Marc George and Blake Bomberger thought they knew all about hard work and perseverance, but then they embarked on their mutual dream of owning and running a gym.
“I had spent my entire career as a cop, and understood what it was like to go on nerve-wracking calls and enter some very dangerous situations,” Bomberger says. “The few years of unending strain and anxiety opening Unrivaled were 100 times worse than that.”
Of course, the two ran into some thornier issues than one might expect during the process. The Small Business Administration (SBA) was hesitant to loan to a gym startup in the wake of COVID and catastrophe struck when they found out their equipment dealer had engaged in massive fraud.
“It’s a long story,” Bomberger says. “Thankfully we were able to secure most of what we bought.”
In any case, the journey to opening Unrivaled Iron Gym in December of 2023 felt like a long, dark tunnel in which the two learned both the importance of friendship and the importance of constructive outlets for stress relief. George and Bomberger have since made an intentional effort to encourage and improve men’s mental health.
“As men, we tend to just bury anxiety and keep going,” George says. “While we were working toward opening Unrivaled, I felt like I couldn’t share what was going on even with people who were close to me because I didn’t want them to worry or know that I was scared. It was invaluable to have Blake as a support and business partner. I’ve always said, there’s literally no one else in the world I could have done this with.”
Bomberger agrees. “I was also putting on a brave face for people around me, especially my wife. We’re taught that no matter what, it’s important not to ‘break.’ But we hit many breaking points throughout the process, and it was so critical that I could rely on Marc just to talk.”
The good news is that their period of suffering has been met with reward. Now at over 500 members, the gym has already expanded in size since opening day (with further expansions planned), and the two are continuing to build their vision of a true health and fitness community by adding a vitamin shop, chiropractor, massage / stretch therapist and physical therapist to the premises.
They’re also sharing the importance of all they’ve learned – especially rooted in their bodybuilding and police work backgrounds – with an annual event now in its 2nd year. The Health is Wealth Push Pull Competition will take place at Unrivaled this year on Saturday, June 28th. The friendly competition, open to everyone (men and women), is intended to create community, emphasize the relationship between mental and physical health and support local first responders through a charitable donation.
“We’ll also have a guest speaker, because that was a great feature last year,” Bomberger says. “USMC Lt/Col Erik Melanson shared a lot about resilience and how he developed a training regimen as a better alternative for dealing with anxiety than alcohol. That’s a big part of what we do. Creating a space where people can come and cope with difficult emotions in positive ways.”
“That’s huge,” George echoes. “Because men are less likely to talk about how they’re feeling, they can be more likely to turn to coping mechanisms like alcohol or other vices. At Unrivaled, our fitness community provides a place to cultivate key friendships and serves everyone’s journey of personal growth.”
UnrivaledIronGym.com
We’re taught that no matter what, it’s important not to ‘break.'