Jason Manenkoff: The Sit-Down Interview on Leadership by Phillip Tuttobene

Introduction: Last year I interviewed Jason Manenkoff, owner of the Iron Arena Powerlifting & Performance over the phone. The interview questions were designed to help students like me understand the field of training in a more practical sense. Though I took a lot of great information from our interview, I was left with more questions than answers as I realized that Mr. Manenkoff has an abundant reservoir of information in many aspects of life, business and training that can be extremely useful for a hungry college student looking to start a career and become a respected leader in the exercise science field. This year the opportunity arose and I had the pleasure of finally meeting Mr. Manenkoff in person for a sit-down interview at the Iron Arena, located in North Bergen, New Jersey. This interview is focused on leadership. I got the chance to ask Mr. Manenkoff questions regarding his career background and how he managed to achieve the level of success in business that he has achieved up until this point. We met on March 9th, 2022 at 6pm.

            
Background: Jason Manekoff graduated in 2005 from the State University of New York, Cortland Campus with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology. Along with his stellar academic accomplishments, he competed in Track and Field. He competed in the 55 meter to 400 meter sprint events and the Long Jump. After graduation, he continued running Track and Field. Some of his personal records include a 10.94 in the 100 meters, 21.98 in the 200 meters, and 22’11.75 in the Long Jump. In 2015, Jason broke the record for the drug tested bench press in my hometown of Edison, New Jersey, bench pressing 425 lbs in the 165 weight class. One of his proudest accomplishments include his powerlifting team winning the USA Powerlifting NJ State Championship in both 2018 and 2019.

            
Facility: When I first arrived at the Iron Arena, I was greeted by Jason Manenkoff and his dog Nitro for a tour! The gym is open 24 hours a day and each member has their own code to unlock the door, which is how Mr. Manenkoff keeps a track of check-ins. The first thing that caught my eye was the impressive barbell setup. As the Iron Arena is mainly a gym designed to help powerlifters perform their best in competition, the barbell setups are at the center of the gym. Each setup consists of a platform with a different surface type to emulate any potential surface possible during a competition, along with the appropriate equipment for each lift (i.e. squat rack, deadlift pads, plates, etc.). Powerlifting is a sport that takes a toll on the body. To make sure his body and the bodies of his gym members are in peak condition, Mr. Manenkoff provides a variety of different cable machines to work specific body parts that may need focus. Some of these machines include hip abduction, cable rows and a leg press. There is a strip of turf in the gym that can be used for sled pulling/pushing and tire flipping. Finally, there are free benches and racks of dumbbells and kettlebells for the members to use. Overall, the gym is very well organized and clean, including the bathrooms. Anyone who plans to join the Iron Arena will find that the facilities appearance and perks fulfill their needs in order to be as successful as they can in their fitness journey. Though it is a powerlifting gym, not every member competes. To provide a healthy competitive environment within the gym, there is a chalkboard in the gym with all of the top 1RM lifts of members per gender and weight class. This allows any member to join the gym and always have some number to strive for, in hopes that one day their name will be on that board.


Interview Transcript: You are the owner of the Iron Arena Powerlifting & Performance gym now. Was it always your plan to own your own gym or did you change your career path?

I entertained the idea of majoring in “Athletic Training” while on a recruiting trip to SUNY Cortland in 1999. I was put off by its “clinical” nature and the potential that I’d be spending most of my time dealing with injured athletes versus improving the performance of healthy ones. As a two sport athlete (football and Track & Field) my free time would be very limited due to the required number of clinical hours. The overnight travel on weekends would have been nearly impossible as I was attending my own athletic events. I went into freshman year as a Physical Education major. Sophomore year, I switched to Kinesiology with a concentration in Fitness Development, a program which was not available a year prior. Initially, my plan was to become a personal trainer (which I was at one point). As my college career progressed, coaching Track & Field and or working with athletes in Strength & Conditioning became my goal. I graduated college in 2005. The thought of owning my own facility wasn’t on my mind until 2010. I opened my gym in 2012.


Did you have any mentors that influenced your career decisions along your journey? Who were they and how did they influence you?

There have been quite few people who I’ve looked to for advice through the years. Mike Young (Director of Performance and Research at Athletic Lab) and Matt Gary (SSPT Co-founder) have influenced me the most. 

Mike’s resume speaks for itself. We first met in 2002 through the Track & Field forums on a website he created called elitetrack.com. Soon after, I became a moderator on his site. At the time, he was studying for his Ph.D. in Biomechanics at LSU where he mentored under legendary Track and Field coach, “Boo” Schexnayder for 4 years. Shortly after, Mike became the sprints, pole vault and multi-events coach for Army Track & Field. Since West Point Military academy was near my hometown, I’d often see Mike at meets where I was competing. When I was home from college during winter break, we’d run into each other (no pun intended) at West Point where I’d train since it was the nearest indoor track. We’d often exchange training ideas and on more than one occasion he helped correct my issues with the sprint technique that I was having. A few years later he left West Point and moved to North Carolina to open his own training facility. Seeing what he built inspired me. He has been super helpful throughout the years answering questions relating to training and business. Although our business models are very different (Athletic Lab is geared more toward athletic performance and Fitness while Iron Arena is Powerlifting specific) he’s still someone who I could trust to provide me with answers to any questions I may have. He has provided me insight from anything real estate related to purchases of electronics. He’s invaluable in every sense of the word and I am very thankful for his guidance.

Matt Gary is a 27-year veteran of competitive Powerlifting. Like myself, he also studied Exercise Science in college. He is a USA Powerlifting International Coach and has coached at the highest levels both as an assistant and head coach on a variety of US National Teams since 2003. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Coaching Committee. Matt and his wife Sioux-Z opened SSPT (Supreme Sport & Performance Training) in 2008. I was familiar with Matt’s presence in the sport via articles he wrote along with mutual friends and acquaintances we had. Without ever meeting or being formally introduced, sometime around 2010 he sent a package to my home.  It was a letter wishing me a Happy Birthday along with a t-shirt from his gym. Matt has had the biggest influence on my coaching (powerlifting) more than anyone in the field/sport. We have gotten to know each other very well throughout the years both on a personal and professional level. Matt and I have a lot in common outside of the sport and I am forever indebted for the insight he has provided me with. I’m also very thankful for his friendship.

  What were some challenges/problems you faced along the way of starting and growing your business?

Since I wanted to avoid having investors and business loans, finding affordable warehouse space, and purchasing equipment on a tight budget was a challenge. Getting the “build out” done in a timely fashion without any setbacks was also stressful in opening both facilities. I moved into my first location without taking care of anything regarding city regulations imposed upon small businesses. It wasn’t necessarily done on purpose as much as it was the fact that I simply did not know these things needed to be done. I essentially built a successful business there while operating illegally for a period of four years without signage outside. While risk taking is part of life and some of the most successful people in the world “didn’t do things by the book” to get where they are, I don't suggest that anyone follows in my footsteps. It adds a lot of unnecessary stress to one’s life. You would have thought I learned my lesson, but I dealt with a similar situation in moving into my second location. Luckily the landlord was of great help the next time around as my issue also became his issue and wasn’t entirely my fault from the start. It wasn’t until three years into my five-year lease that I was technically “legit”. 

 

What are some of the challenges that come along with owning your own gym? (In terms of scheduling, dealing with any coworkers/staff, etc.) What are the challenges of being the leader of your establishment?

Iron Arena is unstaffed. I do all the coaching and run all operations. Aside from having someone do my cleaning once per week I haven’t had any employees since day one. This comes with a few challenges, but in the grand scheme of things I know the issues I have are small to the ones that friends of mine that own gyms have.  It really comes down to having a clear set of rules and regulations. If these expectations are set from day one things should run smoothly. When things aren’t “orderly”, or I hear/see things that are going on that I don’t like, an email is immediately sent out to all members. If it is a specific individual, then they will receive a personal email from me so it’s on record. Not having business partners and staff also leads to less issues since things can be done exactly the way I’d like without having to “butt heads” or compromise.

 
What are the perks of fulfilling the role of the leader at your gym? What would you say the rewards of being the leader are?

EMPOWERED. The definition is very fitting. Having the knowledge, confidence, means, or ability to do things or make decisions for oneself.

I’m in total control of achieving the exact vision I had without any negative outside influence or difference in opinion holding me back. 

 
What advice do you have for someone who intends to be a strong leader in coaching/training?

Lead by example and surround yourself with other like-minded individuals who you can learn from. Build a network and interact with those from that network as much as possible to form long lasting relationships. Thanks to social media this is easier to do now than it was 20 years ago when the only means of communication was email or picking up the phone. 

 

Takeaway: Needless to say, Jason Manenkoff provided great insight into how he managed to become successful in his ventures. The key concept that I learned from this interview is to take action in order to get to the point that you want to be. Had he been concerned with doing things “by the books” before making a decision in every step, he might have seen success much later in life or potentially not at all. Many get so caught up in the technicalities of life, that they forget to take the action that will ultimately get them to the place they want to be. While Mr. Manenkoff didn’t necessarily know how to properly start up a gym back in 2012, he knew that he would be successful no matter what obstacles got in his way. The most crucial piece of information is that he believed in himself and his abilities. This allowed him to start up his gym and operate by any means necessary until he was able to beat the odds and reach a level of security. As a powerlifter, a competitor and a champion there is a specific mindset that one needs to have if they want to win. It is obvious that in all ventures, Jason Manenkoff transfers this same mentality and achieves the highest level of success that he believes to be attainable. While this mentality can be seen manifested in terms of the physical facility, it is seen in the environment of the gym as well. Jason Manenkoff is well respected by all of his members. When rules are set in place by Mr. Manekoff, they are followed by all members rarely with any confrontation as he will openly explain his reasonings and beliefs for the rules of his gym. Leading by example is the reason why he has so many members who support him. If there is one aspect that I believe will help me in my future career in a training environment, it is this. A leader who leads by example is one who will be followed. When a high status leader connects with another high status leader, a potential friendship or business opportunity is made. Through numbers comes power and through power comes success, as long as one's core beliefs are fundamentally correct and are followed through all periods of life and business. This interview gave me great insight into the mind of a successful business owner and performance coach that I can now use in all of my future endeavors. I’m grateful for my interview with Jason Manenkoff. I intend to utilize what I’ve learned to make the most out of my career, no matter where life takes me. And I look forward to seeing the future successes of Jason Manenkoff and the Iron Arena Performance & Powerlifting gym.