Growing up in the Westchester County, New York, town of New Rochelle, Max Gomez was a sports enthusiast who loved riding dirt bikes. And though a motocross accident upended his life in his late teens, Gomez used it as inspiration to launch AMP’D Fitness in Brielle, where he provides personal training designed to help adults in any condition or fitness level get stronger and live healthier.

“I was always very active and loved being outside,” recalled Gomez, 28, a Belmar resident who got into dirt bikes at an early age. “My dad had ridden dirt bikes when he was younger and bought me my first dirt bike for my fourth birthday. No matter what was going on, I couldn’t wait to get on my bike and go to tracks all over the tri-state area. In high school, I took up wrestling to stay in shape all winter and then picked up the bike again in the summer.”

At 18, however, a freak motocross accident changed Gomez’s life.

“I went to a race in Pennsylvania to qualify for a big national event and it started out great, but on the second day I crashed on a jump on the track and injured my ankle,” he said. “Initially, it didn’t look too severe because we wear a lot of protective gear and I planned to continue riding the next day, but the pain got more intense by the hour.”

Gomez was soon rushed to the hospital, where the nightmare set in.

“It turned out that the impact of the crash broke my ankle and it shattered everywhere, severing two arteries in my leg and causing gangrene to develop from lack of blood flow,” he explained. Despite numerous surgeries over a month-long hospital stay, “my leg was ultimately amputated and I got my first prosthetic three to four months later and began a long recovery.”

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“Though it was easy to say ‘why me?’ and feel sorry for myself, I was blessed to have a great support system in my parents, who helped me change my outlook and figure out how to get back to my normal life,” he said. “In many ways, I’d been a crazy and naïve kid just riding dirt bikes, partying and hanging out and my injury helped point me in the right direction. Looking back now, I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.”

From five clients to 50

As he navigated his new normal, Gomez attended several different colleges in New York and Florida before moving to New Jersey and finding his niche. “My mom had gotten an apartment in Belmar and encouraged me to go to Brookdale Community College and then to Kean University in Elizabeth, where I graduated with a degree in psychology in 2019,” he said.

Evaluating his professional options after graduation, “I realized that I’d always wanted to own a gym,” Gomez said. “I was working at a gym in Freehold and training people on the side and I loved it.”

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That gym eventually offered him the opportunity to manage a new location they intended to open in Belmar, but that plan dried up when the pandemic hit in early 2020.

Barely making ends meet teaching two classes a week on Zoom, “I ran a lot of ads on Facebook promoting my ability to train people at their homes and it caught fire,” Gomez said. “I built up a large clientele, got a truck and a lot of equipment, and took it from house to house, providing personal training throughout 2020.”

In January 2021, Gomez established a brick-and-mortar location in a tiny, third-floor space in a building in Manasquan and named his personal training venture AMP’D Fitness in a nod to his amputee status.

“I started with five clients, built it up to 50 by May 2021, and by January 2022 our growth enabled me to expand to a much larger, 1,700-square-foot space in Brielle,” Gomez said. “The space was perfect and, coincidentally, had previously been a gym called ‘The Max,’ just like my name. I said ‘I’m in’ and immediately took it.”

'I can change the way they think'

Nearly a year later, in an inviting space outfitted with cutting-edge equipment and TV monitors, Gomez and two fellow trainers offer one signature 50-minute circuit-training class 35 times per week to groups that average 12 to 16 people each.

“Our workouts emphasize strength training and incorporate equipment around the room, including barbells, dumbbells, cable machines, kettlebells and various cardio pieces such as a bike, a rower and a SkiErg Ski Machine,” he said of workout packages that start at $135 a month. “We offer hands-on, personalized attention and focus on showing people the right technique and helping them live a healthy and more confident life.”

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Clients are both men and women, “but especially moms ages 30 and up,” Gomez said. “That audience can benefit from my help the most and I feel I can change the way they think about fitness and how good strength training is for them.”

While he noted that when he wears jeans, “90% of the time people can’t tell that I have a prosthetic,” Gomez said that his clients aren’t put off by his amputation at all — rather, many find it motivating.

“One of the toughest parts of starting a business is separating yourself from your competitors,” he explained. “Gyms are gyms and there’s so much competition out there, but being an amputee is what makes me and our gym unique — it’s cool to be trained by someone with this disability who still makes it work,” he said. “People are intrigued, inspired and drawn in when they see me doing squats and lifts, and then the quality service and results I deliver keep them here.”

Among trends, Gomez said that big-box gyms offering low monthly rates were once popular — and difficult to compete with. “Boutique gyms are in now, but it’s about finding your community of members and not being something you’re not,” he said.

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“We have extremely knowledgeable coaches and the friendliest and most supportive group of members ever; we make working out as fun and sustainable as possible and our members are committed and double down on it," he said. "We take pride in meeting people where they’re at and connecting with each member in order to bring out their very best.”

Looking ahead, “I love our Brielle location and want to remain a small, boutique gym,” Gomez said. “We plan to continue growing our membership, utilizing our Manasquan space for more one-on-one training, and perhaps opening another location dedicated to more concierge services, such as a very tailored workout with nutritional counseling and smaller group sizes.”

According to Gomez, he’d even like to help other gyms optimize their offering and position for greater success.

“Ultimately, I love witnessing the transformation our members make and seeing them feel confident wearing something smaller or tighter because they lost 20 pounds,” said Gomez of his favorite part of his job. “It’s a testament to what consistency and commitment can do for you.”

AMP’D Fitness

Location: 718 Union Avenue, Suite 2, Brielle

Phone: 914-282-1570

Owner: Max Gomez

Opened: January 2021

Website: www.ampdfitnessnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: AMP'D Fitness in Brielle grew out of founder's leg amputation