After working in IT for nearly two decades, Missy Berkowitz didn’t expect to make a career change. But in 2017, Berkowitz left the corporate world to follow her true passion: fitness.
“I’ve always liked having that lifestyle where fitness is a central part of it, I built a big community through it and it’s just something that I became really passionate about,” she said. “So I wanted to be able to share that with other people.”
Berkowitz, who lives in Long Beach, founded her own personal training business: Dig Your Deepest.
“I try to stick with keeping things simple, but always challenging,” she said. “I don’t think we always need to have a really crazy, fancy setup for a movement to make it effective.”
Her training mainly utilizes bodyweight and free weights (like dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls), though she’s also created a “legit” gym in her home garage for clients, “not just a garage with a bench thrown in there,” she said.
In the time of COVID, her private gym provides added protection compared to congregate gym settings and privacy for people who don’t like to work out in front of other people.
“I’ve trained a lot of people who have anxiety about going to a gym, so being able to workout with just their trainer can alleviate some of it,” she said. “For some it can be the difference of working out versus not.”
At a gym, people might not be sure which machines to use or which workouts will best suit their fitness goals.
In one-on-one training, Berkowitz said she focuses on the specific fitness goals of her clients, whether that’s strength-building, endurance or becoming more physical in general. She strays away from weight loss goals in favor of goals for strength or health.
“It’s really for anybody that feels like they want to do it, they just need a little extra guidance and more accountability than they might have on their own,” she said. “Because that’s a lot of my clients. If they weren’t training with me, they probably wouldn’t be working out.”
And health goals are easier to achieve with someone cheering you on from the sidelines.
“It’s nice to have somebody that you feel is as invested in your health and fitness as you are,” she said. “I really connect with the people I train.”
Dig Your Deepest is offering a first-time 60-minute consultation session for $85. A pack of ten sessions costs $850, or clients can choose a monthly package with sessions twice weekly for $720.
Semi-private sessions for groups of two ($60 per person) or three people ($40 per person) and groups of four cost ($35 per person). Berkowitz also teaches a hybrid strong board class on Saturdays that cost $25 for a drop-in or $80 for the month.
For more information visit www.digyourdeepest.com or follow Berkowitz on Instagram at @digyourdeepest.
