Sand, Snow, and Strength: The Pike Fitness Story
Jeff, Steve, and their baby brother, Aaron
Steve and Jeff were raised in Henderson, NV, where a shared love of the outdoors and action sports laid a foundation that would eventually lead to careers in health & fitness. They spent their youth exploring and playing in the harsh deserts surrounding Las Vegas. Its arid climate forged a tenacity common in desert dwellers; desert power. While coming of age, they each endured the rigors of military training. Jeff spent high school in Marine Corps JROTC and Devil Pups, while Steve enlisted in the Army’s airborne infantry. Neither pursued long-term careers in the military, and shortly after Jeff finished high school, they moved to Colorado together, taking winter jobs as lift attendants on Monarch Mountain. The brothers’ time on the mountain would mark the pivotal moment in their lives—the forge where their true purpose would begin to take shape.
After the snow melted that first season, they embarked on a 10-day water fast in the high-country wilderness. What began as a simple cleanse and retreat effectively became a vision quest which led them to a shared epiphany. By the final day, they had found a new mission in life: to combat the growing health crisis plaguing the first world. From this point on, the brothers dedicated their lives to helping others improve their health and quality of life. They quickly enrolled in a vocational program at the National Personal Training Institute in Colorado Springs, and upon completion, became NSCA Certified Personal Trainers—a credential they have both held for the past 15 years.
Picking up trash on the march to lead another outdoor bootcamp
In 2010, the brothers’ paths diverged briefly, bringing Steve back to Las Vegas and Jeff to their family’s hometown of Benicia, CA. Back in Las Vegas, Steve began working as a personal trainer, while Jeff worked as an in-home caregiver for an uncle. In 2011, with their uncle’s health declining, Steve packed up and followed Jeff to California. Reunited in Benicia, the brothers launched the Spartan Fitness & Kettlebell Club, using a local park as their open-air training ground. When their boot camps grew in popularity, the City of Benicia intervened, threatening legal action against SFKC and forcing them to shut down the outdoor bootcamps.
Pivoting from the setback, they rebranded SFKC to Pike Fitness and used the company to facilitate personal training and on-site corporate wellness programs, eventually opening their first training studio in Hiddenbrooke in 2018. Less than two years after establishing the new studio, the global COVID lockdowns threatened to shut down their gym for good. With the resilience forged in early life and unwavering support from their new community, they managed to weather the lockdowns and, in August of this year, they will celebrate 7 years at their Hiddenbrooke studio in Vallejo. Rounding out the family business with Destinée and Maddie now on board, Pike Fitness continues to expand and innovate—staying true to the adventurous spirit that started it all. With support from people like you, Pike Fitness will continue to learn, to grow, and to Keep Moving Forward.
