Bellambi gym owner Karlo Banzon says the fitness community keeps him smiling – and he wants to share that feeling with others. Photo: Eco Community Fitness.
If you’re looking for a way to fall back in love with your exercise routine, Karlo Banzon could have the solution for you.
Karlo has spent more than two decades as a personal trainer, and is no stranger to those times when working out feels more like a chore than a weekly highlight.
He wanted to find a way to bring the fun of social sports into the grind of the gym, and noticed a gap in the market.
Most Crossfit competitions are held sporadically on the weekend and require competitors to travel to Sydney or further.
They’re often targeted at serious athletes, and while they can be good fun they require a level of dedication that can be hard to squeeze in around work, kids and a social life.
The solution? A weekly, social Crossfit competition hosted at Eco Community Fitness in Bellambi.
“Growing up I played a lot of sport and loved the social aspect of it,” Karlo said.
“It’s open to people from all different gyms so it gives people something to train for and the opportunity to make new friends.
“Most people who train have families. We want to keep it fun and lighthearted with a social aspect after so people can bring their kids, bring their partner and relax.”
Karlo said the plan was to run an initial four-week season to gauge interest, and if the community was keen, expand to ongoing three-month seasons.
He said the competition would provide something for everyone, to the most laid-back of hobbyists to dedicated competitiors.
“We’re going to run two different divisions so there’s an option for the guys who might want to use it as practice for competitions and do the hard stuff, and an all-inclusive division for anyone who just wants to get some fun and fitness in,” he said.
“It can also give people who have been training for a while the opportunity to build the confidence to move on to bigger events.
“Everyone gets a chance to get out there and see what others are doing and allows people to grow at their own pace as well as creating community with like-minded people.”
Karlo said fitness had helped him through some tough times in his life, and that inspired him to share it with others.
Growing up as part of an ethnic minority in the Illawarra wasn’t easy, but sport helped him to build resilience, strength, and a sense of belonging.
He qualified as a personal trainer in 2002 and opened his first Crossfit gym in 2014.
He said working with people kept him inspired.
“The older you get the more comfortable you feel with your place in the industry,” he said.
“Coaching people to be more in tune with their bodies, seeing them progress and do things to the best of their abilities, that keeps me coming back.
“My best friends are the people who come to the gym.”
The Eco Fitness Crossfit competition will run from Friday 14 November until Friday 5 December.
To get involved contact Karlo at [email protected].
