In business to help people

After 20 years, David Thomas loves what he does at Total Fitness Consultants

Very few small businesses in America survive for very long.

Approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years, 45% fail during the first five years and 65% during the first 10 years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Not only that, but only 25% of new businesses last 15 years or more.

However, David Thomas has beaten the odds with his enterprise, Total Fitness Consultants, a training facility.

In June, Thomas will celebrate his 20th anniversary in business in Mountain Brook, where he has two locations—one in Crestline and the other in Mountain Brook Village.

At Total Fitness Consultants, Thomas — a certified CSCS, or strength and conditioning specialist — offers personalized, one-on-one training.

He and his seven other trainers design individual programs for athletes, weekend warriors and people of any age or ability, including those who are exercising seriously for the first time in years.

And after 25 years working in the industry, Thomas feels strongly that he has followed the right career path.

“I enjoy what I do and started working in this field at age 21,” he said. “I have enjoyed helping the many people we have, developing the relationships I have, being a part of the community and growing something that has been able to help so many over the years.”

Thomas earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Montevallo in 1996 and worked as the strength and conditioning coach at the school from 1997 to 2001.

He then earned a master’s degree in physical education and exercise physiology at Montevallo in 1999.

Thomas opened Total Fitness Consultants in Mountain Brook Village in June 2001 at the same Culver Road location where he’s now located.

He opened a second location on Dexter Avenue in Crestline Village in 2004, moving to his current Crestline location in 2009.

In about 2012, Thomas sold the Mountain Brook Village location to one of his trainers but bought it back in December.

“We closed it down for a month and gutted it, redid it, and opened again in January,” he said.

It is important in working with clients to have a complete or holistic approach due to the uniqueness of each person, Thomas said.

“Obviously, everybody is different, so everybody’s goals are different, and everybody’s fitness level is different, so we can take all those different types of things and try to create a program for where they are,” he said.

As part of this approach, Total Fitness uses a wide range of equipment, including free weights, machines and bands.

“You are going to get a better workout by diversifying your workout and using a lot of different varieties and modalities,” Thomas said. “We use all to make a complete program.”

Total Fitness specializes in one-on-one and partner workouts with no group classes “That’s our sweet spot,” Thomas said.

The trainers also do a complete assessment of the clients when they begin working with them.

“We design the program according to the needs of the clients, as well as what we see during that assessment that needs work,” Thomas said. “The assessment varies according to the age and fitness level and needs of the client.”

Total Fitness welcomes clients of all ages, as well.

“We typically start work with clients at 12 years of age and have had some work with us at age 75 or 80,” Thomas said. “Because our program is specific for each client it makes it possible to target and help people at all levels and walks of life and fitness levels.”

“An older adult assessment would look much different than that of a high school athlete training for a sport,” he said.

Thomas and his other trainers often work with clients who have been sedentary or have not been near a gym for years.

They try to make sure these people are comfortable as they begin to exercise again.

“We go at the pace that is comfortable for the client and, through slow progression, we take steps each session to make progress,” Thomas said.

Thomas also has a strong background in working with athletes, including those who are in rehabilitation after an injury.

“We have many athletes as well as adults who come in because of previous injuries, and we can help bridge a gap from where they were and after physical therapy has concluded and add some of the physical therapy into their program,” Thomas said.

Thomas works with a lot of athletes in high school and junior high school who are seeking to improve their performance.

“High school kids are competitive,” he said. “They do want to get better.”

With the younger kids, it’s important to show them the proper way to train or work out.

“The junior high kids, it’s more like a learning curve, trying to teach them how to do everything correctly,” Thomas said. “When they are 12, 13 and 14, and as they pursue and grow through puberty, they need that foundation laid to do things correctly.”

It is also rewarding to see people hit their fitness goals.

“Seeing someone come to use our services that hasn’t worked out on a regular basis or is frustrated with their current levels and seeing them evolve and get in shape and feel and look better is very rewarding for us,” Thomas said.

“We are in this business to help people,” he said. “We take a lot of gratification having people tell us how much better they feel and look and how they enjoy exercise and how it helps them in daily life or their sport success, if they are involved.”

The success of Total Fitness stems in part from the design of the individual training program they’ve set up, Thomas said

He also praises his other trainers.

“I have been blessed with a good staff that shares the vision I have to create a comprehensive program to help people at all levels regardless of where they are,” he said.

Mountain Brook has also provided a supportive environment for the business.

The community “has been amazing for us,” Thomas said. “The referrals that our clients send us is one of the main reasons for our success. It is such an amazing community that supports small and community-based business.”

He also enjoys Crestline Village and Mountain Brook Village.

“As a resident and business owner, it makes me very happy to be a part of both,” he said.

Total Fitness Consultants

Total Fitness Consultants has two locations, at 204 Country Club Park in Crestline Village and 2833 Culver Road in Mountain Brook Village.

For more information, call 205-871-7744 or go to totalfit.org or Facebook @TotalFitnessConsultants.