The Spot Athletics, Columbus

Yet another set of weights had been slid onto the already crowded bar as J.L. Holdsworth nudged it forward, squatted down, and stood back up with 905 pounds on his shoulders. The ability to perform this type of feat does not come about overnight. Before he opened The Spot Athletics, Holdsworth studied exercise science and nutrition at Wayne State University and worked with collegiate athletes as a Division I strength-and-conditioning coach. Although he could squat 905 pounds, he wasn’t content focusing solely on building muscle mass, so he developed a well-rounded fitness approach that includes conditioning the nervous system and training fascial planes through myofascial release and specialized stretches. He and his team of fitness instructors share this approach during fitness classes, personal-training sessions, and youth summer camps. Each of the high-intensity workouts unfolds inside Ultimate Sport Center’s 80,000-square-foot facility, which houses a basketball court, volleyball courts, a turf field, and one of Paul Bunyan’s 80,000-square-foot dumbbells displayed for inspiration.