BOLD Personal Training in Battle Ground has done its part to keep the community active, even during an era of regular quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic which has, at times, kept people inside their homes.
BOLD’s owner, Karen King, opened the personal training business after she became disillusioned with crammed gym settings.
“I started over at Battle Ground Fitness as a personal trainer and I wanted to get out of the whole ‘everybody watching the group’ kind of stuff,” King said. “I wanted to have my own equipment and no interruptions, as it was really personal.”
King said she opened her own personal training studio in her garage, and then held group classes in Battle Ground Village. Since group classes weren’t her niche, she then opened BOLD in 2011. The company was able to gain clients through word of mouth, which happened to work in their favor. The business’ website has also been a useful tool in attracting clients.
Both King and Matessa Shold, another trainer at BOLD, have loved fitness since childhood. King started riding her bike to work as a teenager, which kept her active, while Shold credits her passion for fitness to the way she grew up.
“In my house, you would do a sport, stay busy and stay out of trouble,” she said.
One thing King emphasizes when lifting weights, which she specializes in, is having the proper form.
“If you got the correct form and angle, you’ll be able to do well and build from that,” King said. “But if you have the incorrect form, you’re probably going to get injured and not be able to lift later.”
King has also trained triathlon athletes, which she can relate to because she herself has trained her body to exhaustion just like they do. She has taken part in Ironman competitions like the 2018 Elbaman race and the 2015 Ironman Whistler, as well as the 2017 NPC Figure Competition, which is for bodybuilding.
“If I’ve been through it myself, then I could relate to most people’s goals,” King said.
Shold said the trainers never push clients to do things they haven’t done before.
The trainers do what they can to keep their clients on task, but aim to make the experience fun. Those interested in becoming clients just have to fill out an online form. One of the trainers will then call the person to set up training sessions.
Currently, King has 20 clients, while Shold has about 12. Ingri Degroote, another trainer, has about 12 clients as well.
BOLD serves a wide range of clients, with the youngest being 12 and the oldest being 85. The male to female ratio is set at about 20 to 80 percent respectively, according to King and Shold.
“Age makes no difference in strength,” Shold said. “It’s all about consistency, and I think that’s why we’re here, which is to get people consistent and hold themselves accountable in their goals, and ultimately, get them strong and healthy.”
For more information, go online to boldtrainingonline.com.
