The energy at Extreme Fitness was higher than ever on September 19 as founder Alex Verdugo Jr. celebrated the gym’s first anniversary. For the Chula Vista native, the milestone represented more than a year in business. It was an opportunity to reflect on the time, thought, and personal commitment behind turning an idea into a place people now make part of their everyday lives.
Alex was there for the celebration, marking the occasion in the space he had once only imagined. The excitement throughout the gym reflected what made the anniversary meaningful: Extreme Fitness had become more than a finished project. It had become a community.
When asked about his favorite part of Extreme Fitness, Alex’s answer centered on the people.
“My favorite part about Extreme Fitness is just the culture and the community that we’ve built here,” he said. “This all just started off as a dream on a piece of paper, and now to see it in fruition one year later, it’s magical, to be honest with you. I can’t describe it.”
That sense of gratitude shaped his reflection on the gym’s first year. While opening a 29,000-square-foot facility was a significant undertaking, the most rewarding part for Alex has been seeing people give the space a life of its own. The anniversary offered a moment to appreciate the community that has grown around his original vision.
“So I’m very grateful for the community and the people that make Extreme Fitness what it is,” he added.
During the celebration, Alex also spoke about the evolution of the Extreme Fitness logo. He reflected on how it developed into the design it is today, connecting that process to the time and involvement required to build the business. For him, the logo carries a story that extends beyond its appearance. It represents the work behind Extreme Fitness and the attention he devoted to bringing his vision into focus.
That evolution offers a glimpse into the larger process of creating the gym. What began on paper required decisions, refinements, and sustained effort before it could become a physical space. Looking back at the logo’s development was another way of looking back at that journey—and recognizing how much went into the finished result.
For Alex, building Extreme Fitness in his hometown adds a personal dimension to that achievement. The gym is a business, but it is also a place where he can contribute to the community he comes from. His comments about its first year made clear that the people inside it are central to how he measures its success.
The culture he described takes shape through the everyday experience of coming to the gym. Each person arrives with a different starting point and a different reason for being there. Together, those individual commitments help define the atmosphere of Extreme Fitness, turning a shared space into a place of connection.
Alex’s interest in bringing people together through fitness also extends to Extreme Influence, his series combining personalized workouts with conversations about guests’ stories and experiences. The format creates room for both physical effort and personal connection, reflecting the community focus he expressed at the anniversary.
September 19 gave Alex a chance to pause and take in what had grown from that first idea. With the gym’s energy higher than ever, the celebration captured the excitement of reaching a milestone that had once existed only as a possibility.
One year into Extreme Fitness, Alex’s proudest achievement is the culture taking shape within it. The facility and its evolving identity tell part of the story. The people who make it what it is tell the rest.
