We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful MICHAEL GRANVILLE. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with MICHAEL below.

Hi MICHAEL, thanks for joining us today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

In 2015, I needed a new vehicle because my 1969 Mercedes 220 D just wasn’t reliable. So, I upgraded to a 2007 Honda Fit!
The model of this new black hatchback aligned perfectly with my profession. I was the lead instructor for local fitness company.

I was this fitness company’s first full-time fitness instructor. My daily routine would start at 6 am with 3 outdoor bootcamps at Stanford, to corporate sites like Facebook and Google, then ending with private training at homes around the San Francisco basin. Surprisingly, a bunch of equipment actually could fit in that little black Honda Fit. The more the job requested, the more she could handle. I would joke and say, “Everything “fits in this” Honda!” Then I recognized the acronym F-I-T could stand for “fit in this”.

In October 2015, I received a call that would change the trajectory of my professional career. On lunch break, my manager called to alert me that corporate decided to downsize. Basically, my classes were being cancelled along with full-time benefits. Hearing this as a husband, father of three sharing one income was so devastating – I couldn’t even finish my burrito.
The only thing good from that call was, I was given 6 weeks’ notice. Looking, back I needed all 6 weeks to launch, my dream company called, G: FIT.

Email, texts, calls and boot campers current and past reached out and showered me with support after finding out that their long-lasting fitness program was coming to an end. I started with the company in 2006, many of these boot campers had been attending since the late 90s!

Many of the messages complimented me on my commitment to leading a daily fitness class, rain or shine with quality instruction and a smile, and if i decide to start my own outdoor fitness business that they would follow! One of my private clients is a CPA gave me advise on the fastest way to start a business in California. She helped me start a Limited Liability Corporation as a sole proprietor. The only thing she needed was a unique name for the business to help expediate the approval process. And, right there, on October 16th, 2015, it all came to me — Granville Fit In This Bootcamp! Because my outdoor fitness class is a gym without walls, literally and figuratively. Everyone Fits in this bootcamp! No matter your weight, gender, or fitness level. We all fit in this. gfit.co

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

At the time of this interview, Wikipedia writes:

Michael Granville (born February 14, 1978) is a retired American 800-meter runner. He is known for being the national high school record holder in this event, with a time of 1:46.45 set in 1996 (still the current national record 29 years later).

I qualified for the 1996 Olympic Trials in Atlanta as a High Schooler after setting the National high School record. At the time of my senior year, I broke every high school 800-meter class national records. I earned a full ride scholarship at UCLA where I went on to become 3x All- American, 2x NCAA champion (4×4 and distance medley relay, 1999) and 2000 Pac-10 400-meter champion. After college I joined the Nike Farm Team, an Olympic development program for semi pro athletes located at Stanford.

By 2002, my track career was waning due to injuries, burn out and money. Being part of the Nike Farm Team I met the person that would encourage me to pursue a career in fitness training. The power of networking and being at the right place at the right time! My Athletic Trainer for Nike managed a Healthsouth Physical Therapy and thought I may a good fit as a physical therapist assistant. Under Marc’s mentorship, I learned every exercise progression and regression in the book. I made ice bags, managed the ph. balance in the treadmill pool, I went on to get my certification in group, private, women’s fitness. I was excited to learn about the body and how it moves. I even got certified in massage therapy!

The power of being available and in the right place at the right time, happened again in 2006. I was working as a massage therapist at local spa called, Spoil ME! One day, the chiropractor’s office next door needed a massage therapist, because theirs called in sick. I would meet, Laura. We have a good conversation during the massage as if we knew each other for years. Laura takes my contact because she thinks I would be a perfect fit for her friend’s outdoor fitness company called Timeout Community Bootcamp.

Nine years later, I will be the new owner of this outdoor fitness company, and rename it, Granville Fit In This Bootcamp, LLC (G:FIT)

Have you ever had to pivot?

In March 2020, the whole world shut down. The Covid 19 pandemic closed restaurants, schools and definitely gyms. An idea just a few months earlier made it possible for my fitness company to pivot and stay in business.

Prior to the shelter in place mandates, I wanted to offer service to my traveling clientele. January 2020, Zoom was the app that I liked the most, because I could stream classes live and record. So, I sign up for the basic subscription. With no real urgency to start streaming my class live via zoom, I merely used it to record myself with mini exercise clips to correspond to a google forms called “check box fitness”. I would send this link to clients that were traveling and still wanted to get in a workout that they were familiar with.

As the Corona Virus made its way to closing Santa Clara County on a Monday March 16th, I realized that the moment to share my live stream Zoom Bootcamp was now. I sent an email to my network, of over 150 at the time, sharing workout videos I had been archiving and also an offer to continue our bootcamp classes over Zoom. The amount of support and spike in memberships over the next few days was overwhelming! I loaned out most of my equipment so that my members could do all the exercises with weights, jump ropes and resistance bands. The local paper advertised my program on their social media and website. The local country club paid me a nice monthly flat rate so that their members could access my Zoom links as well! My email network doubled, and G:FIT Bootcamp was able to keep rent paid, food on my family and a feeling of to having a purpose and to truly be of service.

No matter how much I thanked my clients for their help during the pandemic, I am stopped mid-sentence, and they reciprocate how essential I was to them during that time.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Consistency, knowledge/quality instruction and creativity helped build my reputation as a fitness, professional.

As an athlete, I was all about practice, visualizing victory, and giving 100 percent of my effort when the spotlight is on. That ideology led me to be chosen as California’s top 100 athletes in the past 100 years (2015). Why not bring that to my business.

This year 2025, G:FIT Bootcamp, LLC is celebrating 10 years of being in business!

Consistently, I show up everyday rain or shine.
I have the curiosity of a white belt, and the skill of a black belt.
If you give me 5 hours to cut down a tree, I will use 4 hours sharpening my axe.

Most importantly, besides keeping my boot campers fit, my biggest goal is to hear them laugh and see them smile between the miles and burpees:)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gfitfresh.com/ , https://www.gfit.co/ , https://gfitwellness.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelgranville2/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelgranville3084

Image Credits

Kirby Lee
Austin Fausto
Marie Ramirez-Granville