Crunch Fitness Launches New Military-Based Fellowship and Employment Placement Program

NEW YORK, Feb. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crunch Fitness today announced the launch of 'Strengthened by Heroes,' a military-based fellowship and employment placement initiative designed for service members who are completing their active-duty commitment and wish to pursue a career as a Personal Trainer at Crunch Fitness.

'Strengthened by Heroes' fellows will have the opportunity to work three to five months with Crunch, with access to free education and certifications from sponsors including the National Academy of Sports Medicine, TRX, My Steady Mind, and dotFit. Participants will receive ultimate placement into a permanent role following the end of their service date.

Crunch has partnered with Transition Overwatch and the Department of Defense SkillBridge to tie the program into every Department of Defense facility and Service Academy. Active duty military and soon-to-be Veterans are eligible to apply here.

'Strengthened by Heroes' fellows will receive gratis access to a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer Course (or other equivalent certification based on the current qualifications of the individual), TRX Digital Suspension Training Course, TRX Digicamo TRX Pro 4 Suspension Trainer, dotFIT Certified Trainer Course, dotFIT "Heroes" Nutritional Support product bundle, and a Cognitive Fitness Training Course from My Steady Mind, altogether retailing for over $2,000.

"At Crunch we recognize the sacrifice that Military members make to join the Armed Forces and when asked to risk their lives to protect our Freedom and Country," said Jim Rowley, CEO of Crunch Worldwide and U.S. Marine Corps Veteran. "We value the unique skills and experience that the military community brings, and we could not be more excited to offer this opportunity."

"The National Academy of Sports Medicine is proud to support our veterans and first responders through the Strengthened by Heroes program," said Laurie McCartney, President of NASM. "We can never fully repay those who selflessly answer the call of duty and put everything on the line to protect our freedoms, but by providing access to NASM's state-of-the-art training programs, we are giving our heroes the latest knowledge and tools to help build successful careers as fitness and wellness professionals."

"My Steady Mind is a Veteran owned and operated business. And we are grateful to be providing innovative training to help Veterans reduce anxiety, improve mental energy and focus through Cognitive Fitness Training" said Dr. Seth Hickerson, CEO/Founder of My Steady Mind, Dr. Hickerson is a Navy and Air Force Veteran and most of his coaches are Veterans. Veterans are a resilient group of people and they know how important mental strength is. It can be a difficult transition from active duty to civilian life and the My Steady Mind Cognitive Fitness Training course provides Veterans with real strategies, tactics and techniques to thrive in the modern world. What we do at My Steady Mind is Training, not Treatment. We are coaches, not counselors. Veterans thrive when they have a mission and training, so we provide both!

"As a veteran-founded organization, TRX is excited to support the Strengthened by Heroes initiative and show appreciation for the military community by offering world-class education and career opportunities within elite organizations," said Nasario Mejia, Chief Operating Officer - TRX Training. "We at TRX have always believed in giving back to those who have given so much. We are excited and honored to support Crunch Fitness in the Strengthened by Heroes initiatives!"

"dotFIT Worldwide is proud and excited to partner with Crunch for their Strengthened by Heroes Program. We're honored to offer our U.S. Military men and women the same benefits our college and pro athletes have received for years," said Neal Spruce, dotFIT CEO. "The special men and women of our Military will now have the same protection from the well-known problems found in the dietary supplement consumer mass channels (e.g., under-formulation, tainted and mislabeled products, no 3^rd party testing, etc.) our thousands of elite athletes, celebrities and the millions of members of our fitness facilities enjoy today. We're proud of our Crunch partners for creating new career opportunities for our U.S. Military through this innovative program."

Crunch is known for its innovative group fitness programming and offers a wide range of activities across gyms, including BodyWeb with TRX®, Zumba®, Cardio Tai Box, Yoga Body Sculpt, Fat Burning Pilates, and the HIITZone™, a proprietary high-intensity interval group training program. This is in addition to free weights, machines, cutting-edge equipment, and expert instructors and trainers.

Crunch is a gym that believes in making serious exercise fun by fusing fitness and entertainment and pioneering a philosophy of 'No Judgments.' Crunch serves a fitness community for all kinds of people, with all types of goals, exercising all different ways, working it out at the same place together. Today, we are renowned for creating one-of-a-kind group fitness classes and unique programming for our wildly diverse members. Headquartered in New York City, Crunch serves over 1.9 million members with over 400 gyms worldwide in 34 states and the District of Columbia, Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Portugal, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Crunch is rapidly expanding across the U.S. and around the globe.

Transition Overwatch transforms military members into future leaders equipped with the skills needed to thrive in today's digital economy. Transition Overwatch partners with forward-thinking companies to close their digital skills gap, diversify their workforce, grow their military talent, and improve their veteran retention. Our Unconventional Apprenticeship is an industry-leading, plug-and-play workforce development solution powered by a diverse pool of military talent. The Unconventional Apprenticeship combines accelerated upskilling, on-the-job applied learning, professional development, coaching and community, into a holistic military hiring and retention strategy. Together we're forging the workforce of tomorrow from the military talent of today. 

The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) is a global leader in fitness education and certifications. Building on over 35 years of expertise, NASM programs create a roadmap for fitness professionals to help their clients achieve better physical and mental performance in athletics and everyday life. NASM provides an industry-first training system, with the Optimum Performance Training (OPT™) model, creating robust courses and content based solely on scientific, evidence-based research. NASM has educated over 1.3 million fitness professionals in over 80 countries, creating a global space for optimal wellbeing and fitness.
Learn more at www.nasm.org.

Founded in 2004, TRX® was built on the revolutionary idea that fitness can be achieved with one radically simple design—the TRX Suspension Trainer™, the minimalist, patented straps that enable you to power your training with bodyweight. Today, TRX is the global leader in Suspension Training® and functional training solutions for both consumers and the commercial industry and continues its mission to make world-class training accessible to everyone through its innovative, proprietary virtual training platform and app, TRX Training ClubSM. The TRX Training Club has enabled a digital community united by movement and features unlimited TRX LIVE® classes, On-Demand workouts, access to personal training, and exclusive product discounts, truly expanding the benefits of training with TRX to anyone, anywhere. TRX is also ranked as a top-tier fitness product developer and professional education destination, with TRX Certification courses considered best-in-class among fitness professionals. Through a commitment to ongoing learning, research, and science, TRX is tested and trusted by fitness professionals, athletes, physical therapists, veterans, and soldiers, and more around the world. For more details, go to www.trxtraining.com

dotFIT is the largest provider of third-party tested nutritional programs and products in the sport and fitness channels, including collegiate and professional sports. All dotFIT products are scientifically formulated and third-party tested for safety, purity, and label accuracy. Our performance and health products carry the gold standard for safety, NSF Certified For Sport.

My Steady Mind (MSM) is a cognitive fitness training program designed to enforce the benefits of being present in the moment and fully engaged with whatever you're doing. By freeing the mind from distractions or judgment, and becoming aware of thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, you can achieve flow state which is essential to achieving goals. The best moments in life aren't the passive relaxing ones.  Self-actualized, high-performing individuals like First Responders, Entrepreneurs, and Athletes thrive in flow state by voluntarily implementing simple daily routines and tactics that strengthen their minds. Our science-based courses are designed, and proven, to teach you the strategies and skills used by the top 1% to conquer their day and achieve flow state.

SOURCE Crunch