Joshua's dream of owning his own gym turns to gold

LIFT-OFF: Joshua Gardiner has spent a lifetime in gyms.PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Growing up in gyms, it might have seemed obvious that Joshua Gardiner would follow that career path.

But the 21-year-old says it wasn't until the later years at high school until he knew he wanted to get involved in the industry.

Now he's behind Ngongotaha's new gym - CrossFit Ruark - which has been running for a couple of months.

Mr Gardiner, son of Golds Health and Fitness stalwart Steve Gardiner, said while he'd always dreamt of creating a gym of his own, he never imagined it would happen so soon.

He said a chance phone call to his dad from a real estate agent prompted the move. The agent, who was looking for tenants for the Taui St property, insisted they needed to see it. After several attempts the pair visited the property and knew immediately that they'd found their new business venture.

Mr Gardiner said while some people questioned the business decision of opening a gym in Ngongotaha, they did their homework on demographics and were confident with the move - something that was beginning to pay off.

He believed the decision to focus on CrossFit and run only classes, not a traditional gym where people could attend at any time, had helped contribute to the success.

"People don't just come in and work out, we run through the workouts together as a team. It's all about the community and working out together."

Those who wanted to do traditional workouts too could use their membership at Golds.

"We decided to pave a different path."

He said while training was second nature, the business side had taken some adjusting.

"I'm young, I'm only 21, having to get thrown in the deep end of looking after your own gym was a learning curve."

However, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I love it. I suppose it is a bit different if you love your job."

Mr Gardiner said while he'd always dreamed of running a gym he didn't think it would come around "that quick".

"I believe God had a big part in getting this for me."

He said while his dad still had his finger on the pulse in terms of the business aspect the biggest adjustment was learning the people management skills he needed.

"Sometimes because I'm their friend having to be a boss is a bit hard."

He said being able to leverage off the reputation of Golds, which had been around more than 25 years, was an advantage.

"I was born and raised inside a gym. It's all I've known."

He said going through school he didn't plan on forging a career in fitness.

"I always excelled in PE at school but nothing else. I guess that was a bit of an indication I could pursue that."

While he leant on his father for business advice, it was more a case of watching and learning than any formal teaching.

"He leads by example and I pick things up from him. He might not know that."

While people questioned the business decision of opening in Ngongotaha he was confident with his decision.

Mr Gardiner said the long-term business goal was to create a healthier community.