By Nikki Link
The world of strength training can seem daunting, but one trainer is looking to change all that. Enter Dylan Davies — founder and CEO of LIFT Society.
Not only is she working to take the intimidation factor out of weightlifting, but she is making it more accessible.
“You’d think with as many fitness people as there are in LA that there would be tons of training gyms, and there’s actually not,” Davies says. “LIFT Society is pretty much the only gym that fulfills a need in the market for strength training in a small-group setting.”
A veteran in the industry with decades of experience, Davies was first introduced to the world of fitness by her parents.
“My dad and my stepmom owned one of the first Pilates studios in LA back in the late ’90s,” Davies says.
She started working the front desk at 16. That was where she first learned the basics of running a small studio. What followed was a certification in Pilates and a career with Equinox, where Davies eventually worked her way up into a management position.
She explained that her time in the corporate gym world really opened her eyes to the various types of personal training and group fitness.
“I met my husband at Equinox,” Davies says. “He was a big strength and conditioning guy. He’s actually the one who got me into strength training. Then, we opened our first gym together in 2012.”
This was right when the CrossFit craze was sweeping through LA, but instead of jumping on the bandwagon, Davies was determined to stick with what she knew best — traditional strength training. It was that resolve that led her to spot several holes in the fitness studio landscape.
“We started product-testing a class called ‘LIFT’ at our own gym, which was not a lifting gym at the time,” Davies says.
As it turned out, the concept was pretty popular.
“Every single LIFT class on the schedule would basically sell out,” Davies says. “So, that’s when we were like, ‘Oh, wow, we’re definitely onto something here.’”
After several years of “product testing” on their gym members, Davies made the leap.
“We officially relaunched as LIFT Society in 2016, and now the focus is semi-private instruction for strength training,” Davies says.
There are now four locations across the Los Angeles area — Santa Monica, Culver City, Studio City and Hollywood.
Davies describes LIFT Society as something halfway between personal training and group fitness. Members exercise in a shared space, but Davies emphasized that trainers know their clients — including how far along in their lifting journey they are or if they have any injuries. It’s also far more personalized than a traditional weight area at a big box gym.
“You have your own squat rack, your own bar, your own bench, your own weights — everything is yours for the hour,” Davies says. “The trainer is going to walk you through every step of the workout, so demonstrate everything, help you with your form, answer any questions you have. They’re really there to hold your hand and guide you as much as needed throughout the process.”
However, as dedicated to the LIFT brand as she is, a career in fitness wasn’t always what Davies had in mind.
“I graduated high school in 2005, and I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Davies says. “I thought I wanted to work in design and merchandising and things like that.”
She explained that this was right around the time when there was a trend of people leaving corporate jobs to become full-time trainers — something that would eventually transform the nature of the job.
With encouragement from her father, Davies got her Pilates certification and started teaching. It was always with the intention of it being a temporary solution, until she ended up becoming passionate about it.
That drive, along with plenty of hard work, is what Davies credits to her success in what many see as a fairly male-dominated industry.
Interestingly, LIFT Society has also become a welcoming place for women on their strength training journeys. Davies says there’s about a 3-to-1 ratio of female to male members.
“Women tend to be a little more nervous to go into a big-box gym, where there’s just a weight area, and they’re like, ‘Oh, I don’t want to look stupid. I don’t know what I’m doing. It’s all guys.’ But when they come to LIFT Society, they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, like 75% of the people here are women.’ So, it’s like a very welcoming atmosphere,” Davies says.
She explains that clients also appreciate it from an instruction perspective.
“As a female trainer, I can come in and speak to all of these women who want to get into strength training, and it’s because I feel like they would rather listen to a female coach,” Davies says.
She went on to say she’s noticed that overall, more people are catching on to how beneficial strength training is compared to other forms of exercise that can break down the body over time — like HIIT (high-intensity interval training) or running. Davies says weight training is also great from a mental health standpoint.
“You’re just feeling strong and capable and empowered,” Davies says.
She has just one piece of advice for anyone scared to begin their journey.
“No. 1, don’t be afraid to start,” Davies says.
“I think people get intimidated when they see people who’ve been lifting for years and (think), ‘Oh my god, they’re so strong. I could never do that.’ Not realizing that that person was once a beginner,” Davies continues.
In short, everyone has to start somewhere — like one of her clients. Davies says he couldn’t see himself enjoying fitness until he found strength training.
“Every time I see him, he just hugs me. Because he’s like, ‘You can’t believe how much LIFT Society has changed my life.’ Because he just hated working out,” Davies says.
She emphasized that no matter where someone starts, there’s no question that they’ll see improvement if they stick with it.
“I’ve seen people come in who have never touched a weight before in their life, and six months to a year later, they’re completely confident in the weight room,” Davies says.
That’s especially evident when LIFT has its max rep testing week where members can see how much they can lift on certain exercises. Not only are people shocked by how much weight they can move, Davies says, that excitement keeps them going.
LIFT Society
1703 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica
310-912-8989, www.liftsociety.com
Schedule available on LIFT’s website.
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