Entertainer-Turned Personal Trainer Opens Workout Anytime Gym In Manassas

MANASSAS, VA — Brave Williams has created a storied career as a recording artist and actress, from touring with Beyoncé to appearing on BET, WH1, and Netflix. During her time on sets, she would often lead boot camps to help cast mates with her other passion: personal fitness.

Williams began feeding her passion for fitness by leading workouts with cast mates while on set and even became a certified personal trainer. She also was the lead trainer for Steve Harvey's nonprofit outreach and helped train over 200 young women.

From there, Williams told Patch she decided to get certified as a personal trainer. She was the lead trainer for Steve and Marjorie Harvey's nonprofit Girls Who Rule the World mentoring program, helping to train about 200 young women.

Now, she's gotten involved on the business side of fitness by opening locations of 24-hour gym Workout Anytime. Williams, a Baltimore native, opened her first gym in Lanham, Maryland as part of a franchise deal for 23 locations. She is looking at additional places to open gyms in Virginia, Maryland and beyond. The newest location opened this fall at 11714 Sudley Manor Drive in Manassas.

"The whole DMV is my backyard. For me it was important to start leaving my legacy in the place that I call home," Williams told Patch.

Williams had originally planned to sign with fitness competitor. But when a colleague traveled to acquire a location, a Workout Anytime was nearby, and "everyone was over there." Williams pivoted to work with Workout Anytime, opening the Lanham, Maryland location last summer. Since then, Williams says that the gym has become "extremely loved in the community" and has nearly 3,000 members.

"Workout Anytime is different bc we're one of the few 24-hour gyms that still exists," Williams told Patch. "We keep our door locked 24 hours, so only our members have access."

Workout Anytime Manassas is a membership-based gym with 24-hour access. According to Williams, amenities include state-of-the-art Matrix gym equipment, an infrared sauna, massage chairs, tanning units and more.

"We are definitely a 10 out of 10 when it comes to amenities," said Williams. "Our amenities are making people sign up. The recovery lounge is top tier among the things we offer."

Along with Williams as the owner, Workout Anytime Manassas has leadership from Jennifer Riva, a personal trainer of 25 years. Riva worked at the location when it was previously Retro Fitness, helping Workout Anytime reach past clients.

The personal training program is launching in the coming weeks at the Manassas location. When members join, they receive a Styku 3D body scan. That produces a report on body fat, mean muscle mass, and more to help personal trainers tailor a fitness plan for the member.

Williams enjoys the 24-hour access element, allowing people who work different hours to find workout time.

"People want convenience. You have people in all different types of career paths, occupations," said Williams. "When they walk into our doors, be it police officers be it nurses, I see the sigh of relief on their faces when they learn it's 24 hours. That means a lot when you live a life of purpose, when you give so much."

For people who want to work on their personal fitness, Williams says they can't rely on motivation alone.

"One day you'll be motivated to get into the gym, and the next day you'll feel defeated," said Williams. "You have to find your why and keep hold of that. And of course when you have your support team and people who want to see you win, it helps you stay motivated and focused."

Watching clients transform from having zero to 100 percent confidence inspires Williams to keep working in fitness and open more locations.

In the meantime, the Manassas location will host an open house on Oct. 31. Williams encourages residents to attend and work out for free. There will be a costume contest, with a free two-month membership as first prize and one-month membership as second prize.

"For us, it's really about the community. We have a strong community foundation," said Williams. "People that are joining are saying in reviews...we just feel so welcome, and it's a family atmosphere."