Friends Braxton Darden and Tia Murray have been working independently for years as personal trainers. Recently, they went into business together and opened Functional Training Studios in Selden Plaza.
First Selectman Ellen Scalettar attended the grand opening in late October. At the event, friends and clients came by to celebrate the new business.
“I’d like to welcome Tia and Braxton to Woodbridge,” said Scalettar. “It’s great for our Town when a new business opens in Woodbridge and I wish them every success.”
Murray had created a studio in her mother’s New Haven home and Darden had been training clients outdoors in Bridgeport parks. The studio is their first official location and “it feels really good to be here,” says Darden.
Both are certified personal trainers and Murray is a master trainer. Their office wall is covered in certificates from their various trainings.
“We’re very passionate and knowledgeable about what we do,” says Murray, “We like to laugh and joke with our clients, but we keep our eye on the results.”
A new client’s first session with either Darden or Murray involves talking about goals and conducting an assessment to learn the client’s strengths and weaknesses. Clients then have a program catered to fit their skills and needs.
“We called ourselves Functional Training because that’s our focus,” says Darden. “Some clients come because they want to get bigger, some want to get smaller. Our goal is to make your body function the way you want it to.”