THEIR love for working out not only made them fit but also inspired their gym business.
Couple Mark Anthony Taton, a businessman, and Veronica Te, a graduating student, are both fitness enthusiasts. They both have tried almost all kinds of fitness exercises, from weight training, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), and Crossfit, among others. In fact, they were regular customers of CrossFit Madayaw and Crossfit Cranium, the training grounds of one of Davao’s pride in local, national, and international Crossfit matchups, Nicho Mauricio.
Taton no longer finds convenience in traveling to exercise so he utilized considerable space inside his residence in Barangay Maa as his own workout area.
“Since always ko naga-workout, gusto pud nako nga convenient pud sa akoa, (Since I always workout, I want it to be convenient for me),” he shared.
Until, after a while, he finally decided to cater to other gym buffs and fitness fans and named it Grip Grounds Gym, which Te supported.
With several connections, Taton and Te were able to source out training equipment and have hired a head coach to devise their workout routines for their classes.
“Mixed siya. Merong Crossfit, weightlifting, HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). Gi-mix lang namin siya to make it easier for people lalo na sa mga beginners kasi usually ma-intimidate man gud sila pag crossfit na training, weights, labi na plates. (It [the trainings] are mixed. There is Crossfit, weightlifting, HIIT. We mixed it to make it easier for people especially to the beginners because they usually get intimidated with the idea of Crossfit, weights, and plates.),” said Te.
Taton said he also envisioned to introduce the Obstacle Course Race (OCR) as a workout option and devoted a separate class schedule for it. In OCR, a trainee must overcome physically challenging obstacles in between running.
Their gym is still budding but they have set their goals. They want to produce athletes that can dominate in the OCR and Crossfit arenas.
“[Gusto ko] yung mga athletes ko makasali at makapanalo ng mga competitions kasi i think kung ang Crossfit is mababa lang ang 10 competitions in a year kasali na yung mga OCR. (I want my athletes to be able to join and win competitions because for both Crossfit and OCR, there is no less than 10 competitions in a year),” he said.
Te said they also wanted OCR to become popular competition in the city like the internationally-franchised Spartan Race and hopefully pique the interest of Davaoeños in the sport.
“Maganda yan siya na introduction para mas mag invite din siya ng more Spartan race. Wala talagang Spartan Race sa Davao ever. Nasa Cebu na. Nasa Manila, dito wala pa. (It is a good introduction to invite more Spartan Race. There is no Spartan Race yet in Davao. Most of them are done in Cebu and Manila),” said Te.
Their coach for OCR, they shared, is part of the Philippine team of the said sport and had won third in one of the OCR competitions.
They said that while the idea is hardcore, they vowed not to lose focus on the beginners and those who just want to stay fit. That is, why they would always modify their routines to accommodate individuals in their classes with varying fitness goals and levels.
“[We] modify namin yung workouts nila. Depende talaga per client kasi may iba grabe na ang fitness level. (We modify their workouts depending on the clients because there are those who already have high fitness levels.),” said Te.
Taton and Te emphasized the culture of discipline in Grip Grounds to help those who come to their gym achieve their body goals and holistic wellness.