How and why we expanded to a second location.
Troy Record, July 11, 2011

COLONIE — “Let’s do this!” thought Jason Ackerman, owner of Albany Crossfit, after many of his clients had asked him to open up a new facility in Clifton Park. Albany Crossfit has seen their successes in an exceedingly short amount of time when they opened for business four years ago. They recently expanded to include a new location at Clifton Park.

“Clifton Park seemed like the natural progression. It’s far enough that it can draw in an entirely new crowd of clientele, yet close enough we don’t mind commuting and some of our current members can take advantage of both gyms,” Ackerman said. “We did some research and found there was nothing in Clifton Park quite like we do.”

Providing an alternative to the traditional gym experience, Albany Crossfit offers a challenging training program, which changes on a daily basis with varied strength training and functional movements at a high intensity level.

They took over the Tae Kwon Do studio, where Master Pai moved his facility to the back of the building so Albany Crossfit could make use of the space in the front. Ackerman said it took three months to complete the renovations.

“We had to put walls up, [installed] new bathrooms. We had a brand new pull-up station built, lots of painting and a lot of [other] little things,” he said. “At Albany Crossfit, we did much of this over time, but we had a better idea of what we wanted with this being our second location so we just did it right away.”

Albany Crossfit has a few distinctions that make them different from other fitness centers in the area; the biggest difference being that they genuinely care.

“We love our athletes, we want them to show up and be the best they can be. If we don’t see them, we call, text, or e-mail. This is our passion and it is very evident to all of our members,” Ackerman said. “Secondly, we provide results. Crossfit, plain and simple works. It’s hard work, but it works.”

To demonstrate their transparency and to maintain the integrity of their business, they offer a free trial period for people interested in becoming new members; this allows people to come in and see their state-of-the-art equipment and what goes on the classes.

Once a person signs up to be a member, they are required to go through their ‘On-Ramp’ program. For two weeks, the fitness instructors teach new members how to perform the movements safely and efficiently as well as give them a good understanding of the methodology of Crossfit.

If someone’s goal is to lose 30 pounds, a fitness expert will sit down with them and discuss their options and strategies to not only lose the weight but keep the weight off.

When someone graduates and if they feel comfortable enough in their ability to handle the exercise routines then they can attend the classes.

“What most people don’t understand is we have all shapes, sizes, ages, and athletic abilities,” Ackerman said. “Crossfit is not only for the young and already in-shape. Some of our best athletes are 50 plus years old or have lost over 20 pounds. CrossFit is for everyone.”

The staff works hard to keep a positive atmosphere and to provide a strong sense of community among members. Ackerman said that he has created a place where everybody knows each other by name. It’s not uncommon for members to strike up a friendship, go out and travel together. Some have even gotten married.

“One of the things that are really remarkable about Crossfit, to me, is the comradarie… It is what makes these workouts possible,” said Sandra Goldmeer, posted on Albany Crossfit’s website. “I cannot IMAGINE, even with all the same equipment at my disposal, doing these level and intensity of workouts at my normal Gym. I just wouldn’t push myself the same way. I feel very fortunate to have found Crossfit… ”

Many of the common mistakes that people make after they’ve been working out for a while Ackerman said is slowly letting their bad habits creep back into their lifestyle. Anyone who diets and exercises know that exercise alone will not keep the weight off.

“Lucky for us Crossfit is such a great support system, once our athletes lose weight, they generally keep it off for good!” he said.

For more information about Albany Crossfit and its new location at 1580 Route 9, Clifton Park, call 250-9348 or visit the website, www.albanycrossfit.com.