From left, Potential client Racquel Williams of Denton receives a tour by Mady Kendrick, head strength and conditioning coach, during the gym’s open house at D1 Training on Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Denton. Williams, who just moved from New York, is looking to join a new gym that will accommodate her back injury during classes by providing alternative workouts.Fitness for kids used to mean running around outside, shooting hoops with friends or joining a club or school team.
Add on the population and economic growth of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Heere sees an opportunity for training concepts to expand.“Youth sports extremely competitive, everybody’s looking for an edge,” Heere said. “It’s all about performance. They’re always looking for new things to add to the program to make the kids better … athletic training is now part of that.”The growing market is not an indication that more youth are involved in sports, Heere said.
Abhishek Srivastava and Nikita Patel, the owners of the new Denton location, said trainers work with each individual to set goals and monitor their progress, recording and comparing metrics such as speed, weight-lifting ability and vertical jump. Patel also said their programs focus on training correctly to reduce injury risk.
Mady Kendrick is a head coach at the Denton D1 Training location, which charges $60 a week for group classes and more for personalized training.“Sports are only getting more competitive as we get into high school, college and pro level,” Kendrick said. “So having that extra time with a coach one-on-one or in a group setting only helps benefit them more … I think that parents are starting to realize that a lot of athletes and kids need to start earlier on.