WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Every day, fitness trainer Alix Merina gets into his car and heads to work. But unlike most of his colleagues, he’s not meeting his clients at the gym. He’s bringing the gym to his clients. 

Last year, as gyms across Southern California closed due to the pandemic, Merina weighed his options and decided to open Tractfit, a mobile gym, allowing his clients to continue working out while eliminating any excuses. 

“I take all of that away,” he said. “You just come straight from your place, your apartment, your house.”

On a particular afternoon in April, Merina was training Robert Dorfman, a resident doctor from West Hollywood. And since Dorfman lives in a building, the training session was held right on the sidewalk. 

With people still skittish about returning to indoor fitness centers, mobile gyms offer a safe and convenient way to exercise.

They take all of three minutes to assemble and have almost everything you’d find in a regular gym. Merina charges $200 for a private session and $50 for a group class.

Dorfman, who works up to 80 hours a week, said having the gym come to him has made all the difference in the world. 

“For me, every minute counts,” he said. “The 20 minutes to get to the gym, by the time you get to the locker room, change and drive back, it adds up. It’s an extra 30 to 45 minutes when that can be all you have in a day.”

Dorfman said he’s now in the best shape of his life. It’s made him not only a more confident person but also a better doctor. 

“My biggest pet peeve is I see a lot of doctors who will preach something, and they don’t practice what they preach,” he said. “That will never be me. My No. 1 thing is I want to lead by example.”

For Merina, his gym on wheels has been a game-changer. No longer stuck indoors, he’s found a new passion for his job. 

“Just being able to drive around different environments, seeing different areas, I love every moment of it,” he said.