The Last Page is dedicated to individuals who are making a positive impact on the LGBTQ community in Central Florida and Tampa Bay.
This issue, we check in with Steffen Brandt and Reiner Wolf, the happily married couple who owns Body Street in Winter Park. Keep an eye on this space to learn more about the movers and shakers of your community.
What is Body Street?
Steffen: Body Street is the global leader in whole body electrical muscle stimulation workout. They have 350 studios back in Europe. We are the only one in the U.S. right now. We do personal training with the buzz of electrical muscles stimulation, so it’s a one-to-one session with a personal trainer, or two-to-one if a couple would like to train together, but it’s personal training with whole-body electrical muscle stimulation.
It recruits, in 20 minutes, 92% of all of the muscles in the body and it gives you the benefits of a two-to-three-hour workout in a regular gym. Imagine having a strength training workout with a personal trainer in your regular gym for two to three hours, these are the benefits that you get out of it.
How did you come to open Body Street in Orlando?
Fitness was always a passion in my life and, with my job in Germany with Apple, I was not able to go to the gym because I had to travel so much. I didn’t have time to exercise anymore and that is what brought me to Body Street. I signed up at one of the Body Street gyms in Germany and they kept me in shape for the last five years. I brought Reiner into Body Street and we brought a lot of our friends.
The founder of Body Street announced his plans to take Body Street to the U.S. and we said sign us up. We already had a vacation home here in Orlando, so it all came together and we opened in December. Now we are the first franchisees in the United States and this is currently the only Body Street studio in the country.
What can some expect on their first training session?
Right now, in our opening phase, we offer a free trial workout to help spread the word. It is easier to experience what Body Street is rather than have it explained to you.
When you come in, you will get a studio tour, we explain everything and answer any question you might have. Everything is provided for you, so you don’t need to bring anything with you. We will provide you with a body suit, as well as a vest and straps that have the electrodes which target each muscle area. Then we plug you into a machine and a trainer guides you through a series of poses and movements. It is like yoga on steroids!
How long has this technology been around?
Electrical muscle simulation is pretty common in Europe. There are plenty of studios that offer these kinds of workouts and the technology itself has been around for a long time, mostly for physiotherapy and used in medical facilities to work certain body parts. NASA also uses this technology.
It was cleared by the FDA in the summer of 2019 for use in total body workouts and that’s why we are so excited to bring that technology to the U.S.
What is your favorite thing to read in Watermark?
Reiner: I like reading about the cultural parts, what concerts or events are going on. I also like to read about the areas of Florida that I’m not so familiar with. We are here in Orlando, so we know what is happening here, but we don’t know much about St. Pete and Tampa, so I like to read those sections to get a broader view of the area.
Steffen: I like to read the stories that are community related, like the story on the Winter Park Pride Project. I love to read that things like this are happening in our community.
How are you championing for the LGBTQ community?
Reiner: The first thing we did when we knew we were going to open here is joined The Pride Chamber so that we could become more involved with the LGBTQ community.
Steffen: I’ve also signed up to be a board member of the Winter Park Pride Project, which I am very excited about.
What is something our readers might find surprising about you?
Reiner: How friendly we are. German people are not as grumpy has we are made out to be [laughing]. Germans are famously known as being grumpy but we are very friendly and this is a fun place to be.
How does the LGBTQ community in Central Florida and in the U.S. differ than the LGBTQ community in Germany?
Steffen: It depends which part of Germany you are in. The community is more open in the cities like Berlin, Cologne and Munich, but not so much on the countryside which is a problem. Here it’s a closer community that is more diverse. In Germany, it is still a bit separated with the gays and lesbians and transgender people, here it feels more connected. People in the community here also seem more engaged.
Reiner: Not just the LGBTQ community, I think the Orlando community in general feels more connected and I feel a special sense of community here. I don’t know if maybe that is because there are so many tourists here so local people feel more connected with each other. Also, I think since Pulse, Orlando has a sense now of how precious the LGBTQ community is and you can feel that here. I think it’s something special.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Reiner: Don’t hesitate, just to go for it.
Steffen: Trust your inner voice more.
Hometown: Munich, Germany
Identifies As: Gay
Together since: 2004, married in 2011
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Profession: Owners of Body Street in Winter Park
Professional Role Model: Angela Aarons, Senior VP for Apple retail
Autobiography Title: Reiner: “The American Adventure”; Steffen: “Life is a Guided Journey”
What do you like to do when you’re not working: Dinner with friends, going to the movies, visiting Disney World, anything outdoors.
You must be logged in to post a comment.