By LYNETTE HAALAND, Four Points News

Devaka and Madison Randeniya opened their MaxStrength Fitness studio in Steiner Ranch last month. 

“My husband and I were looking for a way to spend more time as a family, so we started looking at franchises, and when we were presented MaxStrength Fitness, it really just struck a chord with us as something that we ourselves needed and our family members could benefit from,” Madison said. “After meeting with the team… we knew that we would love to bring it to our community and share with our neighbors. 

The opening has been in the works for almost a year, since January.

“The journey has been definitely an exciting one,” shared Devaka, who continues his work as an executive at a technology company based in Austin.

The Randeniyas have a toddler, Nevaan, and a 10-month-old, Nathan. They lived in Steiner Ranch and knew this was the place to open their studio. They found the perfect location at 4300 N. Quinlan Park Rd. and have already sponsored the Steiner Turkey Trot and University of Texas Golf Club events.

“We really want to be known as that community organization that’s really focusing on strength building and a place for people to come,” Devaka said.

“One thing we noticed, especially around the Steiner and the Four Points area, is that you get a lot of gyms, but not that one-on-one experience (with a trainer),” Devaka said. 

He points out that there are a lot of busy executives with busy schedules, as well as techies and entrepreneurs, etc.

“It’s almost a schedule where you can come during work, hours come in, get a quick workout and head back to work. The studio is set at a 67 degree temperature so you never break a sweat,” Devaka said. “So you could just come in your office clothes, workout and head back to work and gain the same results that you want.” 

“People think we need to sweat to be productive, not true,” said MaxStrength founder Jeff Tomaszewski, who came in from Ohio to help launch the local studio. So far there are 46 sites across the country and by the end of next year, he hopes to expand by 50 more studios. 

MaxStrength refers to itself as the anti gym; it’s not a social setting with loud music and mirrors.

“We take a very clinical approach. We always want the client’s focus, so we get the most out of them in the safest manner possible,” Tomaszewski said. 

MaxStrength creates program design. 

“That’s our expertise based upon their goals, or medical history and ongoing conversations,” Tomaszewski said.

MaxStrength clients go from machine to machine to machine, in a circuit-like fashion.

“It’s a total body workout every time you come in. So upper body, lower body, spine, six to eight exercises, 20 minutes in, out, back to your busy day, ideally twice a week,” Tomaszewski said.  

In general, people lose muscle strength and mass at a rate of 3% to 5% every decade after 30, and then after 60 it about doubles and after 75, it just falls off a cliff, he added.“So we’re trying to just help people become strong, functional, and fit on their own terms and live life independently and functionally as they go through the ‘aging process,’” Tomaszewski said.

He said that research shows that it is the intensity or the quality of exercise that dictates change, not the volume and frequency.

The only reason it doesn’t work is if they don’t show up, Tomaszewski said. “We take a very therapeutic approach.”

Nationwide, MaxStrength wants to get to around 250 to 300 studios within 35 years. Tomaszewski said. “Our goal is just to help as many people as possible become healthy, fit, and strong without wasting hours in the gym.”

At their new Steiner studio, the Randeniyas are doing a lot of free MaxStrength consultations, which comes with two free sessions to try it out.

“We are excited for January,” Devaka said. “It’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon. We are here for the long haul.”