Meet Heather Hughes of Power Sculpt Fitness in South Lakeview

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Hughes.

Heather, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have my B.S. in Exercise Physiology and M.Ed. in Health and Physical Education. Since 1997 I had been working as a Personal Trainer/Group Fitness Instructor/Exercise Program Director at various fitness facilities in the Chicago area. After having my third child in 2010, I started to change the way I was training and instructing, incorporating unique high-intensity interval training within the variety of formats I was teaching. The results spoke for themselves and my classes created a massive and dedicated following!

Power Sculpt Fitness started as a spin-off of these current group fitness classes I was already teaching. Friends and non-members of the fitness center I worked at would ask to take my sessions and so in 2011 I devised an idea to start my own outdoor ‘boot camp’ on the side. I devised the name “Power Sculpt” because that is basically the backbone of my classes – powerful movement and cardio combined with sculpting strength.

My classes at the park were different than other boot camps – no whistles and camouflage – but awesome music and a super sculpting aspect…they were an instant hit and surprisingly attracted participants that weren’t even acquaintances of mine!

Once the summer of 2011 ended, an opportunity to continue my Power Sculpt sessions suddenly popped up for me to rent space at a nearby dance studio. Power Sculpt “the class” developed into a whole program of formats, most of which I was already teaching at the fitness center, but now I was able to deliver them to my own personal client base.

I began in September 2011 with 3 Power Sculpt classes a week and by May of 2012 I was teaching 12 sold-out sessions weekly! My small client base had rapidly grown and I was able to open my first studio space in June 2012. At first I was teaching 90% of the 26 weekly classes. Our popularity continued to flourish by word-of-mouth and soon we had outgrown our initial studio space! In December of 2013 we moved into our current location which contains a sculpting studio and an indoor cycling studio. I know have a fleet of 15 amazing instructors and we offer an impressive 85+ classes a week!

Has it been a smooth road?
Developing a business from the ground up, as a busy mom of 4 young children, has been superbly rewarding, however not entirely easy. I started Power Sculpt Fitness completely on my own and continue to this day to maintain most all of our operations single-handedly.

Power Sculpt Fitness was built around my own classes and workout philosophies. The authentic nature of our studio became addicting to our client base. As our numbers grew I found it necessary to train additional instructors to take on their own sessions. Creating an entire instructor training program that maintained the integrity of our workouts was extremely demanding. In addition, as our studio quickly grew, the need for locating, hiring and scheduling additional studio staff forced me to self-learn the basics of recruiting and retention.

In addition to still teaching over 20 classes a week, I continue to maintain the website I completely developed, create all of our marketing materials, keep our studio blog updated, create daily connections on all of our social media accounts, develop community relationships, concoct special studio classes, events and incentive programs….and so much more!

We’d love to hear more about your business.
Power Sculpt Fitness is a group fitness studio located in West Lakeview on Lincoln just south of Belmont.

We have crazy energetic classes in a variety of formats…now you don’t have to studio-hop…every class is just as efficient, effective & fun as the next! Plus our realistic pricing structure accommodates almost every budget.

Our large client-base is absolutely awesome & super-devoted – we have a great community & our sessions are known to be really challenging, have amazing playlists & refreshingly creative!

Speaking of sessions, we offer over 85 classes a week in a variety of formats such as cycling, barre, kick box, circuit, sculpt, Tabata, TRX, yoga and more…plus we also offer hybrid classes such as Cycle TRX Challenge (bike then suspension training then back to the bike) & Bike Bootcamp (cycle/run/strength/anything goes!). Our classes are also taught at a variety of class lengths, whether you take a 20, 30, 45 or 60 minute class, you will definitely be challenged…and now you can always squeeze in a workout!

Power Sculpt workouts are always fresh and changing so results are rapid and boredom isn’t possible!

In addition to our amazing workouts we offer childcare and a unique complimentary support system backed by our registered dietitian and chef so nutrition can continue to be a focus.

Our down-to-earth, savvy participants love challenges & our unique client-centered pricing rewards them with discounts for staying consistent with their program!

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Chicago is a great place to have a business in terms of our wonderful client base.

Our location has been great for Power Sculpt Fitness because I am extremely connected to the community personally! I live right around the corner from our studio, my kids go to school just up the street and this area is my home.

Power Sculpt Fitness appeals to those who are looking for a “fitness home”, a community of down-to-earth people who all have the same objective – to get fiercely fit!

Pricing:

• Your First Class is FREE! (select ‘PSF Free Trial’ & used code BOOTCAMP)
• New Client Special! 8 Class Credits for $40 (regular price $60)
• New Client Special! 30-Day Pass $99 (regular price $149)

Contact Info:

• Address: 3119 N. Lincoln Ave.
• Website: http://www.powersculptfitness.com
• Phone: 773-456-0779
• Email: info@powersculptfitness.com
• Instagram: /powersculptfitness
• Facebook: /powersculptfitness
• Twitter: /powersculpt
• Other: Snapchat: powersculpt