Jefferson Charles grew up on the Caribbean island of Dominica, one of seven siblings, in a place with no gyms and no real fitness culture. He tells the hosts, joined by guest co-host Joey Panek, that his path to Sarasota ran through California, where he originally moved chasing a childhood dream of becoming a pilot before drifting into bodybuilding and, by the late 1990s, fitness modeling. He put on weight deliberately over those years, climbing from about 160 pounds to 175 and eventually 185, chasing the look the modeling work demanded. Stops in West Virginia, where he opened his first gym, and a stretch working in Saudi Arabia rounded out a resume that eventually landed him in Sarasota in 2017, where he opened Jefferson Fit in 2023.
This year forced a move. Redevelopment of Jefferson Fit's old Palm Avenue building pushed Charles to a new space at 1800 2nd Street, tucked behind the new Chase Bank on Fruitville Road, and he used the relocation to rebuild the gym around recovery rather than just weights. The new location runs about 12,000 square feet indoors plus another 3,500 to 4,000 square feet outdoors, with an infrared sauna, a cold plunge and ice bath, salt therapy, Hyperice compression sleeves, and a red light therapy booth that is new to this build. Charles has earned a nickname among clients, the soft-spoken taskmaster, for pushing hard workouts without ever raising his voice.
Jefferson Fit also runs a Tuesday evening run club that heads out over the bridge, a way Charles keeps the gym connected to the wider Sarasota fitness community beyond paying members. Asked about the roundabout question, Charles does not hesitate, saying he gets an actual high driving through them, a rare full-throated endorsement among the show's guests. He closes by pointing the hosts toward Dr. Carlos Diaz of Spine and Sports, whose work in longevity and peptide therapy Charles says complements exactly the recovery-focused direction Jefferson Fit has taken.
What you'll take away
- Jefferson Charles grew up in Dominica with no gym culture before moving to California, then West Virginia and Saudi Arabia, on his way to opening Jefferson Fit in Sarasota in 2023.
- Redevelopment of its old Palm Avenue building forced Jefferson Fit to relocate this year to 1800 2nd Street, behind the new Chase Bank on Fruitville Road.
- The new space spans about 12,000 square feet indoors and 3,500 to 4,000 square feet outdoors, built around recovery tools like an infrared sauna, cold plunge, salt therapy, and a new red light therapy booth.
- Clients call Charles the soft-spoken taskmaster because he pushes hard training without ever raising his voice.
- Jefferson Fit runs a Tuesday evening run club that crosses over the bridge.
“I get a high driving around them.”
“I never really yell at my clients. I just push them.”
Places mentioned: Palm Avenue, Fruitville Road