“It’s important to be a place where people feel welcome. We want to build relationships,” said Chris Winder, the personal training manager at what will become Prosper Athletic Club on River Road North (KEIZERTIMES/Matt Rawlings).
BFit Gyms was one of the many businesses throughout the state that was forced to shut down due to COVID-19.
Fortunately for fitness fanatics, a new gym is coming to take its place in Keizer, as Prosper Athletic Club will be taking over BFit Gyms former location (5045 River Rd. N) and is opening their doors on Sunday, Nov. 15 — all monthly BFit memberships were transferred to 24-Hour Fitness.
“There are some nerves because you don’t know what the future will be holding because 2020 was a crazy year. But we’re very excited to be bringing another gym to Keizer,” said Chris Winder, who will be the personal training manager at Prosper Athletic Club.
“We felt like there was a need in Keizer. There are really only two options that are more of a big-box style. We felt like there was a need for a middle-of-the-road, but still high-end facility.”
The logo for Prosper Athletic Club is a lotus flower, which is a symbol of prosperity. Winder hopes that the company slogan will also act as a metaphor for his customers.
“I feel like (Prosperity) is what people need in 2020,” Winder said.
Prosper Athletic Club features numerous pieces of equipment left over from BFit Gyms, but the facility will also be adding a lot of their own equipment, including a double jungle, cable crossovers, dumbbells that go up to 100 pounds and new turf.
One of the unique aspects of Prosper Athletic Club will be their recovery stations, which are scheduled to be installed in 2021. Cryotherapy, infrared therapy, oxygen therapy, percussion therapy and compression therapy are just a handful of after-workout treatment options that will be available next year.
“When you’re working out, you have the opportunity to recover. People can come in here and build their muscles and build their bones stronger, then go over and recover and feel better,” Winder said.
Winder plans to have all of his staff members be certified personal trainers so that they can provide assistance to customers at any time.
“Everyone is going to be very knowledgeable on the equipment and the workouts and exercises. Anytime someone comes in and has a question, anyone on our staff will be able to help them,” Winder said.
Winder believes that the culture at Prosper Athletic Club will set them apart from other facilities in the area.
“The culture is really what sets us apart. We want to be a premier facility,” Winder said. “It’s important to be a place where people feel welcome. We want to build relationships with these people.”
To deal with COVID-19 restrictions, the majority of equipment will be spaced six feet apart. There will be 10 to 15 cleaning stations according to Winder and social distancing will also be enforced.
“Safety is our top priority. We’re going to make sure we’re following all the CDC guidelines and make sure people are abiding by them.”
Winder also expects the facility’s capacity to be capped at around 100 people.
Prosper Athletic Club will be open from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. They charge a bi-weekly rate of $17 with no contracts or enrollment fees.
“We’re really looking forward to opening. People have told us how much they enjoyed BFit and we want to bring that feeling back to the people, but we also want to blow their expectations out of the water,” Winder said.