Today we’d like to introduce you to Douglas Van Tassell.
Hi Douglas, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Doug Van Tassell and I am married to my high school sweetheart, Elise, and after playing football was taking too much of a toll on my body I decided it was time to be done. Elise knew that I needed to have competition in my life and pushed me to begin lifting at a local powerlifting gym. We started there together and also had one of our sons join also. We learned some valuable skills on how to lift properly but they weren’t very good to Elise and once she couldn’t take them anymore they began to be horrible to my son also and just made me feel like they wanted to be able to take responsibility for my strength but not be decent people about it so we chose to look for a better place. We started at another small lifting gym and it all began great but once I was stronger than the coach his ego couldn’t handle it and he just stopped being around and teaching and it really killed the morale of the whole gym. We decided that we needed to start our own gym where everyone was taught, encouraged, and let free to be themselves in a welcoming environment. That is when Lions Pride Barbell and Fitness was opened in Layton. The biggest compliment we got at the beginning and still get to this day is that people love the energy there. We ask that everyone who joins us has a goal in mind. Working out without a goal or purpose is something that is better suited for a boxing gym where you can just be alone and do your own thing. At our facility, everyone becomes like a big, loud family. We have a lot of members who have significant others that will come along but it isn’t quite their type of place and the only other local options feel like meat markets or just have really bad reviews because of poor environments so we decided to open Lioness, a 24/7 women’s only fitness center a few miles away on the other end of Layton. Elise is the main operator at Lioness. We opened it in a very safe, well-lit area where people can come and go at their leisure. We are also able to provide a tanning bed in Lioness and have a massage therapist, body tempering, and IV therapy available by appointment in Lions Pride Barbell and Fitness. We are athletes who own gyms, not gym owners. It helps to give us a different perspective that puts our clients first. I have two world records and several state and national records in powerlifting and Elise has several state records as well.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have been very lucky to have great people that immediately joined us at Lions Pride Barbell and Fitness and with new people joining every day. That has helped to make it smooth for us there. Opening Lioness has been a bit of a challenge. There have been too many women-only facilities around with poor reputations and it can make it difficult for people to believe that it can be better. We still stay welcoming and offer as many services as possible and will be here to help people feel it can be great. We offer tours through our online scheduling so that people can come and look everything over and get a good feel for the fitness center.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
We have different focuses at each location: Lioness’ focus is providing a safe and fun environment for women who want to be able to get fit in their own time and without feeling like they are in a meat market.
Lions Pride Barbell and Fitness specializes in powerlifting, strongman, and bodybuilding and has equipment and training available to help everyone be the best version of themselves and provide a team environment.
I am known for my deadlifting, as I currently have 2 world records as well as several state and national records. I am also known for being a very passionate coach for my team and always supporting all lifters/competitors as they compete. I believe in supporting everyone in powerlifting because your only competition is yourself.
We offer tanning at Lioness and a massage therapist, body tempering, and IV therapy by appointment at Lions Pride Barbell and Fitness.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
We encourage anyone who has any fitness goals and is just curious to take the first step and come and check out whichever location suits your goals and to not be afraid! Every day can be better than the last if you choose to make it so!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lpbfitness.com | www.LionsPrideBarbell.com
- Instagram: lioness_gym | lions_pride_barbell
- Facebook: Facebook.com/LionessFitnessCenter | Facebook.com/LionsPrideBarbell
