When it came time for Manning Sumner to expand his first Legacy Gym outside of South Florida, the choice was made with pure intention.
“I really started paying attention to what was happening after the pandemic,” the fitness entrepreneur tells Muscle & Fitness of his latest opening in Nashville. “Like, where were people moving to? Nashville was in the top 5 of the cities that people were kind of migrating to, and then I kept seeing news articles on fast-growing Nashville. It was almost like I felt the growth of Nashville, even though it really hadn’t happened until kind of recently, but I just kind of took a chance on that.”
Though he opened in late 2025, Sumner actually signed the lease on his new 11,500 square foot space 3 1/2 years ago.
Legacy Gym
Modeled after the Little River, Miami location, the Nashville headquarters offers a community gym for all fitness levels that includes versatile, high-quality equipment, high-tech workspaces, and a smoothie bar. It even has recovery tools like cold plunges, physical therapy, massage and a co-ed sauna, making it a one-stop shop for every health and fitness lover.
“You’re really getting everything,” Sumner says. “You can do whatever you need to do for the day. I mean, you could literally stay there all day if you wanted to.”
Seeing that Nashville is the country music capital of the world, it’s only fitting that Manning pay homage to that in his new venue.
“It has my signature industrial chic vibe,” Manning says. “We have a cool vintage juke box as part of our decoration and some nods to music in some hung artwork.”
Legacy Gym
New Machines, Same Mindset
There are several things in-line with the Florida locations, such as the brand’s same “No Days Off” mentality.
“What I would say what it means to me is never taking a day off on yourself, whatever that looks like,” Manning explains of his gym’s motto. “So if that literally means laying in bed all day, then OK, that was an intentional thing that you said, ‘I need the rest.’ But it still doesn’t mean that you’re not becoming or being your best self from a standpoint of if you have conversations on that day, or your mom calls you or whatever. You’re still making the most of it.”
They also stay true to their HIIT workout style with their patented Partner Interval Training (PIT) system, which he concocted several years ago after training former Dallas Cowboys Running Back Marion Barber alongside another female who was trying to shed some unwanted pounds.
“Obviously they did different weight, but they did the exact same movements, the same machines, the same exercises,” Sumner says. “And she would go, he would go, she would go, he would go, and they went through the whole routine. And after it was over, they were high fiving and laughing and a light bulb went off in my head and I was like, ‘Oh, I should pair people up!’”
Sumner, a former linebacker at the University of Auburn who’s trained a who’s who of NFL greats including Julius Peppers, believes that his unique workout idea really helps set himself apart from other gyms.
“It’s a push-pull antagonistic concept,” Sumner explains of his 20 station, 60 minute workout that is done in pairs, spending 2:30 at each exercise. “You’re doing a push movement, a pull movement, and then like a cardio movement or a core movement, and you go through that the whole entire way.”
When one client is taking their turn, Sumner says the other client’s job is being an encouraging cheerleader, which is why he’s seen so many relationships blossom in his all-inclusive space.
“We have spouses that work out together, we have siblings that work out together, we have best friends that work out together,” Sumner shares. “But oftentimes, it’s a great way to meet people. So you can show up by yourself, and then all of a sudden, you’re getting paired with a stranger, but then you’re getting to meet that person that’s having similar goals as you. We’ve had probably 10 to 12 marriages. We have Legacy babies. I mean, there’s been so many people that have met in our gyms through this process because it’s impossible not to connect with someone when you’re working out with them.”
