Fanni Loosz, a native of Hungary who launched her career as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor about 10 years ago in New York City, had long envisioned having her own dedicated space for a strength training studio.
The Strength Collective at 43 Vitti St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
Loosz, a competitive powerlifter who holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and criminology from St. Joseph’s College and two master’s degrees from the CUNY Graduate Center—in international migration studies and public health nutrition—had been renting out and sharing space with other trainers in the city, and then starting two years ago, in Stamford.
“I was bringing my clients into someone else’s space,” Loosz recalled on Wednesday morning. “And I wanted to have space, not necessarily only to train people, but to educate. Specifically, I wanted to have my own space to have workshops, so the community can come together to move better, to learn better, to eat better and just learn about this healthcare lifestyle.”
On Friday, together with co-owner and fellow trainer Phil Soto—a competitive athlete and 15-year veteran of the field who is a swim coach, level-two Crossfit coach and strength and conditioning coach for gymnasts—Loosz is launching her brand-new business, The Strength Collective.
Located in a sleek, newly outfitted space at 43 Vitti St. with ample on-site parking, The Strength Collective will offer strength, conditioning and strength-and-conditioning combined classes to “small” (up to 10 people) and “semi-private” groups (up to four people) as well as private training—with an unlimited class membership option.
“With the unlimited membership, you can literally come in seven days a week,” Loosz said. “I usually encourage people to do four to five [days]. That being said, we have five classes a day starting next week, so you can pick and choose when you want to come in. I have a women’s group starting soon. Let’s say there are four friends that want to come in together at the same time every week, something like 8 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, they have it pre-scheduled and that’s their semi-private session.”
Soto and Loosz and hosting an open house this weekend, starting with three classes on Friday, April 3 (at 7 a.m., noon and 5 p.m.—walk-ins are welcome, though participants are urged to sign up (here) because spots are limited to 10.
Asked how he’s feeling on the eve of launching, Soto said, “beyond excited and definitely nervous.”
“But more so excited,” he said. “We’ve been working so hard to build out the space, and each day that passes that we get closer to opening is just overwhelming.”
He spoke from within the second of two large areas carved out inside the roomy 2,600-square-foot space, laid out with equipment including six squat racks, rows of barbells and kettlebells, a CrossFit-style pull-up rig, rowing machines, SkiErgs, sleds and an EMBODY machine that Loosz said she’s “very excited about.”
“This machine measures not only your muscle mass, but also your bone density,” she said. “So for a woman, especially as you are getting older and you are losing bone density with menopause, this is a really valuable machine.”
Loosz, who together with Soto now lives in New Canaan and can walk to work, said she had been working out of Stamford and had applied for a spot in Darien that didn’t go through.
“Then I was driving through New Canaan and I was like, ‘I love this place. What is this?’ ” she recalled with a smile. “So then I did a little bit of research about the gyms and fitness and what’s available in the area, and I thought, ‘I need to find a spot here.’ And then I heard that ‘84 Sports’ was closing. So we came through and then really liked the owner. Now we’re so excited to open this up as a gym.”
The Strength Collective joined the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce. Loosz said she has found the local business community “so supportive.”
“Obviously, as a first time business owner, I have doubts, like, ‘Is this really going to work?’ And things get very scary, very often, especially opening a business where you don’t really know anyone,” she said. “But people have been so excited for us and just so curious and so encouraging. I was washing the window just now and there is a woman who walks down this block at least five times a day and she just walked up to me asking when we’re opening because she wants to come.”
Laura Budd, executive director of the Chamber, said: “How lucky is New Canaan to have Fanni and Phil choose our town to open up their unique studio. This is an opportunity to get high-level training right in downtown New Canaan. The Strength Collective will serve residents of all ages and draw people from out of town.”
Asked for his message to the community, Soto said, “Our main focus is bringing people together in a space where they’re able to get off the couch, move with intention, and just develop a lot of strength and awareness that can help them in their lives.”
Loosz said her vision for The Strength Collective is that people come in regularly “and call this home.”
“I want people not to just see this as ‘OK, I’m going to the gym to get the workout done,’ but really feel that they have a community here,” she said. “And they learn something and they are supported. It doesn’t have to be just a workout. It can be anything, any part of your life that you need support with. I have a master’s in nutrition and I do a lot of nutritional coaching. I’m very excited about the workshops. I’m planning a perimenopause-menopausal workshop for women. And again, as much as I know that women need to lift and get stronger, I want them to meet each other and I want them to not feel alone, because as much as this is a small town, it can still be hard to make connections and meet the people who are here to support you.”
Welcome to New Canaan, Fanni and Phil. See ya day one.