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Small COMO Gym Keeps It Simple

Small COMO Gym Keeps It Simple

  • This story originally appeared in the January 2024 health and wellness issue of COMO Magazine.
Steven Mack in studio with client

Empowering fitness journeys through simple and personalized strength training.

Health and wellness begin to sneak into the back of our minds this time of year, along with all the options of where to go and what to do. If that describes you, Simple Solutions Fitness might need to be your next move. Steven Mack and team have the background and knowledge, along with simple ideas and movements that clients can begin to achieve their goals.

Simple Solutions Fitness is a small gym that offers “small group personal training that is affordable and focused only on strength training,” says Mack, owner and trainer. He began personal training in 2015 with a mobile set up of equipment that he took to different locations around Columbia. A year later, he opened in the current location.

Mack began working out in high school and played football for a season as a walk-on at Mizzou. Even though he enjoyed it, he realized that football dominated his time, but Mack wanted to devote his time to school and getting certified in personal strength training. Currently a certified strength and conditioning specialist, he has been accepted to further his education with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy, which he continues at Mizzou in June. 

Mack is involved in the community, too, whether through strength-based physical therapy — helping individuals with Parkinson’s disease twice each week — or being an active member on committees within the Women’s Network division of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce. His passion is finding ways to help with issues both broad and personal that women face, especially pertaining to health and fitness.

Mack, along with two other personal trainers, work with clients of all ages, backgrounds, and fitness levels at Simple Solutions Fitness. While they have clients with varied backgrounds, the vast majority are women. Mack’s team strives to give women a place where they feel comfortable working out. There are no mirrors and no posts on social media unless clients want to be included on those. The team’s website points out that the personal training is ideal “for women who want to feel more confident.”

While many of the clients at Simple Solutions Fitness are women, the business is open to everyone who seeks help. There is no mention of diets and there are no pitches to buy supplements that other gyms or trainers might solicit. For those who have questions about nutrition, supplements, and related topics, Mack and his team provide referrals to others in those fields. 

Simple Solutions Fitness offers a twenty-eight-day trial period.

“Achieve your fitness goals and build a starter amount of strength in twenty-eight days at our gym or through online training,” its website states. The team works with clients to set up scheduling for training. The cost goes down for bookings that are regular and scheduled for up to a year. In addition to the scheduling flexibility, the team has added Saturday sessions to help further accommodate individual schedules.

Clients are also able to book sessions as far as a month in advance. “If they know their schedule in advance and can book out, we are happy to provided that added feature,” Mack says.

With the help of personal trainers Jamie Poppen and Rusty Burney, Mack plans to keep Simple Solutions Fitness going strong while he dives into his doctoral program — strengthening his mind to be even better equipped to help others strengthen their bodies. And he offers a simple statement of advice for those want to or are just starting a fitness journey.

“Don’t underestimate how much you can get out of the simple things,” he explains. “Start with something manageable then increase weight, frequency, or times per week that you are active from there.”  


Simple Solutions Fitness
3930 S Providence Rd Ste B
573-443-1495
[email protected]

404 Portland St, Ste C | Columbia, MO 65201 | 573-499-1830
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