Transforming Athletes: Fitness Edge's Journey as a USR Speed Lab
Company Name: Fitness Edge
Location: Lafayette, CO
Owner: Scott Johnson
Train Smarter. Play Faster. The commitment from the Universal Speed Rating to empower trainers and performance coaches to continue optimizing athletic performance has found a new advocate in Scott Johnson. He is the owner of Fitness Edge, a performance facility that became part of the Speed Lab program in the latter half of 2023.
Scott’s journey started with a deep passion for sports that has since evolved into a successful fitness center with his sights set on transitioning from working with adult clients to solely focusing on improving youth athletes.
A Sporting Evolution
Scott’s trajectory in the fitness industry started as a personal trainer with a focus on the general population. In 2011, he founded Fitness Edge. Located in Lafayette, CO, Scott began expanding his expertise to include youth athletes in 2012 and has continued growing ever since. Over the past decade, his commitment to continuous learning led him to Les Spellman, Tony Holler, and the Universal Speed Rating (USR) program. The experience has been instrumental in shaping Fitness Edge’s identity.
Becoming a USR Speed Lab
Scott’s desire to be more than a traditional strength and conditioning trainer fueled his decision to become a USR Speed Lab. He aspired to differentiate Fitness Edge by concentrating on high-end speed training and performance. The goal was clear: stand out, get faster, become more explosive, and elevate the overall athletic experience.
“I knew I wanted to be more of this type of trainer, focusing on performance — getting faster, more explosive, better mobility. The USR Program provided the perfect avenue to specialize and differentiate from the competition.” Scott reflects.
Integration of Universal Speed Rating
Since adopting the Universal Speed Rating program, Fitness Edge has experienced a significant improvement. Utilizing the USR platform has become a game-changer, influencing a strong referral base. By incorporating speed testing and the various educational resources that come with becoming a Speed Lab into the facility’s offerings, Scott has witnessed clients achieving great results.
The introduction of VALD SmartSpeed Timing Gates has added another layer to the training process, providing athletes with insightful data on their progress, and making it easier to add their data points into his USR Community.
“The USR platform has made a huge impact. It’s not just about speed testing but the education, the drills, all of it as a whole. It’s been a game-changer for our clients, and tracking athlete results has been substantial as well. Every athlete that comes in gets a speed lab test, gets their data in the system and it’s creating a healthy culture here.” says Scott.
USR Speed Lab Experience
One of the high points of Fitness Edge’s experience as a USR Speed Lab came from hosting their first-ever speed camp in December. Using the USR’s educational principles, Scott was able to confidently host and coach 20 athletes in a 90-minute speed camp.
Throughout the day, they explored crucial elements of speed workouts covering mobility drills, plyos, acceleration drills, and of course Fly 10 Speed Assessments. The event not only sparked interest but also resulted in multiple athletes signing up for further training after the event.
Only 1 of the camp’s attendees was a current member of Fitness Edge, so this was a great way to build new relationships with athletes and parents in the community that Scott now plans to work with in future camps and their normal programming.
“The speed camp was awesome. Getting 20 new kids into our USR Community, and having multiple sign-ups for continued training afterward was a big success– nearly all of which we hadn’t met before. It’s incredible how it’s growing our community, and I plan to make these speed camps a more consistent part of my business” Scott said.
What’s Next?
For coaches considering the leap into becoming a USR Speed Lab, Scott’s advice is clear:
“Just go all in.”
The wealth of resources from client onboarding to invaluable education, makes the transition a no-brainer.
For Scott and Fitness Edge, 2024 looks like a year of significant transformation. Scott is preparing to completely rebrand his business, shifting to solely focus on youth athlete performance and wants to be a dedicated performance center by the end of the year. With the Universal Speed Rating analytics and community supporting him, he’s confident that his business will continue to thrive once he makes this shift.
If you’d like to follow along with Scott’s journey, check out the Fitness Edge website or connect with him on Instagram: @thefitnessedgeco
If you’d like to run your own speed camps, upgrade your athlete assessment process, and grow your knowledge as a coach and business, join the Universal Speed Rating Speed Lab program by contacting us here.