Six years after opening his 800-square-foot T-Prep Gym between a coffee shop and a dry cleaner off U.S. 377, owner Florentino “Tino” Rodriguez’s business outgrew the space.
Now, he’s opening a new 4,000-square-foot location at 216 W. Liberty St., about a block off the historic Pilot Point square.
The 26-year-old Rodriguez started the gym in 2020 with $800 in his bank account and a dream of building a gym and a community born during his sophomore year of high school.
The location had previously been a gym, and the landlord is a local business owner who has been amazing to work with, Rodriguez said.
“As both a new and small business owner, there is a lot that goes into launching the venture, and she was flexible in a way that corporate landlords are not,” he said. “It’s really been a successful partnership.”
Since its inception, gym membership has grown 10 times what it was at the end of the first year, making it time to find a larger space, he said.
The new location will be 4,000 square feet when it opens in March.
There is also room to grow at this site, when needed, he added.
The Liberty Street site has dedicated parking, 24/7-member access and security cameras, and he said it will maintain the old-school gym feel, albeit with modern equipment and a wider assortment of machines.
“I hand-picked every piece of equipment for durability and the results it provides,” Rodriguez said. “It will also allow for a better flow and little to no wait for a machine. But the gym is more than just the equipment. It is the vibe that you get when you walk in.
“We’re not a cookie-cutter setup, but a community. Members are friendly and encouraging to one another. They wind up chatting about their fitness goals, as well as what’s going on in their everyday lives. That’s the model I wanted to build upon.”
T-Prep gym member, J.T. McNabb of Tioga, said that sense of community is what he values most about the old-school bodybuilding gym.
“When I found T-Prep, I really liked its vibe,” he said. “At the time, I was still recovering from heart failure caused by a genetic defect that was discovered 10 years earlier while preparing for a bodybuilding show.”
When his physician released him to return to the gym 10 years after his initial diagnosis, he reached out to T-Prep, met Rodriguez and immediately joined.
“I trained with Tino twice a week before moving to online training,” McNabb said. “When I started, I was around 160-165 pounds, and now I’m 185. My body fat dropped from 30 to 35% at that time to 10 to 12% now.”
Beyond his personal progress, McNabb said he enjoys the community built among the gym members.
“We come from all walks of life and a wide range of fitness levels, and everyone helps everyone,” he said. “We all approach it like ‘how I can help you get better?’ It is, by far, the best part of T-Prep.”
Rodriguez will continue training gym members but is also expanding services in the new location with the creation of T-Prep Boxing.
The new location will include a boxing ring and T-Prep Boxing is registered and affiliated with USA Boxing.
Rodriguez is also a certified USA boxing coach.
T-Prep will offer boxing classes for both children and adults, as well as a women’s-only program.
If there is a demand, teen classes will be added, as well.
He envisions the kind of program for young people who maybe don’t excel at team sports but want to build that camaraderie with teammates, he said.
At the existing gym location, original artwork is splashed along the walls, and Rodriguez wants to maintain that atmosphere in the new facilities.
It is about expression and motivation, he said.
One wall of the new gym features an 8-foot mural of boxing champion Mike Tyson, made by a local artist.
“Just like that artist and just like Tyson, you’re pouring yourself into the work,” Rodriguez said. “You have to be patient and work hard to accomplish your goals. It takes discipline.”
He spoke of Tyson being “an icon.”
“His transformation throughout his career is something,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a father and a role model for young men who came from the streets. He had a rough upbringing; he wasn’t conventional.
“That drew me to him because I don’t consider myself conventional. And of course, the way he fights is incredible. His peekaboo style of fighting is aggressive and confident. He can stand against bigger opponents and make them dance, instead of fearing their reach. That’s something we can all learn from.”
If construction is done on time, Rodriguez anticipates a grand opening event on March 20 for the community to see the gym and meet with other fitness- and health-oriented vendors from the region.
“There will be so much more coming to the gym’s new location,” Rodriguez said. “You’re not signing up for what we have here; you’re signing up for growth and all the extras we are bringing. We have branded pre-workout and supplements, as well. And, more than that, we have our community. You can’t beat that. Our members are the best.”
