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Morristown Trainer Takes Ownership Of Gym That Helped Change Him

Energy reciprocates.

Matt Conner, 39, is transforming Make Time Fitness into a gym of his own, BOOMERANG: because you get back what you put out, he says.

Matt Conner, 39, is transforming Make Time Fitness into a gym of his own, BOOMERANG: because you get back what you put out, he says.

Photo Credit: Matt Conner
Matt Conner, 39, trains a client in Make Time Fitness.

Matt Conner, 39, trains a client in Make Time Fitness.

Photo Credit: Matt Conner
Matt Conner

Matt Conner

Photo Credit: Matt Conner

That's been the guiding principle for Matt Conner since 2009, when he left the desk job he hated to pursue his passion -- taking a job as a personal trainer at Morristown's Make Time Fitness.

Over the years, Conner's mantra has proved true with the progress of both his clients and his own: More effort, better results.

But lately, most of Conner's energy has been going toward opening a new fitness facility -- BOOMERANG -- in Make Time Fitness' former Wilmot Street location. And when the gym officially opens on Feb. 2 is when Conner says he will clearly see how energy reciprocates.

"Little did I know, working at that gym would become an opportunity of a lifetime," said Conner, formerly of Laurel Springs.

The gym's owner last year was preparing to shutter the business when she asked Conner if he might be interested in taking over. It seemed like the perfect transition, and in August 2018, the gym became Conner's.

After a six-month renovation and rebrand, BOOMERANG will open on Feb. 1.

"The thought process behind BOOMERANG was my sense that the energy one puts forth into their fitness will reflect unto their results," the fitness trainer said. "I learned this on my own fitness journey over the last 10 years."

Conner grew up playing organized sports but never had an athletic look until he started lifiting weights in high school, when the freshman football coach called him into his office and gave him a piece of advice that would fundamentally change him.

'"Conner, you're reasonably athletic,'" the trainer said, quoting his coach. "'You play really hard, but you are too damn small. Get into the weight room, and don't ever leave.' 

"I guess I was a good listener, because I never did."

Until he left the corporate world and decided to shake up his entire life while he was at it with a 5K race. 

One was all it took for him to get hooked.

Life without running seems incomplete these days for Conner, who has multiple marathons, ultra-marathons and triathlons under his belt.

"Most of my friends and clients think I'm crazy or have some genetic advantage," he said. "But I often tell them it's just a matter of the amount of effort one is willing to put forth. The more energy you are willing to give, the greater the return."

It's a theory that spans beyond fitness, Conner explained, which is why the logo reads "BOOMERANG: Fitness. Life."

The gym takes a hyper-personal approach to fitness. 

"We don't believe in one specific training philosophy," Conner said. "We have to mold our exercise program around each individual pending his or her goals, abilities, and exercise history."

The only common thread, Conner said, is his philosophy -- which he hopes will resonate with clients looking to make a change: Energy reciprocates.

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