HUSTL Athletic Club prepares to bring new approach to fitness, recovery and community to Columbia

Travis Tourville, Owner; Parker Lippold, General Manager

New Columbia fitness facility puts focus on helping people through training, recovery and connection

When HUSTL Athletic Club opens its doors in downtown Columbia, owner Travis Tourville wants people to find more than a place to work out.

He wants them to find a place that helps them become better versions of themselves.

HUSTL, a 10,500-square-foot human performance facility at 1815 Barnwell St., is expected to open in December. The club will combine strength and conditioning, coach-led classes, personal training, yoga, Pilates, open gym access and recovery services under one roof.

But Tourville said the larger vision is about helping people — physically, mentally and through connections with others.

That vision is reflected in the name itself. HUSTL is an acronym for Heart, Unity, Strength, Toughness and Leadership, five core values Tourville and his team want to build into the culture of the club.

“It’s truly finding ways to help others reach where they want to be in life, whether it’s mentally or physically or just finding a community they really feel part of,” Tourville said. “That’s really the most important thing for us — making an impact on people.”

That philosophy is reflected throughout the facility, including one area the HUSTL team is particularly excited about: its Recovery Lounge.

The dedicated quiet space will feature heated reclining chairs, compression boots, massage guns, foam rollers and other recovery tools. Members will be encouraged to disconnect from work, phones and other distractions while they recharge.

Recovery is also incorporated into HUSTL’s locker rooms, which will feature dry saunas and IceVault cold therapy rooms. The club sees recovery not as an extra amenity but as an essential part of overall performance.

“We’re not just a gym. We’re really a human performance center,” said Parker Lippold, HUSTL’s general manager. “What that means to us is showing up and being the best version of yourself, whether it’s at work, whether it’s at home, whether it’s in the gym.”

The idea, Lippold said, is simple: People cannot consistently perform at their best if they never give their bodies and minds an opportunity to recover.

That broader definition of health runs through HUSTL’s approach.

On the training side, members will be able to choose from HUSTL’s Ignite conditioning classes, Forge strength classes, HUSTL Sculpt mat Pilates and yoga. The facility will also offer personal training and designated open gym hours. Programming is designed to be scalable so members can participate at different fitness and experience levels.

Tourville said HUSTL will emphasize intentional coaching and education rather than simply giving members a workout and sending them on their way. The goal is to help people understand how strength, conditioning, recovery, nutrition and other aspects of wellness work together.

That philosophy grew in part from Tourville’s own journey.

An Orangeburg native, Tourville grew up playing sports and attended Newberry College to play football before injuries cut his playing career short. He later became a personal trainer and eventually returned to Columbia to work for his family’s business, Zeus Industrial Products.

Tourville later became director of health and wellness at Zeus, an opportunity he said allowed him to pursue his passion for fitness while helping employees improve their health.

After leaving the company, Tourville and his wife opened Lazy Daisy Coffee Co. in Forest Acres. Watching his wife pursue her vision helped push him to move forward with an idea he had considered for years: creating his own fitness and wellness business.

For Tourville, however, HUSTL is also an investment in Columbia.

A large mural inside the facility depicts downtown Columbia and the city’s rivers, with a star marking HUSTL’s Barnwell Street location. It is a visual reminder of the club’s desire to be connected to the city around it.

Tourville said he had spent enough time talking about things he wished Columbia had. Eventually, he decided he should help create them.

“This city has a lot of opportunities. It has a lot of potential,” Tourville said. “Let’s start making it the place we want it to be.”

HUSTL plans to carry that philosophy beyond the walls of the gym.

Plans include run clubs, health and wellness seminars, Bible studies, member events and other opportunities designed to bring people together. The team also wants to partner with nearby businesses, organize community service projects and participate in efforts ranging from road cleanups to helping people in need during the holidays.

A future phase could transform outdoor space at the facility into another gathering and training area.

For Tourville, those plans come back to the same principle that shaped HUSTL in the first place: helping people.

“We’re just trying to make Columbia a healthier space,” Tourville said. “We’re trying to help people realize that this is a space for them, no matter what walk of life they’re in.”

And even if HUSTL is not the right fit for someone, Tourville said he hopes they find another way to invest in their health.

“It’s all about health moving forward and longevity and finding balance,” he said. “As I become a father, that’s literally the most important thing to me — how can I find ways to be here as long as I possibly can?”