Pumping Iron At The Hut
Iron Hut Gym and Fitness in Ele‘ele is easygoing and affordable
Owner of Iron Hut Gym and Fitness
Please tell us about your business. My job as the owner of Iron Hut Gym and Fitness in Ele’ele is to get people in shape and to keep them in good health. That’s my philosophy and job. For the ones who compete in bodybuilding, my job is to help them achieve their personal goals. This is a training facility for someone who wants to make a change in their lives. The business originally opened in 1993 in the same location. We sold it in 2001 and started again Jan. 15 of this year.
Why did you start this business? I bought the business again to have another training facility on the Westside – something that the locals can relate to. Something easygoing, affordable and that gives a laid-back feeling.
Why do you do what you do? My passion is fitness and teaching people what I know how to do. Since I was 17 years old I’ve been competing and bodybuilding. I am teaching and mentoring people now and have been for about 20 years. I’m big into body transformation. Being here in Hawaii, the cost of things is so expensive, not everybody can afford a personal trainer. I came up with this idea to get our gym back and start giving back and stop charging people for it.
How much does it cost to be a member? You pay only the membership fee, which is $40 a month. There is no initiation fee and you do not get charged for personal training.
What is your specialty?
My forte is prepping bodybuilders and enhancing their performance, especially with body composition and transformation. I “touch and go” with people, however, for any kind of personal training. Someone can come in and request what they want done, and I try to accommodate them with a program for them and keeping them on track. We can touch and go for about 10 minutes when they come in. It’s for anyone who wants personal training.
Chad Machado has been in the fitness industry for more than 20 years. Coco Zickos photos
What is the most important thing about getting in shape? To get the simplest approach to their goal; to make it so easy that they can do it like brushing their teeth every morning.
Everybody should be on that page and never should put themselves into a vigorous, so crazy training that they’re gasping for air. It should be so simple and easy. Come and sit down with me and do it, and we will see the benefits together.
What kind of diet advice do you have for those trying to get in shape? Everything is acceptable to a point, even eating ice cream. But if it’s more important that you start feeling better about how you look, then maybe you should buckle down and start realizing that it’s not that important to have the ice cream. Put it on the back burner and treat yourself maybe when you’ve dropped a size. I bring reality back to the table. I don’t want people to think I’m just going to cut them out and say if you’re not eating chicken and broccoli, you’ll never make it. You can still eat loco moco, just don’t eat so much rice with it; don’t put so much gravy on it.
What is one benefit of working out? You’ll walk out of here more refreshed mentally than you did walking in.
What advice do you give people who want to lose weight and get in shape? It should be something you want to do; something you realize is healthy and helpful. Once you understand it’s really important to you and a necessity, you’ll end up doing something about it.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your business? Watching the results; seeing these guys actually getting somewhere with their training. And since I’m a bodybuilder, I want to see everybody go further than I did with bodybuilding and get them to the national level.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your business? Getting people to realize that it’s not hard at all, it’s really simple. You only need to work out two to three days of strength training and briskly walk maybe three to four days a week – that will keep you in shape.
Do you have a business philosophy? My philosophy is give it a try and trust in yourself that you made the right choice. Find the easiest way to stay in shape.
What hours are you open? Open 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 635-3393 for a consultation.
