Tour of Columbus // Shred 415 Sawmill, Dublin, Ohio  

[by t gellenbeck]

My friend and fellow runner Amanda invited me to my first Shred 415 Sawmill class this past winter, shortly after their grand opening. It also came highly recommended by some friends at Harbor Yoga and I’ve always enjoyed group fitness classes that utilize a treadmill… so I was happy to check it out. I didn’t realize at the time it would become one of my favorite studios in Columbus and I would soon end up joining the #ShredFam!  

The Tour:

My favorite studios are the ones that have someone greeting you at the front door. Not just sitting there… but actually saying hello, making you feel welcome and happy that you signed up! At Shred Sawmill you will likely always encounter a friendly face, welcoming you to your sweat session. Off to the left of the front desk is the Shred Kids area – yep you can bring your littles with you! This is definitely a perk and I’ve been bringing my kids in quite often! 

They provide towels and have a fully stocked refreshment area including water, NOOMA and other goodies, should you need a pre or post workout treat. You can also get some Shred gear from their quaint apparel area. 

The studio itself is equipped with Woodway treadmills – the best thing you’ll likely EVER run on – and a floor that includes a variety of free weights, BOSU balls, bands and more. The room is just dark enough that you don’t have to worry about the amount of sweat you’re about to shed… no one will see it anyhow! 

Another perk? A large, clean locker room with showers! This is a huge benefit if you want to shred before work or before a night on the town. 

The Workout:

Shred classes alternate between four 15 minute intervals on both the treadmills and the floor, a HIIT workout that according to Shred experts, incorporates both cardio bursts and strength training. If you need a break from the treads, you can sign up to “double deck” and hit the floor for the full 60 minutes. Coaches vary classes by changing up the workouts to include a variety of speed work, hill work (eek!), free weights, bands, BOSU and medicine balls and more. 

The instructors will guide you though the workout, often demonstrating what exactly to do on the floor (super helpful!), motivating you to give it your all and high-fiving you at the end. I’ve loved all the instructors so far and hope to do interviews of several, including updating this previous fitness spotlight on Caren Leslie, who now coaches at Shred Sawmill!

The Sawmill location has four owners; Chad Hemminger, Sara Wortman, Katie Blickhan and Scott Blickhan.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet three of them and they are all spectacularly friendly and always willing to chat about fitness, Columbus, running, anything goes! I asked them a few questions and here is what they had to say… 

Why did you decide on Shred 415 when your entrepreneurial adventure began?

After College, Katie and Scott lived in Chicago until moving to Columbus in 2010. In 2011, just shortly after they moved, Shred415 opened the first Chicago studio in Lincoln Park. Although, Scott and Katie now lived in Columbus, their Chicago friends became dedicated Shredders and shared their love for the studio. So, Katie visited her friends, took class and was instantly hooked. Although Katie – as well as Chad and Sara – belonged to numerous other fitness studios in Columbus, nothing compared to the experience with Shred415. 

Fast forward to 2017 and Katie learned that Shred415 had grown to 10 studios and was looking to franchise and expand further. Katie reached out to Sara (who have been friends since 7th grade!) and Chad (who, coincidentally, was actively looking for an investment opportunity) and said – “Remember that workout I am obsessed with in Chicago? Well, they are franchising!” We all bought plane tickets to Chicago and met the entire Shred415 family… yes, we even met founders, Bonnie & Tracy. After spending a few days with the ShredFam, it didn’t take much convincing – we were bringing Shred415 to Columbus!

 

Although we are a fitness and wellness blog, we are distance runners at heart! What benefits does Shred offer to runners?

 

Ha, have we mentioned the Woodway treadmills yet? The belt technology sets them apart from all other treadmills. They truly are the best treadmills in the industry! 

We also had a Shred team for the CapCity Half & Quarter Marathon in April. We probably had more than a dozen members come up to us after the race to tell us that they broke PRs and were attributing it to Shred415. We cannot replace the long runs – and you have to log some miles on the pavement – but Shred415 focuses on both inclines and speed while combining the cardio workouts with core exercises and strength training. It makes a HUGE difference in race performance and protects against injuries.

In addition to our regular classes, Shred415 Sawmill is also starting to offer Shred for Distance and Shred 4 Endurance classes. These classes will focus on improving both speed and endurance.  

Plus, runners are tough. We pride ourselves on dealing with the elements, but there is something to be said about the reliability of Shred415. We’re open 364 days a year with 36 classes a week (and counting) and childcare – we try to eliminate any and all “roadblocks” for runners.  We LOVE our runners and start classes super early at 5 AM on Monday through Friday!

Overall I have LOVED this studio, the workout, the people… which is why I keep going back. You never know exactly what you’ll get, but you can count on bumping beats and a killer sweat! It is an AH-MAZING workout and I always leave feeling exhausted, but totally inspired to both challenge and conquer my fitness goals. I hope to get into the studio 1-3 times per week this summer/fall to help with training for the Columbus Half Marathon in October. You should join us!

Not only will you LOVE Shred, but one last bonus… your first class is always FREE!