Plymouth County

Hanover man opens gym to help others get fit after setbacks in his sports journey

HANOVER, Mass. — At the start of a new year, many of us set resolutions — and a popular one is getting in shape. Fitness memberships tend to increase and that’s good news for one local business owner — who at the age of 22 opened his first gym. But his path to gym ownership came with some serious injuries along the way that changed his career path.

It’s that time of year, when many of us are trying to burn off those extra calories we stacked on over the holidays. But for Wickd Fitness Nick Sarruda — working out and staying fit — is a way of life.

“I’ve worked out five days a week since I was probably 14 years old and haven’t stopped since,” said Nick Sarruda.

But Nick had to put his weights aside in high school when he tore his ACL. After rehabbing and attempting to play football at Bridgewater State, he faced another setback.

“A car actually struck me after work one night and tore my ACL in both knees as well as injured my back,” said Sarruda. “And that kind of put an end to my sports career.”

But that didn’t put an end to his love of fitness. He not only wanted to recover and get stronger, but help others do the same. He left Bridgewater State, got CrossFit certified, and started working at a gym. Even though Nick was just 22 years old, a local gym owner looking to sell recognized his calling.

“Before he decided to go ahead and sell the gym or liquidate the assets, he came up to me and he was just like, you know, you seem really passionate about this,” said Nick. “He was like, I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about owning your own business or a gym, but he’s like, I think you’d be a good fit. And yeah, I decided to take that leap of faith.”

October 31st, 2017. Nick opened his very first gym. Four years later, on the same day, he signed the paperwork to open this facility, and he named it Wickd Fitness not only because of the holiday, but also to connect with the community using a local term.

Nick created a following and helped thousands of members achieve their goals — no matter their age or fitness level.

“He’s trying to present a good community and support people,” said Ken Goldberg, a Wickd Fitness member. “And so people are very supportive of each other here. I think that’s part of what he does and helps create that environment.”

Wickd fitness has no mirrors, no frills, just people working wicked hard to be the best they can be.

“Our goal is to help over 100,000 people through fitness change their lives,” said Nick.

And he also says he wants to help other young entrepreneurs like himself take that leap of faith.

“I want to be a guy who can be available for a phone call with a 22-year-old who just got this crazy opportunity and he’s not sure if it’s worth it or not, or he’s thinking about, you know, leaving college and leaving that safe avenue so that he can go really pursue something that he loves,” said Nick.

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