Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Rodarte and Rodney Martin Jr.
Veronica and Rodney, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Alpha Uno Athletics originated in our home garage with only one barbell and a few plates in 2018. We wanted to help members who wanted to change or simply wanted to use this lifestyle as a hobby. We were helping so many people accomplish their goals and they loved the experience we were giving them from our home garage that word of mouth was spreading very quickly. Our number of members grew so quickly that we went from giving one on one private to four members to 1 instruction (Rodney) in a tiny hot room. By the end of 2019, we outgrew our garage gym that it was time that Rodney and I (Veronica) started looking for an actual location so that we can all be able to fit comfortably and receive new incoming members.
In January of 2020, we found our gym location in the city of Inglewood. All of our members were excited to see our gym location and were excited to see how much we have grown. When we opened our doors to our location in Inglewood, we had more possible members inquiring about our services and memberships. Here we attracted people of all ages from toddlers to the elderly and people of all backgrounds. We were meant to have this location because the city of Inglewood needed a change, needed a gym in the community that would bring everyone together! Sad to say that shortly after opening our doors, we had to postpone our Grand Opening (that yet has still to occur) because of COVID-19.
Despite the pandemic, our members were still very dedicated and motivated that they followed us and wanted to do the virtual workouts via Zoom. We were teaching different classes such as our Alpha Pups class which is for kids, Olympic Weightlifting using house accessories, HIIT and Sports Performance all virtual. Thanks to all of our members, we were able to keep our doors open during and after this pandemic. Now that we are open again, our members are going all in again and giving it their all. We have now become even more of a family than just a community. We are a “Strong Alphamilia!”
Has it been a smooth road?
We have definitely not had a smooth road, but neither have we struggled to the point of considering giving up. One of our struggles in the beginning was trying to buy some of the equipment in the beginning because we started off with a small amount of members and we did not have enough money to buy more equipment. Our members definitely believed in us and did not give up on us and continue to come and support us. Our second struggle was making sure that the pandemic this year in 2020 would not shut us down. We were a bit nervous at first because the pandemic happened in the beginning of 2020 and we had just received the keys to our new gym location in January. We were afraid we were not going to make it out just like other small businesses. Thanks to our loyal members, we made it and are now stronger!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Alpha Uno Athletics – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Our business is a small fitness center black and brown owned. What makes us different than other gyms is that we are both a young couple who are passionate about what we do. We love helping others accomplish their goals, especially watching their face expressions when they accomplish something they thought was not possible. We are located in Inglewood where you really don’t see gyms like ours that offer HIIT, Olympic Lifting, Sports Performance and Kids classes under the same roof. We want to bring the community of Inglewood together and show them that working out does not have to be this strenuous exercise that you don’t like. Exercise can be fun if you pick the right one! We have women in our gym who have never been exposed to weightlifting and when we exposed them to this sport, they loved it and all they take now is Olympic Weightlifting. We have Hispanic older people who are breaking the stereotype of “just because I’m old, I can’t work out.” We have one member who is an elder women she is approximately in her early 60’s and she one day decided to join our gym and since has not stopped coming. She has inspired our younger crowd to push themselves and get out of their comfort zone because if she can do it, anybody can.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What we like best about our city is that our members come together and cheer everyone on when we are working out rather than competing with each other. We cheer each other on and care so much about each other that our members even suggested we create a shirt that says, “Strong Alphamilia.” What we like least about our city is that there is not enough “healthy” options being provided in this city. We are surrounded by fast food places and unhealthy options. We are trying to teach our members that we can make healthy options at home and also teach them about exercise. We explain that if you have a bad diet, it will definitely impact your workout and the way you feel while working out.
Contact Info:
- Address: 129 W. Arbor Vitae St
Inglewood CA 90301 - Website: www.alphaunoathletics.com
- Phone: 310-895-5079
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alphaunoathletics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlphaUnoAthletics/
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