In June 2022, Tone House officially welcomed Head Coach Brittany Watts to the Turf. With a broad range of sports in her athletic background, Brittany has found her place on the Turf with her knowledge and personality that pushes athletes to reach their potential.

On this month’s IG Live “The Breakdown” , we gave the Tone House community a chance to get to know Head Coach Brittany.

Read segments from her interview below:

What is your fitness background? What sports did you play growing up?

I did cross country in middle school. A lot of people don’t know that because in high school I was a sprinter. As a sprinter I did a 55 and 300 in the winter, and then I did the 100 and 200 in the fall season. I also did the 400 whenever they needed me for our relay. 400 is long, so I didn’t like those. The 200 was my favorite.

I also was a dancer. Growing up I did ballet, tap, jazz, modern, and African dance. [My favorite type of dance was] definitely modern because it was freer. I think the other ones had more structure. Modern dance you have more ability to express yourself with different movements, and they might have looked a little awkward, but that was part of it.

With dancing, there comes a certain body awareness that you need. You always have to be aware of where your placement is, and you’re in-tune with how your muscles are moving and you know how to activate certain muscles. And that’s exactly what you need when you’re lifting. You need to know exactly what you’re working to get that proper form and engage the right muscles. So that’s definitely helped.

Can you tell us about your professional and educational background? How did you get into the fitness industry?

I went to school for finance at NYU. I also minored in French. I picked French because of my African background. A lot of African countries were colonized by the French. So a lot of African countries speak French. I always wanted to go out to Africa and I want to be able to speak a language other than English. 

I was in finance before fitness. I started at First Investors Corporation. I was a financial advisor. I had my Series 6 and 63 license, which allowed me to sell mutual funds and other investments to help people build their wealth. I was then at Bank of America as a relationship manager, helping people with their accounts and building credit. I just hated working behind the desk, so I decided that I was going to quit my job and become a trainer.

I started with training my coworkers from Bank of America and then I got hired at Equinox. I was there for two and a half years and then I decided to go private. I was with Performance House. You guys might know them as their supplement brand. They had a boutique gym on 14th and Fifth Avenue. It’s now called Reload. I was there for a while until COVID hit and then I did one on one personal training with Presher Fitness. I’m still personal training at Presher, and then here I am at Tone House!

Let’s shift gears back to Tone House. How did you find us? Or rather, how did we find you? 

Coach James brought me on board. We knew each other from Instagram and different fitness events. He told me to come through to Tone House and check it out with interest to join the team. I met with Alonzo and Elvira. And they put me through the 5am advanced conditioning class to see if I had what it takes to get through it.

Were you nervous for your first class? That tends to be a common feeling for new athletes visiting Tone House for the first time. 

I definitely didn’t know what to expect. I was nervous for sure, especially with that advanced class. But it is such a great community. Everybody there is there to build you up. You feel the team aspect right away as soon as you enter the class and all those jitters kind of fade away, you just focus on what is going to get you through the workout.

What about some advice for those new athletes who might have the first class jitters? What do you want them to know? What can they expect from your coaching style and what’s your approach to bringing the best out of them?

Listen to your body like don’t be afraid to take a break. You can take a break if you need a break. We are all getting through this together. We’re all a Team. Everybody supports one another. Your Coach will support you through if you ever need modification. Take that modification. Don’t be afraid to tell yourself, “Hey, I need to modify this.” 

I think I’m a very motivational coach, like throughout my class. I like to check in, see how everyone is doing, and also just give them words of encouragement. I let them know that they’re doing a good job and just push them harder to that next level.

Our last question of the night is directed at the Tone House community. What do you want them to know about you that we haven’t covered already?

I’m actually working on getting my Muay Thai certification. You guys are the first to know this! I am looking to do one on one sessions with people to help people to defend themselves. I already do kickboxing, so I just want to broaden my horizons and be able to offer more things and I’m also pre and postnatal certified. If anyone is pregnant or planning to be pregnant actions, I go you!

Be sure to check out one of Coach Brittany’s classes on the schedule soon! New to Tone House? New athletes can purchase their Rookie Pass to get their first 2 classes for the price of 1, perfect to try a Strength and Conditioning session.

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