These Gyms Have Decades Of Service, And Proven Success, In Austin

AUSTIN – Haider Laghari has encountered almost every situation you can think of as a co-owner and operator of a popular gym off South First Street.

Take a recent Friday, for example. Laghari’s general manager of HEAT Bootcamp, Lina Nguyen, pops into his office and tells him there’s “a situation” outside. The 29-year-old Laghari finds a woman who’s nicked another car in the parking lot. She’s catty-cornered into a spot that looks nearly impossible to back out of.

“Can you get that out?” she says of the mark.

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like much,” Laghari replies, adding, “let me find the owner.”

A few minutes later, with the owner of the struck-car now satisfied with a scratch that likely will come out with some buffering, things move along.

“All in a day’s work,” Laghari says.

Naturally, it’s another reason why HEAT Bootcamp has survived so well in a booming neighborhood right off Bouldin Creek, in a city that’s ever changing.

Crisis management. Strong customer service.

Very few gyms in Austin can claim to be in service for 20 years or more, but HEAT Bootcamp, along with others like CrossFit Central, Castle Hill Fitness, GrassIron Gym and the Pilates Center of Austin, can do just that.

“We remain true to ourselves,” says Laghari, who purchased the existing operation three years ago from Cody Butler. “It’s like a neighborhood gym. It’s one of the things that really is important to us. We always say, ‘Stay human.’ We’re a business, but we try not to act like it.”

Here is each gym’s story.

Behind The History At HEAT Bootcamp

The origins of HEAT Bootcamp began in 2005, in a building that reportedly “used to house one of Willie Nelson’s old recording studios,” Laghari said.

After a few location changes, it found its present home at 2210 South First Street, sandwiched in the corner of an L-shaped building also occupied by a JuiceLand. It’s been there for 12 years.

Laghari bought the business from Butler in 2021, building upon an idea that began as a personal training outlet at Zilker Park and morphed into a personal training powerhouse. A native of England who grew up in Louisiana and spent years working in consulting, Laghari was 26 when he arrived in Austin and bought the gym just six months into his tenure in the city.

“I had always dreamed of being an entrepreneur,” he said.

HEAT is standard in that it offers memberships to its clientele, including monthly packages for its bootcamp and personal training services—four times a month, eight times a month and unlimited, for price-points at $79, $139 and $169. Co-founder Danny Prasarnphanich, a former fine dining chef, bought in as a co-owner two years ago after being a member for seven years. He’s one of the gym’s lead trainers.

But where the gym really finds its groove is in how it serves its clients. Laghari says there are some members that have been with the gym as long as 16 years, totaling over 1,000 classes over their histories.

Having started tracking client-journeys in 2017, Laghari can look at the HEAT database and see that Todd, one of the gym’s most loyal members, has logged over 1,600 classes. In fact, he says, Todd even helped HEAT find its current location—”he’s a commercial real estate guy that offered to help us,” Laghari said, adding, “This entire place has been built off of like members pitching in to help out.”

Then there’s the gym’s most important story. Five years ago, when COVID ravaged the fitness-space and forced a third of studios to shut down nationally, per a study by the Health and Fitness Association, HEAT was nearing that end, too.

Until, of course, its members stood up and offered to “keep charging them no matter how long” the pandemic lasted. Laghari said the gym loaned out its equipment to members and posted daily workouts on YouTube to keep its clients engaged. “There’s no way we could have survived without their generosity at that time,” he said.

Every day, clients can work toward their fitness goals and improve in their health journeys. One of the core success stories in its 20 years of operation centers around its principles of personal training. But HEAT Bootcamp also makes sure to live by the idea of treating everyone right—all the time.

“I do feel like the key to life is just a smile and a good attitude,” Laghari said. “That’s 80-percent of the battle.”

Photo Credit: Weston Carls

Photo Credit: Weston Carls

Photo Credit: Weston Carls

Photo Credit: Weston Carls

Photo Credit: Weston Carls

Austin CrossFit Central Is One Of The Originals In The CrossFit Story

Few gyms in the United States can claim to be among the first affiliates into the CrossFit space. But Jeremy Thiel and Cary Kepler—a brother and sister tandem in Austin who opened CrossFit Central nearly 20 years ago—have always been ahead of the game.

“We were one of the first 50 affiliates in the world and the first in Texas,” Thiel told Austin Fit Magazine recently.

Natives of Lubbock, Texas, the siblings began their operation in 2005. Joining forces from different sides of the fitness industry—one in personal training and the other in strength-based training—Thiel said they ran “bootcamps and recreational spaces in Austin” for the first year and a half.

“It was very much a mom and pop, sister and brother duo,” he said.

Then in 2006, a fully-formed idea was hatched. The pair signed a lease on their first CrossFit Central location in North Austin. Today, the pair operate two gyms off of 6205 Burnet Road and another closer to downtown on 410 Pressler Street. CrossFit, an incredibly popular functional training program that inspired the CrossFit Games in 2007, keeps going strong.

Thiel says the basis of the gym’s success over the last two decades has been about its members.

“We are community driven,” Thiel said. “We are authentically meeting people where they are in their lives. We bring health and fitness that impact people, and we grow people and build relationships in the community.

One of the gym’s longest-tenured members, Tom Green, has been with CrossFit Central for 19 years,” Thiel said. “He’s in his 70s and trains with Cary (my sister),” Thiel said.

With over 600 clients across two gyms, Thiel says the company’s mission will continue.

“Community is our No. 1 feature,” he said. “We are a boutique fitness program that trains people and meets them where they are.”

Photo Credit: CrossfitCentral.com

A Castle Built Around Fitness

The visual aesthetic at Castle Hill Fitness does not disappoint. Its exterior resembles that of an old-century castle, with a crenelated roof design marked by alternating rectangular gaps.

Turns out, there’s more to this.

“There’s a structure that actually inspired the castle design,” said Rebecca Brumberg, the gym’s Marketing Manager. “Also, Castle Hill is the street right behind us.”

In operation since 2002, Castle Hill Fitness is also one of the city’s most revered fitness spots. With over 22,000 square feet of space over two floors, the gym packs in a punch, with an array of programs including cycling, pilates, yoga, training services and much more.

Brumberg says the gym has a total of 1,800 members, but there is also a huge “client base who pop in for classes and massage.” Castle Hill Fitness has remained one of the city’s top drawing-fitness gyms for one simple reason.

“We pride ourselves in keeping this old Austin charm,” said Brumberg, who represents one of the gym’s 70 employees. “Austin has changed so much. We say we’re the ‘Cheers’ of gyms. It’s a positive, empowering space that feels true to what old Austin weirdness was all about.”

Located at 1112 North Lamar Boulevard, it’s also easy to find. Just look for the castle-looking roof. Brumberg says Castle Hill Fitness offers a free 3-day trial, no commitments.

“We cater to everyone at all stages of their life,” Brumberg said. “It’s at the heart of what we do.”

More On GrassIron: Personal Training

In operation for over a decade, GrassIron offers personal and group training. Female-owned, the gym includes success stories like preparing individuals to climb Machu Picchu, completing a Tough Mudder and their first marathoners.

The gym is located at 555 North Lamar Boulevard. For more, check out its website.

More on Pilates Center of Austin

Located at 8229 Shoal Creek Boulevard, the studio has been operational for close to 30 years. Coaches at the center teach students from ages eight through 80 across all levels. Class sizes are small, and there are no membership fees. For more, check out its website.