Killer B Fitness is not named after the bumblebee, but spend a few weeks attending their classes, you’ll get the reason why Killer is part of the name.
Founded by Bob Wilcher, an Illinois native who arrived in Santa Barbara about 15 years ago, Killer B aims to change the way people exercise.
“Fitness studios are popping up all over the place. I think it’s great, but I don’t believe most of them are actually addressing the problems most people are facing, and people don’t get the results they are looking for,” he said to the News-Press.
Mr. Wilcher’s philosophy is to “train hard and smart.”
“Training smart means that results are calculated so that it’s not a guessing game. Training hard means you keep pushing when you get uncomfortable because that’s the only way to success,” Mr. Wilcher said.
Killer B Fitness has humble beginnings. It started out with Mr. Wilcher as a traveling salesman, going from client to client. He was then able to secure a space in downtown Santa Barbara, working out of one of his clients’ spaces, and then moved to the basement of that space.
He was constrained by size but was given the opportunity to move to Goleta. He took it, despite being unsure if he was able to afford it. The location is 191 S. Turnpike Road and he has been there ever since.
Mr. Wilcher later returned to downtown in 2015, with the opening of his second location at 1107 State St. He splits time between the locations, but has a cadre of teachers to back him up, along with a full-time manager.
He gives credit to his team for a great deal of his success. The system he created allows everyone to follow his routine, even when he is not there to teach classes.
‘I can’t be at every class, but the system can be followed by everyone. I wanted to solve the problem of people not knowing what to do or how to do it to get results, so I built this system that guarantees results. It’s just numbers,” he said.
A central point of training means working on both cardiovascular and strength.
“The workouts are a mix of cardio and strength. We have 5 cardio machines which allow for a lot of diversity,” Mr. Wilcher said. The machines they primarily use are the “Vasa Swim Ergometer, Concept 2 Rower, Life Fitness Elliptical, Stages Bikes and the VersaClimber.”
“We keep changing it up to confuse the body so that we don’t stay stuck in plateaus. Every strength exercise is designed to improve posture and performance on the cardio machines. Staying healthy is a major focus and all the exercises are chosen to give you the best results during each class,” he said.
Community is a key part of the Killer B experience. There are social events, team fitness competitions and social outings. The next fitness challenge starts Aug. 26 and Mr. Wilcher says 300 people have signed up.
“Humans are social creatures. Community is huge. When you work out with friends, you just have a better experience. We work hard and we play hard,” Mr. Wilcher said. “New friendships are being created all the time at Killer B, and this is a beautiful this to be a part of.”
Mr. Wilcher also has a podcast, which can be found at the business website,https://www.killerbfitness.com/. It’s a mixture of motivational speaking, exercise tips and general advice. Each episode is around five to six minutes long.
“Fear is meant to teach us, not hold us back and I want to give people a boost during every podcast to get them fired up to take action and create change in their lives,” he said.
Killer B membership starts at $50, before rising to $129.99 the second month and then to $159.99 the third month. Members can attend as many classes as they want.
Students receive a discount. They also start at $50, but membership goes to $99 and then to $129.99. Mr. Wilcher says members should go to a class at least three times a week, which averages out to around $12-$13 per class.
Classes are seven days a week, though there are no afternoon or evening classes on the weekends. A complete schedule can be found on Killer B’s website.
Mr. Wilcher hopes to bring the message of Killer B’s “train hard and smart” approach to a larger audience.
“The future is to expand the concept to make it available to a lot more people. This could be through more locations or online software. I’m looking to bring on a team of investors who see the vision and want to help me expand because the world needs it badly,” he said.
