Yachison brings Fit Body Boot Camp to East Winnipeg

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This article was published 10/10/2018 (2877 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A former professional football player from Transcona is celebrating the grand opening of his new gym.

Derek Yachison, a Murdoch MacKay Collegiate grad who played in the CFL over four years with the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, is the owner of East Winnipeg Fit Body Boot Camp. The gym, located at 620 Kildare Ave. E, offers group workout classes, personal training, nutrition seminars, and more.

“It’s your one-stop shop for fitness,” Yachison said. “You come here, you can use all our resources, you don’t have to worry. We can tell you what to do for your workout, what to eat, and we can tweak things on an individual basis, depending on what they’re looking for.”

Yachison got into personal training part-time during his last year with the Blue Bombers in 2017. What started off as one class a week at Anytime Fitness quickly took on a life of its own.

“It just took off,” he said. “It grew to three times a week, then every day, then six classes a day. We could only fit 10 people in that room, so we basically ran out of space.”

After developing a business plan, Yachison qualified for a grant and a $30,000 loan through the provincial government’s Young Entrepreneurship Manitoba. The program also included a number of business seminars and mentorship.

“I learned a lot,” Yachison said. “It feels good to know the government has your back.”

Fit Body Boot Camp is a franchise with gyms across Canada, the U.S. and the UK. Yachison’s East Winnipeg location opened its doors in August. 

“The space here in Transcona kind of just happened,” he said of the former MLCC location. “I used to work at this LC when I was younger, so I was very comfortable with this space.”

The proximity to plenty of residential development is also a bonus.

“In the winter, it’s not far for people to go. In the summer, you get a lot of people walking here.”

Yachison said when he first started looking into branching out on his own, he was looking for a business model that catered to the needs of busy clients. He said that Fit Body Boot Camp fit what he was already doing with his clients.

“Everyone has busy schedules,” he said. “With group personal training, you don’t have to work with someone one-on-one. All our memberships, you come as much as you want, when you want. You don’t commit to a specific time, but we’re always here to guide the workouts.”

Another appealing aspect of the group focus Fit Body Boot Camp embodies is the camaraderie that develops.

“There’s a sense of community in a small gym like this,” Yachison said. “That’s our main thing. I want to create a culture like that. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

On Oct. 20, Yachison and the staff at East Winnipeg Fit Body Boot Camp are hosting a grand opening celebration. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the doors will be open, with a number of membership and gear giveaways planned throughout the day.

“Anyone who wants to come try a class, it’s all free,” Yachison said. “They can see what it’s all about.”

For more information, visit https://canadafitbodybootcamp.ca/eastwinnipegfitnessbootcamp/

Sheldon Birnie
Managing editor

Sheldon Birnie is the managing editor of the Free Press Community Review. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca or call him at 204-697-7112

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