A Great ‘Fit’ for Downtown New gym gives members refunds for accomplishing their weight loss goals. by Roseanney Liu
24 I SAN PEDRO TODAY I MAY 2016
On a Tuesday morning in April at All Fit on 7th Street, I died. Several times. I can recall the exact moments, too. The first was around the sixth incremental rep of a 4-punch jab-hook combo followed by six roundhouse kicks against the kickboxing bag; my gloved hands and wobbly knees screamed, “Stop this bloody torture!” The second time was about 5 minutes later during 50 fast and furious (for me it had to be slow and excruciating) punches against the bag followed by 30 seconds of burpees (don’t get me started on those). The third time was during the seemingly tranquil 3-minute plank hold when my insides were telling me they never hated me so much and that I had to drop to my knees twice because 3-minutes of plank meant 180 seconds of holding my body weight with abdominal and hip muscles that were asleep merely 45 minutes ago. “Hard” does not begin to describe the kickboxing class taught by Lawrence Alcera, All Fit co-owner with 15 years of tae kwon do and Muay Thai background. But like a cult following, Alcera and business partner Aaron Ellis’ members keep coming back for sweat and glory. And if the pumping music, Alcera’s disciplined sensei-like vibe mixed with fellow classmates’ high-octane energy and shouts of mutual encouragement don’t do it for you, the cross-training class adjacent and concurrent to kickboxing is enough to keep you motivated. What you see are no clocks on the walls, but more than 20 people of all backgrounds, demographics and body size, sweating it out against punching bags, medicine balls, and those heavy battle ropes. “We teach people not just to work out, but to transform their lives… showing them the tools for them to do so. People come here not because they have to, but because they want to,” shared Ellis, who also has more than 15 years of experience in the fitness industry and custom-made the program at All Fit. “The challenge is to lose 20 lbs. in 6-weeks, and our average weight loss is 27.4 lbs.” To implement their 6-week weight loss challenge – which entails three kickboxing classes and two cross-training classes per week, and a nutrition plan that detoxes you
All Fit co-owners (l to r) Lawrence Alcera, Aaron Ellis and Ernesto Avina. Below: All Fit in motion. (photos: John Mattera)
from inside out – Ellis and Alcera searched multiple South Bay cities and locations for months. With no official space to call their own and only nine days left before their February 1st opening date, the partners were scrambling, Ellis with his long hair and chill vibe balancing with Alcera’s more serious and analytical nature. Taking a look at spaces in downtown San Pedro in late January haphazardly connected the partners to one of Alcera’s clients, who happened to have the lease at 279 W. 7th Street open. “We toured the space, and Aaron and I were looking at each other, thinking, ‘Can this work? Can this work? Why can’t it?” recalled Alcera about the excitement in stumbling into the perfect space. “We had nine days left before the opening date we told people, and man, it was fun having two to three days of straight demolishing to take out rows of builtin architects’ desks and wall partitions.” Friends who were electricians and plumbers and a host of other handy people pitched in and transformed the old office space into not just a gym with exposed skylights, but seemingly a second home where members like to hang out, catch up and swap words of encouragement. As 48-year-old Tammy Mondor attests, she would “follow Aaron [Ellis] and Lawrence [Alcera] wherever they go… such is the family atmosphere at All Fit.” The homemaker who used to consume 12 cans of soda each day and topped out at 190 lbs. for her 5’6” frame, has shed 65 lbs. after completing the 6-week All Fit challenge three times. “This is my fourth round [with the weight loss challenge] and I owe so much to Aaron and Lawrence for, basically, changing my life,” said Mondor. Even with the gym’s exceptional promotion of refunding members for their 6-week challenge if they lose their goal weight, Mondor chose to roll that fee into the subsequent 6-week round every time. I didn’t have to see her before-and-after photos to know that I couldn’t have been situated next to a more motivating person during the Tuesday morning kickboxing class. A sort-of veteran at All Fit, she shouted words of encouragement to me and Cheryl Groff, a 37-year-old photographer doing the weight loss challenge (to gain more energy to keep up with her toddler), behind me during our one-hour grilling session. All Fit member and resident chef, Rian Acuna, helps members with the nutrition side of the weight loss challenge with “clean eating,” consisting of leaner proteins, clean carbs and more nutrients. Her passion for healthy living and nutritious eating has spilled over from her managing a San Pedro-based daycare where she also makes organic meals for children aged 5 and under. “I’m a foodie and enjoy eating… and we are here to teach people creative and inexpensive ways to eat clean that’s delicious and flavorful too,” Acuna expressed. “We took a leap of faith [with no backup plan] to open a gym with our vision because we want to help people, really help them improve their lives [by first] realizing what their vice is,” said Ellis. “People come out of this with unmatched compassion for [our] community. And wherever you are in life, we can tailor a program that works for you.” Perhaps that’s why members say, “We all fit at All Fit.” spt All Fit is located at 279 W. 7th Street in Downtown San Pedro. For more info, call (424) 287-0432 or visit www.allfit20.com.