Today we’re talking to Albert Matheny, co-founder of Soho Strength Lab in New York City and the COO of Arena, a fitness technology startup that’s launching in late 2020. Albert joins us to talk about the harsh realities of the gym business during COVID, including the factors that go into whether owners and operators are able to keep their facilities open. We also talk about why he’s steered his gym away from being an “Instagram gym,” and then the conversation focuses in on Arena, which is attempting to bring full-body strength training to a device that could fit in your suitcase. How do you perform 200 pound front squats with something that weighs under 40 pounds? All that and more coming up.
On this episode of The BarBend Podcast, host David Thomas Tao talks to Albert Matheny about:
- The tough decisions to shutter gyms during COVID (4:00)
- Were many gyms already struggling before COVID? (6:35)
- Virtual fitness, celebrity trainers, and gyms (11:20)
- Building Arena — and how to do belt squats anywhere (16:40)
- Working out from home can be great, but it’s tough to get enough weight to load — how Albert is trying to fix that (20:00)
- The glaring issue with group fitness? There are no pulling exercises (26:05)
Relevant links and further reading:
