The first local class was held Aug. 2 at Movement Church on Cutshaw Ave. (Michael Thompson)
Kevin Hsu debuted this week the first local class for his Fitness for Impact, a service that brings group workouts to residences and businesses, rather than having participants go to an offsite gym.
The first class was held Aug. 2 at Movement Church at 3015 Cutshaw Ave. About five people showed up to the 30-minute afternoon workout that included maneuvers such as burpees, mountain climbers and jumping jacks.
Hsu (pronounced ‘SHOO’), a former pastor and personal trainer, launched Fitness for Impact in California’s Bay Area last year with classes at a school, day care center, senior center and local park.
Kevin Hsu
“I just consistently saw that a lot of people could not do it or didn’t have time for it,” Hsu said of why people wouldn’t exercise on their own.
Fitness for Impact isn’t Hsu’s only mission. He also helps train church leaders through a position with the International Mission Board, which has a headquarters on Monument Avenue.
In June, Hsu moved to the West End with his wife and four kids. He said he was lured to Richmond by friends who live in the area and the potential to grow his fitness business and continue with his church work.
Hsu, 34, is moving into a crowded gym market in Richmond that includes big name brands like Gold’s Gym and Crunch Fitness, regional chains like ACAC and American Family Fitness, and niche operators catering to stationary cyclists and CrossFit junkies.
As he settles into his new home, Hsu hopes he can fill a niche in the area’s fitness scene.
“There are already a lot of gyms out there,” Hsu said. “This is for those that feel it’s a little too busy or too inconvenient.”
For now classes with Fitness for Impact are free but will eventually cost $10 to drop-in or $64 for eight classes a month. The venture’s current and only host is Movement Church at the Cutshaw Avenue site. Hsu said he is in talks with residents and businesses to add more sites for classes, which can be open or closed to the public.
Hsu is getting a corporate fitness specialist certification from National Corporate Fitness Institute. He hopes the certification will help him design nutrition and fitness plans for companies looking to encourage workers to improve their health.
Hsu said he hopes to eventually hire trainers and host classes remotely using live videos. A storefront of his own isn’t out of the question but for the time being Fitness for Impact will stay on the move.
“The mobile personal professional is really what I want to be right now,” he said.
The first local class was held Aug. 2 at Movement Church on Cutshaw Ave. (Michael Thompson)
Kevin Hsu debuted this week the first local class for his Fitness for Impact, a service that brings group workouts to residences and businesses, rather than having participants go to an offsite gym.
The first class was held Aug. 2 at Movement Church at 3015 Cutshaw Ave. About five people showed up to the 30-minute afternoon workout that included maneuvers such as burpees, mountain climbers and jumping jacks.
Hsu (pronounced ‘SHOO’), a former pastor and personal trainer, launched Fitness for Impact in California’s Bay Area last year with classes at a school, day care center, senior center and local park.
Kevin Hsu
“I just consistently saw that a lot of people could not do it or didn’t have time for it,” Hsu said of why people wouldn’t exercise on their own.
Fitness for Impact isn’t Hsu’s only mission. He also helps train church leaders through a position with the International Mission Board, which has a headquarters on Monument Avenue.
In June, Hsu moved to the West End with his wife and four kids. He said he was lured to Richmond by friends who live in the area and the potential to grow his fitness business and continue with his church work.
Hsu, 34, is moving into a crowded gym market in Richmond that includes big name brands like Gold’s Gym and Crunch Fitness, regional chains like ACAC and American Family Fitness, and niche operators catering to stationary cyclists and CrossFit junkies.
As he settles into his new home, Hsu hopes he can fill a niche in the area’s fitness scene.
“There are already a lot of gyms out there,” Hsu said. “This is for those that feel it’s a little too busy or too inconvenient.”
For now classes with Fitness for Impact are free but will eventually cost $10 to drop-in or $64 for eight classes a month. The venture’s current and only host is Movement Church at the Cutshaw Avenue site. Hsu said he is in talks with residents and businesses to add more sites for classes, which can be open or closed to the public.
Hsu is getting a corporate fitness specialist certification from National Corporate Fitness Institute. He hopes the certification will help him design nutrition and fitness plans for companies looking to encourage workers to improve their health.
Hsu said he hopes to eventually hire trainers and host classes remotely using live videos. A storefront of his own isn’t out of the question but for the time being Fitness for Impact will stay on the move.
“The mobile personal professional is really what I want to be right now,” he said.