From a young age Tammy Maccarthy has always had a passion for motivation. But it wasn’t until college that she realized how to truly change peoples lives, through fitness. This inspired Maccarthy to create ‘Beyond Fit’, a group fitness studio located in Douglassville.
To commemorate the grand opening of Beyond Fit, Maccathy held a ribbon cutting ceremony in conjunction with Kutztown University SBDC. Guests to the ceremony included community members, Beyond Fit clients and Pennsylvania State Senator John Rafferty.
Where did her passion for fitness come from? As a Psychology student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Maccarthy eventually found that the best way to help people is through teaching. “I found that real change happens in the gym”, Maccarthy said. This realization made her change majors from Psychology to Strength Conditioning, in hopes to teach and motivate young athletes.
After receiving her B.S. in Exercise Science from IUP Maccarthy moved back to Douglassville. This proved to be difficult as she was hard pressed to find a gym that suited her needs. Maccarthy found that many local gyms were too impersonal. This didn’t stop her own fitness goals but Maccarthy quickly found a group of people who were missing out.
The idea for Beyond Fit was born on the gridiron. As a strength and conditioning coach for youth football, Maccarthy would frequently talk to parents during practice. She quickly discovered many of the parents on the sidelines wanted live a healthier but between work, family and daily life they just couldn’t figure out how. This motivated Maccarthy to help find something that would work for them.
Just like football practice for their kids, Maccarthy designed an outdoor bootcamp that focused on both exercise and diet advice. At first the group classes were free, however with the cool air of winter closing in Maccarthy decided to find an indoor home. Finding space locally, Maccarthy began to charge a small membership fee to cover a studio room rental.
Owning a business isn’t a piece of cake. Maccarthy turned to the Kutztown University Small Business Development Center for guidance. With business going well Maccarthy decided to take the leap and find a space of her own. Thanks to the Kutztown SBDC, Maccarthy was able to find a loan to help build the Beyond Fit studio in Douglassville.
“Beyond Fit is not your simple, at home or do it yourself program. It’s a community, a mindset and a way of life.”
“The one thing we all have in common is that we lost the ability to take time out of the day to focus on ourselves.” With the new studio, Maccarthy is now able to help members lose weight and get back to their ideal shape. Offering everything from fat loss, group classes to high school athlete training, Beyond Fit is helping the community redefine their own success.
