Carbon Fitness

FAIRFIELD – Chaysten Titus has opened a new gym in Fairfield that specializes in calisthenics, exercises that use a person's own body weight to build strength.

Titus's gym is called Carbon Fitness, located on the west side of the Natel Broadband building on West Burlington Avenue. Titus opened it over the summer after training with a couple of friends and realizing there was a demand for bodyweight exercises he himself has come to rely on.

When the pandemic began last spring, Titus was living in Salem, Ore. Unable to visit his local gym because it was closed, Titus found ways to maintain his strength with exercises he could do in his apartment without gym equipment. He discovered calisthenics during his research and soon became obsessed.

'Not only did I find ways to build strength, but I discovered movements that required total control of your whole body,” he said.

In the ensuing months, Titus trained and studied tirelessly to spread this knowledge. He moved back to his hometown of Fairfield and began training with a couple of friends at Chautauqua Park. Exercise equipment such as a vertical ladder, horizontal ladder, parallel bars and a chin-up bar were installed at the park a few years ago, and Titus showed his friends how to use the equipment to improve their fitness. Titus said park officials even thanked him and his friends for using the equipment since it was not getting a lot of attention.

Titus discovered space available at the Natel Broadband building and decided to open a gym where he could provide one-on-one training and group workouts. Due to COVID-19 limiting class sizes, he can only have groups as large as four people.

Titus's gym, Carbon Fitness, has gymnastic rings, pull-up bars, parallel bars and battle ropes among other things. Social distancing is easy to implement since Titus has set up workout stations spread throughout his gym. He has programs available for clients who wish to train at home, too.

'I have clients manipulate their own bodyweight to create a balanced and healthy physique,” Titus said. 'Any motion that is done with weights can be replicated using only your body.”

Since moving into his new space in August, Titus said he has seen his clients undergo a transformation in a short period of time.

'Regardless of their abilities from the start, every one of my clients has seen significant personal improvements,” he said. 'My clients have noticed positive changes to their mood, sleep habits, energy levels, eating patterns, flexibility and overall strength increase in as little as a few months.”

Titus entered the fitness world through athletics, specifically soccer. He said he's had a soccer ball at his feet from the moment he could walk.

'Every waking moment, I spent thinking about playing at the top level and doing what I love as a career,” Titus said.

Titus, the youngest of three children of Caterina and Emmanuel Titus, attended Maharishi School in Fairfield from preschool through eighth grade, and was home-schooled after that. Home schooling allowed him the flexibility to devote more hours to soccer training.

'I've always had ambitions to play soccer in the professional arena,” he said. 'Home schooling also enabled me the opportunity to study other areas of interest such as languages, architecture and design.”

Titus said one of the benefits of living in Fairfield was getting to play with athletes from around the world, upping his game. Upon graduating high school in 2018, Titus moved to Colorado to play for a semi-pro soccer club. Titus played for FC Boulder and the Colorado Rush men's team.

During his time in Boulder, Titus was reintroduced to an old family friend, Russ Malloy, brother of Fairfield's former mayor Ed Malloy. Russ was a personal trainer in Fairfield before moving west. Every week, Titus trained at Russ's gym.

'I learned what it takes to run a successful business and help people live out their greatest potential,” Titus said.

Titus moved from Colorado to Salem, Ore., where he spent a year working as a rehabilitation aide at a physical therapy clinic. He said the experience gave him insight into recovering from injuries and training people of all different backgrounds, ages and skill levels. Now he is able to put that knowledge to work at his own gym in Fairfield.