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The Strength Studio Story: From Building Houses to Building Strong Bodies

The Strength Studio was not even a thought when I first began working as a certified  SuperSlow® Instructor in 2001. Prior to joining this profession, I had started college to become an architect. In creating my designs, I realized that sometimes they didn't work the way I wanted them to. I desired to understand architecture from the inside out and decided that a job in construction would help me understand architecture from a different perspective. 

In construction, I was mainly building track homes. I discovered that construction is a good job so I stuck to it, moving into full-time work and putting my architecture studies on hold. After several years as an apprentice to becoming a journeyman, it became apparent to me how that this line of work breaks the body down. I could see the detrimental physical effects in my coworkers and bosses. I could see myself growing old and breaking down in 20 years. I knew then that I didn't want knee and hip replacements in my future. Nor did I want a back that could give out on me without warning. Construction is hard on the body. 

When a friend introduced me to SuperSlow®, I was inspired. I had already intuitively started slowing down my workouts in the gym simply because it was more challenging. After learning that SuperSlow® was more than just going slow -- there was a  science behind the method -- it made perfect sense to me. Not only was it more difficult to slow down the movement, it was more effective, more efficient, and safer. I also loved the  fact that the equipment was engineered with safety, efficacy, efficiency, and biomechanics in mind. I was an instant believer.

I left construction where I was well-paid, had full benefits, and was part of the union. After completing an intense 6-month certification program in just 1 month through what was then known as The SuperSlow Exercise Guild, Inc. (now The SuperSlow™ Zone, Inc.) and testing with the most difficult master trainer who had previously had a career as a drill sergeant, I began my new career in the world of fitness. 

I started by working for studios in Santa Rosa and San Francisco, taking more than a 75% pay cut from what I was earning as a union construction worker. Honestly, $10/hour was a crummy pay but the satisfaction of helping people improve their health and physique was enticing. The more I got results for my client, the more I knew this was my calling. I even took a part-time job as a bartender to fund my new job as a trainer. 

I began building my clientele and focused on the end result of helping them create change. When the gym I was working for in Santa Rosa closed down, I took the opportunity to open a location in Sebastopol where no other low-force, high-intensity fitness facility existed. I originally opened the studio under the name of Unico Duo in 2005.

In 2015, after having helped thousands of clients work toward their health and fitness goals, my wife, Leonela, joined the business and we rebrandedin order to better serve our clientele with a focus on preventative and restorative health.

Today, the business is known as The Strength Studio, Inc. with our primary location in Sebastopol and our second location in Sonoma, which opened at the end of 2018. 

Today, our small business continues to grow and we are just as passionate today as I was 20+ years ago in instructing and guiding our clients to become the healthiest version of themselves.

Our mission is to help people improve their quality of life through safe, efficient, and effective strength training.

Contact us today if you're interested in a safer, more efficient and effective way to gain strength.  

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Hi there, Hector Sanchez here. I am the founder of The Strength Studio, Inc. and our trademarked method, Clinical Strength Training®. I have been helping people transform their lives through strength training since 2001.

Hector Sanchez circa 2005

Here's a throwback of me back in 2005 when I was just a young buck with a new studio and a passion for transforming lives! After seventeen years of operating my own studio and more than twenty years in the industry, I still love what I do. I continue to train clients and I am involved in every aspect of my business. Helping others achieve optimal health is my life-long passion.  

The Strength Studio, Inc. 
Sebastopol & Sonoma
www.thestrengthstudio.com
(707) 829-1330 Sebastopol
​(707) 343-7333 Sonoma