By Lindsay Peyton

West Seattle resident Drew deVry is ready to take over the world – one gym at a time. 

He already owns two locations for his company Freedom Fitness – the original at 15830 1st Ave S in Burien and another in Federal Way at 1320 South 324th St. 

But that’s just the beginning. deVry has his sights set on building an empire. 

“I want to open 1,000,” he said. “That’s the goal.”

The more gyms he starts, the more people he can help, he explained. 

“As a one-on-one personal trainer, I can help eight people a day,” he said. “Now I can train trainers to do the job – and reach countless people. It’s not just about working out. It’s helping people understand how to be healthy.”

deVry has a life-long interest in fitness. When he was in high school, he wanted to bulk up. 

“I always tried to work out and nothing happened,” he said. 

Later, when deVry was earning his degree in geography at University of Washington, he started to figure out how to get the results he wanted at the gym. 

“When I got done with college, I didn’t want to get a real job with a suit and tie,” he said. “I decided to become a personal trainer and get a real job later. It turns out that being a trainer is really rewarding.”

deVry enjoyed earning a living by supporting his clients on their path of a healthier life. 

There was only one problem – the price. Having a personal trainer at a big gym was too costly for most people, he realized. 

“This needs to be a lifestyle,” he said. “It needs to be something people can afford year-round.”

He went to work creating a new model for fitness – and decided to go out on his own, renting a space in a batting cage complex. 

“I got a tiny loan and some equipment and started training baseball players,” he said. “It grew into other sports. Pretty soon, parents were asking me, ‘Could you train me too?’”

He created a program for adults that mirrored his methods for working with young athletes. “If you train like an athlete, you’re going to look like an athlete,” he said. “It leads to great results. It really boosts your metabolism.”

He coached his adult clients in groups to keep the costs down – and also created a library of pre-planned workouts they could do on their own with supervision. 

deVry looked all around the fitness world for inspiration – and took a bit of this and that to create his own style. He adapted aspects of cross-training and group classes to create unique and challenging workouts and bootcamps. 

Eventually, he was ready to open his own space. He found his Burien location in 2010 – and started operating his first brick and mortar gym at age 26. He started his Federal Way location six years later. 

The space reflects his style. “We have alternative training along with traditional,” he said. “We have some things you’d see in a normal gym – but most of the things you wouldn’t.”

The facility features indoor field turf, kettlebells, punching bags and Olympic lifting – alongside the usual cardio equipment, dumbbells and machines. 

Clients pay monthly memberships instead of for each individual training sessions – and they are given a FOB for access to the space at all hours. deVry said his focus on results is what sets his gym apart – and the community culture created in the space. 

“This is a family,” he said. 

Janice Budner has been training with deVry since 2008, starting at the batting cages. She said his methods helped her drop three pants sizes. “Now I’m addicted to it,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s challenging. I love the family environment. They can tell before you know if you need help – or if you need to be pushed further.”

Arlene Patton has also been a member of Freedom Fitness since it started. “I’m always looking for a challenge,” she said. “This gym gives me them.” 

Patton recommends that anyone looking to get stronger try out deVry’s coaching methods. “If you’re looking for someone to really help you reach your goals, this is the place to get it done,” she said. 

For more information, visit www.freedomfitnessgym.com.