Hybrid Strength and Fitness is a gym you may have heard about on Troy Community Radio but have not had a chance to see. It’s tucked away at 623 South Clay Street among old manufacturing buildings and warehouses; as a matter of fact, it’s housed in one. 7,000 square feet of whitewashed wood beams and 150-year-old weathered factory floors are the setting of Hybrid members’ rugged workout experience.

It was the dream of ’96 Troy high school graduate David Scott, a Parrillo Performance certified personal trainer and RN at Kettering Hospital who specializes in critical care and trauma. He opened Hybrid on November 1, 2014 and has seen a steady increase in memberships every month. The gym currently has 200 registered members. According to Scott, this is not the average, commercialized fitness outfit. “As the name implies, it’s a body-building, strength-training type of gym,” Scott said. “The reason it’s ‘hybrid’ is because we have a lot of variety and functional fitness.” When a visitor walks in and looks over the landscape of pro-grade and Crossfit equipment, jerk boxes, and even an atlas stone, it is clear that Hybrid is an old-school, no frills gym with a lot of options.

62-year-old trainer, Bob Skinner, works for Scott and described the gym as “Rocky Balboa style.” According to Skinner, “You come in here and feel like it’s time to get to work.” The gym attracts clientele from several surrounding cities and, last year at this time, was even the set of a photo shoot for body-builder Evan Centopani prior to his appearance in Columbus for the Arnold Sports Festival. “His rep said they were looking for a gym that was clean but rugged,” Scott said. The pictures on Hybrid’s website show the variety of equipment and the character of the building. One does not have to look far to find Centopani’s pictures among them.

Scott says that commercial gyms draw members with the promise of ease and uncomplicated weight selection equipment. “Members here have to literally pick up and put the weights on,” Scott said. It may not be as easy to use but the trainers are driven to see their members experience results. Being an RN, Scott’s background gives him an added dimension and interest preventative health. In addition, his continued work at Kettering Hospital enables him to reinvest the revenue from Hybrid back into the business. “I don’t have to really live off the gym income,” Scott said. “I get to make this place what I’ve always thought a perfect gym would be.”

With the support of his wife and two children, Scott continues to build on a multi-disciplinary approach to training. Although he does not have intentions of adding or moving Hybrid any time soon, his ultimate dream gym would require 12,000 feet. According to Scott, “If there is one thing I’ve learned in fitness and strength training it’s that anything is possible.”

For more information on Hybrid Strength and Fitness membership prices, hours, and amenities, their website is www.hybridstrength.com.