Former Rebel Linebacker Strives to Form Fitness Community in Oxford

By Jayde Taylor
Hottytoddy.com intern

Amzie Williams, co-owner and founder of SHED Fitness, set out to create a workout experience in Oxford like no other. SHED Fitness—located on 202 South Lamar Court— combines cardio, strength and aerobic workouts to create a safe workout atmosphere alternating focus on different muscle groups.

Amzie Williams, co-founder and co-owner of SHED. Photos provided by SHED fitness.

Williams attended the University of Mississippi in 1996 and was a former linebacker for the Ole Miss football team. Fitness has always been a part of his life.

“It carried over and became a part of my lifestyle. It did not really dawn on me for it to become a career until I was a trainer at Barry’s Bootcamp in Nashville and I witness the growth of the boutique fitness industry firsthand,” Williams said. “I have always had a little ‘risk taker’ in my blood so I decided to go for it.”

He moved to Nashville shortly after, where the first SHED Fitness Gym was opened in 2014. After opening a few of the gyms with his partners and finding success, he decided to return back to one of his favorite cities, Oxford.

Williams said that he felt encouraged to come back to Oxford not only because went to school in Oxford and has an emotional connection here, but also because he thinks there is significant opportunity to form a fitness community here.

“I hope people take to it. We really try to build a healthy fitness community” he said. “We like to push and challenge our fitness levels all the time. Always trying to get better. We really want to help people hit their goals.”

Trainers at SHED Fitness work hard to ensure every aspect of the workout is unique. When a client walks into the fitness room, he or she will immediately notice the equipment and the workout for the day – both contributing to the uniqueness.

Andrew King is a trainer at SHED. He received his fitness instructor certification this year and is excited to use it to teach others at SHED.

King elaborates on the unique element of the gym and says that high-intensity interval training is understood as already effective, but SHED builds on that by offering a variety of different workouts that improve more than one aspect of your fitness – all while in an environment that fosters both friendship and healthy competition.

SHED uses Woodway Treadmills – a treadmill that forces one to learn how to pace themselves and over time makes them a much better runner. As well as treadmills, there are rowing machines, chin-up bars, benches and free-weights – everything needed for a killer workout.

Then, exercise enthusiasts can turn around and read what is cut out for them for the day. No work out is the same at SHED. The same muscle groups will be worked per their scheduled day but exact same circuits are never repeated twice. Workouts are typically made of up four to six stations and consist of a warm up, about 40 minutes of work, and a cool down.

Andrew King working out at SHED. Photo provided. 

The SHED staff makes sure their clients stretch before and after to prevent injury or reduce unnecessary soreness, something that is easily overlooked in other fitness communities but is just as important as the workout itself.

“I think the best overall fitness can be achieved by trying different things,” Williams said. “We never do the same workout twice. We always try to find different ways to keep it challenging.”

The comfort provided in the gym is also a very important factor. SHED Fitness welcomes anyone at any fitness level and allows clients to push themselves to their capabilities. Even Williams said that the workouts are not meant to be easy – that it is all about getting better.

Ryoma Thomas, a student from the University of Mississippi, said he has enjoyed his workouts at SHED.

“They focus more on cardio-intensive exercises with lighter weight to hone in on creating a leaner body build,” Thomas said of SHED. “The atmosphere truly gives off the vibe of hard work. The staff at SHED is there to cheer you while instructing you to do any exercise correctly for maximum effect.”

SHED fitness is located at South Lamar Court and the first class is always free. Anyone is welcome to sign up and book a class on the MINDBODY app. Make sure to check out their Facebook and Instagram page at shedfitnessoxford, for continuous specials for new clients.