May 8, 2017

Meet Steve Steinberg of Charles River Fitness in Waltham

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Steinberg.

Steve, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always been fascinated with the way the human body works and how — sometimes — it doesn’t work. Growing up as a sports fan, I was amazed at the way some boxers or hitters in baseball could generate so much power while others — even if they were bigger guys — couldn’t. About twenty years ago, I got into martial arts and started really experimenting with movement and mechanics. I started teaching Taekwondo and realized I really liked teaching and connecting with people, so I became certified as a trainer. In almost twenty years in the fitness industry, I’ve built a successful business, written two books (one of which was later translated and released in Korea), been a contributing editor at Men’s Journal magazine, and have written for and have been featured in articles for websites like CNN.com and WebMD.com. And I’ve met about a zillion incredibly cool people along the way.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’m guessing every business has its horror stories. There are the obvious struggles — building up a clientele, maintaining that clientele, not only doing the actual training part of the business, but also doing the business part of the business. Late in 2014, the lease situation at my previous location changed and I was forced to find a new location. In a six week period, I found a new place, rebranded, formed an LLC, and moved all of my equipment. Looking back, it’s a total blur. I think I used up every karmic point I’d accumulated in my entire life to get things done. Stuff was being set up literally as the paint was drying and the rugs were being installed. Thanks to some amazing friends, though, I was able to open up on January 2, 2015 in an incredible new space. Waltham is a fantastic location. Not only are there great people locally, but being so close to Route 128 and the Mass Pike lets Charles River Fitness draw in folks from all over New England. Oh, and Moody Street has some amazing restaurants.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Charles River Fitness – what should we know?
I’m obsessed with details. It’s a quirk that probably annoys the heck out of a lot people in my life, but it’s a really good quirk to have as a trainer. A client is only going to progress as well as a training program will allow them to. The more a program is geared towards their specific body, postural issues, medical history, and goals, the faster they’ll feel and see results. I pride myself on being able to laser-focus exercises, drills, and movements on a client’s current condition to make sure that everything that we do is helping them towards their goals without a lot of wasted energy.

Charles River Fitness is set up to optimize that progress. Most people are too intimidated to try new things in a traditional gym setting. As a result, they work on the things they’re already good at and avoid working on things they’re not as confident at. This is the opposite of fitness. You want to be “fit” to do just about anything. The key to fitness is to make your weaknesses your strengths. When I tell people in the fitness industry that I have a 1,200 square-foot studio and only work with one client at a time, they think I’m insane. (I also do two-on-one sessions and small groups.) But when someone is alone in a very relaxed and private space, they’re a lot more comfortable working on things they might have been hesitant to work on in a more public setting. That’s when the good stuff happens.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
In addition to the obvious things like knowledge and experience, I think it’s vital to be a good listener and to have empathy. You need to be able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand what it must feel like to get older, be injured, be frustrated trying to lose weight, want to make a college team more than anything else in the world, etc. Working with a client is a partnership; it’s not a dictatorship. Real results come from a client and a trainer having confidence and trust in each other. I’m also a goofball, so that helps, too.

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