The 2024 Olympia Weekend in Las Vegas, NV was about much more than bodybuilding. It was a celebration of fitness and community. The folks that gathered to take part in the annual extravaganza saw and created memories that will last a lifetime.
One of those people was Tony Saxby of W.O.L.F. Fitness, who was not just there as a fan. He got to present an award on the Olympia stage with YouTube sensation Jesse James West. This was his sixth Olympia and he felt it was the best one to date.
“It was really cool to get the access that we did. My thanks go out to Dan Solomon for that.”
The Olympia also added a lot of fuel to a burning inferno of passion that Saxby has for the industry and community. As the leader of W.O.L.F. Fitness, a growing gym franchise brand, Saxby is proactive in helping many people achieve personal fitness success while growing his brand on a macro and micro scale.
Brand New Start
The origins of W.O.L.F date back to 2017 when Saxby and his wife were on vacation. They were looking for a place to train when they discovered Brigantine Fitness in Brigantine, NJ. It served the purpose but obviously needed love. Most people would have seen a run-down gym but Saxby saw opportunity.
“It was a diamond in the rough,” he recalled. “It had good bones but went 20 years with no updates.”
The couple asked if the gym was for sale, and they were off to the races. Saxby was no stranger to growing a business in the fitness space. His gym experience goes back to when he was a teenager working at a YMCA, working as a trainer, followed by developing a boot camp-style class that had a loyal following of over 200 members. The folks were so loyal that after Saxby was declined for a raise, he rented a football field to hold his classes on his own, and the members went with him for two years until he could move it into a building.
“Rain, snow, or shine, for two years before I could afford a brick and mortar, we were out there at 4, 5, and 6 AM working out.”
Saxby was so dedicated that he even made weights out of concrete and PVC or his group. That level of drive and determination would serve him very well in the years to come. After he moved his business inside a building, he sold it and opened another one. The momentum continued building, which was only adding more logs to the fire.
That fire and experience would be the catalysts for the rise of W.O.L.F. Fitness. His wife, Trish, came up with the name as acronym for “Work Out, Live Fierce.” That set the tone for the environment they wanted to create – a place where athletes of all fitness disciplines can gather to train and support each other. W.O.L.F. Fitness Gyms include members from bodybuilding, powerlifting, CrossFit, and folks simply trying to be healthier.
“We want it to be an alpha mentality and also a community. It would be where we could have a community of like-minded individuals.”
The rise was a rapid one, and it’s still gaining momentum. The couple grew the W.O.L.F. brand out to offer franchising opportunities. As of 2024, there are three franchises in New Jersey, with over 10 more in development that are set to open in the next 12-14 months.
“These people have built such a wonderful community, and that is what we are trying to do nationwide.”
That community includes friends beyond the gym walls. People that have offered support for Saxby and W.O.L.F. include Solomon, Hollywood superstar Dave Bautista, and the folks at Gym Launch.
“We have all positioned ourselves to create what we know this can be, a bunch of badass training facilities.”
A Different Type of Commitment To Country
Saxby also has experience in law enforcement, which he is also proud of. His time in that career, combined with patriotism for the country he calls home, is why he is a strong supporter for the members of the United States military, past and present. This is represented in part at every W.O.L.F. location.
“At every one of our gyms, you will see the words Honor, Commitment, Community, and Integrity – not only because it means so much to us, but we hope that over time it transitions to our member’s brains that this is what it is all about.”
Those words and his patriotism are why Saxby is placing a big commitment upon himself and W.O.L.F. Fitness that will serve America. They have offered free memberships and training services to those that have committed and are preparing to enter military service. There will be multiple workout routines and nutrition programs developed for them as well. They also will offer supplement strategies, which can include their own Live Fierce supplement line. This is one of multiple steps they are taking to invest into the future of the nation’s security. As noble of a gesture as it is, Saxby doesn’t see it as anything extraordinary.
“It’s what we should do, in my opinion,” he said. “There is a massive need for qualified people to enlist. Now is the time that we need people to care about being healthy and fit as well as supporting our country. Everybody should be doing this.”
Saxby and his team have more plans for the future, which include goals focused on supporting the military and veterans that are expected to be announced in the near future. At the end of the day, he feels that anything and everything W.O.L.F. Fitness can do to support veterans and servicemembers is the least they can do compared to the commitment they make defending freedom.
“We’ve got some growth coming, which is good,” he said proudly. This has literally been my life’s dream .” To learn more about W.O.L.F. Fitness, go to www.wolffitnessgyms.com or follow @wolf_fitness_gyms on Instagram.
M&F Senior Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this article.
