wordplay: JJ
image: Jonathan Shoup

The motto for the new Inner Strength Fitness Gym (2115 S. Birch St., one block west of Evans and I-25) is “You don’t have to be a fighter to train like one.” And thanks to the gym’s innovative approach to fitness, you don’t have to be a professional athlete to exercise with professionals, as well as enjoy the benefits of a professional gym.

There is, however, plenty of fuel for fight at Inner Strength, where superior equipment and facilities lend large advantage to those training in the mixed martial arts.

“(Inner Strength Fitness Gym) is a state-of-the-art gym,” said Sven Bean, the king promoter of Colorado MMA and the ringmaster (CEO and founder, if you will) of ultimate fighting circuit, the Ring of Fire. “There’s no other gym like it in Colorado, as far as equipment goes.  It’s the first gym of its kind in that it combines fitness, conditioning and MMA training all in one.”

According to Bean, the gym is unique in that athletes looking to train in MMA can find not only fight training at Inner Strength, but cardiovascular, bodybuilding, power-lifting and nutritional training, as well.

“We’re trying to incorporate some of our knowledge from bodybuilding and power lifting and integrate that into MMA training, along with our knowledge of diet and nutrition, which has been a huge missing link in MMA training up until now,” said co-owner Chris Williamson.

“Every single person in here knows really, really well about nutrition and supplements,” said trainer Nicole Espinoza. “It’s not just about the workout. We try to make it a lifestyle.”

Owners Williamson, Scott Williams and Scott DeMers also bring years of experience into the gym and, teamed with Bean, have launched a new approach to training in what is quickly becoming one of the world’s most popular sports.

“We’re a gym with a pulse, if you will,” Williamson said. “We took an old-school gym mentality mixed in with new school technology and we meshed them together.”

Some of the technology beneficial to MMA training includes grappling mats, the ring, the cardio, the fitness area, the posing room, the pyramid and the climbing wall, and all at a fraction of the cost of most MMA facilities.

“It’s definitely set up to be a hardcore gym, meaning it’s set up for the serious athletes like MMA fighters or the serious bodybuilders,” said Inner Strength trainer and professional MMA fighter Brandon Thatch. “Yet we also cater to the people like the Cherry Creek moms and others that might not be ready to compete. It’s for the everyday Joes but it’s also made for the serious athletes.”

Thatch and fellow Coloradan Kenneth Ivan represented the Rocky Mountain state Sept. 20 in Los Angeles, when Bean’s ROF teamed up with Strike Force for a show at Hugh Hefner’s coveted Playboy Mansion. Strike Force will return the favor when ROF presents their next show, October 3rd, at the Broomfield Events Center.

“I’ve just built those relationships and so when they’re looking for (a fighter) they look to me to provide them,” Bean said. “They know if they’ve done well in the ROF, that they’re ready for high-level fights.”

The October 3rd show in Broomfield will feature The New York Badass, Phil Baroni, UFC and PPV veterans Frank Trigg and Pete “The Secret Weapon” Sprat, and Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson, to name a few. But the main event proves to be the most thrilling, as veteran and local favorite Dwayne Ludwig takes on the talented Sam Morgan in a long-awaited rematch.

“Three years ago Morgan knocked him out in front of his home crowd,” Bean said. “They’ve both gone on to do bigger and better things but it’s always been a thorn in Dwayne’s side, that particular loss.”

The fact that Bean’s ROF circuit finds continued success in Colorado and beyond is no mystery. MMA fighting has shown increased demand and continues to grow as national media attention grows.

“ROF is known as the top of the B-level shows out there,” Bean said. “My opinion of that is B-level is just A-level without the exposure. The guys are there and the fights are just as good.”

In an interview in September’s Playboy Magazine, UFC founder Dana White said that MMA fighting has surpassed hockey in popularity and may soon become more popular than baseball or basketball, even.

“I’m truly committed to this as a sport, and to these guys as athletes,” Bean said. “MMA is definitely a very high-level sport that is exciting and kind of dangerous. But at the same time, no matter what, as long as it’s promoted correctly it is a sport, and not a spectacle.”

And thus the demand for a gym of Inner Strength’s caliber. “The need is there and because we fill that need, we are a one-of-a-kind gym,” Bean said.
 
Inner Strength Fitness Gym offers a number of packages for members, including monthly rates and lump punch cards, which are convenient for those members who might not be able to make the most of a monthly membership.
 
“As soon as people see the facilities, it sells itself,” Williamson said.  “As soon as you come in here you can see it’s a serious training facility and people are here to work.”

October 3rd @ Broomfield Event Center

InnerStrengthFitness.com

StrikeforceUSA.net

ROFMMA.com