Gains you can see: StratFit’s new gym in Waldo reps digital fitness platform’s heavy lifting
April 27, 2024 | Taylor Wilmore
With his NYC-inspired training studio in Waldo opening earlier this spring, Daniel McKee wants to keep busy professionals motivated to stick to their fitness goals — and use the space to refine and advance adoption of his tech platform.
“Everyone that comes to the door is very impressed with the place, we tried to make it as sleek and as stylish as possible,” said McKee, founder of StratFit. “That’s my style.”
Daniel McKee, StratFit; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News
The studio concept came from his desire to witness tangible, accurate results from his advanced training design software, StratFit Digital, which he developed leveraging decades of his personal trainer expertise, on his clients.
Powered by Google Workspace, StratFit Digital users can develop precise, long-term training programs for athletes and clients.
“By training people and showing what the effectiveness of StratFit can be, we would get some validity to the business in the eyes of the public and investors or potential partners,” said McKee. “That was our idea with opening the studio, to get some kinetic activity to the business rather than just its potential.”
McKee takes a scientific approach to tailor Strat Fit’s training for each individual client. The studio is currently offering a free assessment week with two sessions that include detailed biometric measurements and tests for strength, endurance, explosiveness, and more.
Participants receive a personalized PDF report comparing their test results to international fitness standards. Then, they can be placed on a training plan, paid per session, designed to help them quickly obtain their personal fitness goals and reach advanced international rankings.
“We very clearly identify what people need to improve, then clearly show them how we’ll do it, and then actually do it,” said McKee.
Click here to check out the Stratfit training studio.
Workouts with more purpose
For his clients to achieve the results they want and maintain interest in working out, McKee prioritizes understanding their motivation for getting fit before crafting a training regimen, steering clear of aimless exercise.
“We get down to what’s the purpose and what’s making them want to get in shape, so now I know what’s driving them and keep them involved with training. I think that’s crucial,” he said.
Ninety percent of people quit the gym within their initial 90 days, said McKee, noting he ties the high dropout rate to gym-goers’ fitness goals being untracked and unmeasured; eventually they lose interest because of a perceived lack of progress.
“You might see results, but you might not, it would just be all happenstance,” he said. “If no one’s measuring it, it’s all subjective.”
To counteract this trend for his clients, he advocates for personalized, structured training programs.
Training with science
StratFit’s training program aims to deliver benefits such as enhanced muscle mass, reduced body fat, increased strength, and heightened mental clarity.
During training, the client’s retests follow a clear plan logged in StratFit Digital. The trainer and client identify areas for improvement, execute the plan, and retest weekly.
After each retest, a detailed report with updated results and international rankings is provided, along with a graph comparing progress from the first test to the latest one to show visible improvement.
“I think that’s what a lot of people are really impressed with, the very clear and methodical nature of what we’re doing, and when we start we communicate that to them right at the very beginning,” said McKee.
Easy access fitness programming
McKee plans to transition StratFit Digital from Google Workspace to his own proprietary software in the next six months. The software will include a web component for trainers and coaches to create daily training programs, users can then access and download them via an accompanying app.
“That way, if you’re a trainer in Kansas City, you can make a great program, and somebody in China could use the program, and the app would be training them and regulating things,” he said.
Once the software is developed, McKee envisions its use not only in future StratFit training studios but also among athletes and coaches of sports teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs, the Royals, and various college sports teams.
“The whole gym fitness industry eventually we’ll use this as a tool for organizing training in the gym,” he said.
Taylor Wilmore
Taylor Wilmore, hailing from Lee’s Summit, is a dedicated reporter and a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Taylor channels her deep-seated passion for writing and storytelling to create compelling narratives that shed light on the diverse residents of Kansas City.
Prior to her role at Startland News, Taylor made valuable contributions as a reporter for the Columbia Missourian newspaper, where she covered a wide range of community news and higher education stories.
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