also beyond that, they are highly educated, they're certified, they take their job very seriously, but they are also very welcoming and nonjudgmental. One of the things that we're often told by clients who have been with us for a long time is that they're surprised at just how welcoming of an environment we've created.

And we take great pride in that because we believe that there should be no gatekeepers to fitness. And a lot of times people are intimidated when they walk into a typical commercial gym or maybe a CrossFit gym. And you know, we understand that. So we really put a great amount of effort into rising above the judgment and allowing everyone to feel comfortable and at home. The other thing is we've developed quite a good relationship with other community members (particularly in the medical field). So we have a good enough relationship to send them referrals if we have a client with an injury that's beyond our scope, we have a good network of people that can take care of that person. And likewise, we often will receive referrals  from physical therapists and occupational therapists and chiropractors because we're trusted members of the community.

And we can help people not only with fat loss and getting stronger and faster, but we can also help them after an injury and get out of, and to get out of pain.

Cory

Love it. Now you mentioned the trainers and some of the stuff that they have to go through and the hours that they put in. Can you tell me a little bit about the trainers at the studio?

Brian

Yeah, like I said, each one of the trainers has been highly vetted. There are many applicants that have come through over the years and we're very selective in who we end up hiring and it is a very difficult process, but basically what that means is we trust them completely to train our own clients as if I was going to send my mom through a trainer, I would trust 100% of the Infinity trainers to be able to deliver not only a good session, but a very safe one, and to be able to understand the limitations of each individual client. 

Each of the trainers is CPPS certified. It's one of the most rigorous certifications in the fitness industry. And it gives each of the trainers the tools to be able to do an assessment, develop a corrective exercise plan, and develop a solid programming template. We always talk about, it's not the workout, it's the program. Anyone could deliver a good workout. You could come through the doors and get tired and do a lot of reps of specific exercises. But that's like playing one note in a song, you know, programming to us is like composing a beautiful song with many moving parts. So each of the trainers has really shown to us that they have both the capability and the desire to rise to that occasion.