Mack Miya – Canadian Fitness Legend
Mack Miya is a Canadian Fitness Legend. In addition to being the longest running fitness club operator in North America, he was an equipment builder, strongman, boxer and trainer of professional wrestlers. At 5’4″ and 176 pounds, Mack was pound for pound the strongest man in the world at his peak.
Mack Miya (Masaki Miyashita) opened his first fitness emporium in the 1940’s in Toronto Canada. This was a time when there was little fitness equipment invented and no fitness equipment available. As a result, Mack, using his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, built his own equipment in his gym’s welding shop. His facility relocated several times ending up at 2160 Dundas Street West, current site of the Dundas West Animal Hospital. Check out the advertisement in the front window in the picture above. Mack offered in home equipment for sale that he would design and build for you.
Mack Miya was a superb storyteller. I spent many days and nights visiting with Mack and listening to him detail his incredible adventures. I took the photos in this blog at the Dundas location. Mack continued to train clients and sell memberships right up until 2007 at the age of 83. Shortly after, he was forced to close down his business because of changing market conditions and the lack of appeal of hard core facilities. He passed away the following year.
Mack Miya – Pro Fitness Program Lifetime Achievement Award
I had the rare honor to present Mack with the Pro Fitness Program Lifetime Achievement Award for his incredible contributions to the the fitness industry. I still remember picking him up in my little red Honda Del Sol convertible outside his club on July 8th, 2005. We drove to the Delta Meadowvale Hotel in Mississauga where a group of Canadian fitness club owners had assembled for our quarterly Mastermind business meeting.
Our company created a plaque and the award was presented to Mack in front of many of his peers. I particularly remember the owner of Popeye’s Gym in Kitchener, Marty Hodgson. Marty, himself, opened up his first bodybuilding club in the 1970’s. He shook Mack’s hand and thanked him as Mack accepted the award.
“We all bow down to you today Mack for opening up the way for all of us. You truly are a legend in our industry.”
– Marty Hodgson, Popeye’s Gym, Kitchener
Shortly after, I made it a mission to write an article on Mack for our leading Canadian fitness publication, Fitness Business Canada. The editor and owner Stephen Longwell was more than happy to feature this story in his publication. I thank him for that. Here is that article that came out in 2007.
By Jeff Russo
Check out Mack’s home made Tibialis Machine at the 1:18 mark!
Comments (4)
Hi Friends
I just read story about Mack Miya,I did know Mack personally but did last touch and didnt know when he passed away.Also any idea who took over and runs his gym now?Thanks
Ivan,
I’m pretty sure Mack passed away on Friday October 19th, 2007 in Vancouver. That would have made him 83 or most likely 84 years of age. He had closed down the gym about a year before and I’m sure it was heartbreaking not to be involved in the business that was such an intricate part of who he was and what he believed in. If you click on the link in my article on the club address it will take you do a Google Map photo of the current business that now exists there in the same building. The only difference from the outside is that they painted it white instead of the iconic red. It’s now the Dundas West Animal Hospital. I’m so proud that we were able to present Mack with a lifetime achievement award in 2005.
I trained there back in ’99. Although way off my best lifting from the early ’90’s I still remember Mack and his great old traditional solid hard core strength gym very well. Tough straightforward and no nonsense..