(NFM) What is your name:  

Devin Tolentino

What is your current involvement in the Nashville Fitness community:

Currently, I own and operate REDLINE Fitness in Brentwood as well as director for the 2023 NashvilleFit Games

How long have you worked in the fitness industry in Nashville?

I have been in the Nashville Fitness Industry for 12 years.

How has the Nashville Fit community evolved since you started? (people, places, athlete performance, etc.) 

 When I first moved to Nashville, there wasn’t a defined “fitness community.” (As far as gyms go) People were going to the Y, taking a spin class, or running, and that’s pretty much it. Over the last decade, Nashville has become a fitness metropolis. In 2011 there were around 6-9 boutique-style gyms; fast forward to 2023, and there are hundreds between Nashville and Franklin alone.

How would you describe the Fit Games to someone who has never heard of them?

 The NashvilleFit Games is a competition style of workouts, strength, and conditioning based, measured, and tested to determine the fittest individual, age group, and team athletes in Nashville. 

What are the general community sentiments around the return of the Fit Games? 

 This event filled up much faster than we anticipated! It has been great to see local gyms putting teams together and training in groups. Our fitness community is elevated when we challenge ourselves to uphold quality, standards, and effort. Many registrants are excited and coming together for this year’s event.

What makes the Fit Games unique from other competitions? 

 Many people unfamiliar with competitions automatically assume that it’s CrossFit. No knock on CrossFit, but this isn’t that. There are no barbells, no upside down-push-ups or butterfly pull-ups. All of our events require raw strength and grit versus skill and strategy. To do well at the Fit Games, you must go full send from start to finish.

We assume people are training for the Fit Games. Have you heard of any extraordinary/inspiring stories of athlete preparations for the event? 

 Our neighbors at Burn Bootcamp Brentwood have put together a Saturday group for their athletes participating. Their coach has put together specific workouts to help them prepare for the FitGames. That’s the kind of stuff we like to see and what really gets the gym community and members involved.

How has the competition changed or evolved from previous years? Any big differences?

 The original NashvilleFit Games was similar to a field day with tests like ankle flexibility and grip squeezer. It was outside, hot, and definitely fun; however, we wanted to bring this year’s event indoors to a more excellent venue with workouts more up-to-date as to what’s happening in gyms. In addition, Nashville is now known as a current town, and we want this event to be just that. Compared to the previous years’ events, this will be the 5-star fitness event of the year.

Describe the competitor pool (as far as you know) – i.e., any heavy hitters or previous winners looking to win again? Any comeback stories from second or third-place finishers? /What types of gyms/training/backgrounds do the competitors have that you’re aware of? – i.e., CrossFit, bodybuilding, triathlon, etc

I am really excited to watch our top competitive division athletes this year! The competitive division will be primarily new faces to comp. It has been great to see many athletes (Men and Women) come out from the OCR/Hybrid Sports community… Those athletes are tough, and they are not afraid to train.

Looking forward to seeing how they handle the heavier weights as well. Aside from the OCR world, we have everyone in the competitive division, from Navy SEALS to elite-level swimmers, runners, CrossFitters, and former D1 athletes. With the wide variety of backgrounds, we will get a picture of the fittest in town.

Describe the spectator experience/things people should check out on-site (giveaways, food/beverage, vendors, etc.) 

The Factory in Franklin is going to be a fantastic experience for spectators. We will be inside liberty hall, which has an entire mezzanine to watch the competition and our main floor with vendors ranging from local clothing brands and smoothies to injectable services. In addition, the Factory has restaurants, shops, a farmers market, and some of the best local businesses. One could easily spend all day there and have a great time. So if you’re competing, bring along your friends and family. If you’re looking for something to do on Feb 18th… there’s no better place to experience the Nashville Fitness Community and a genuine historic piece of Tennessee at the Factory.