Naked Workout? The First of its Kind, Lets You Get Buff in the Buff

Pet peeves in the gym – be they other people’s loud grunts or their refusal to wipe down sweaty machines – are commonplace.

But a gym in the Basque region of Spain taking the fitness club culture and turning it on its head.

Easy Gym in Arrigorriaga is letting nudists work out in their birthday suits.The gym, the first of its kind, came up with the idea while trying to figure out how to reinvigorate their business amidst a recession.”With the crisis we noticed there were fewer people using the gym,” owner Merche Laseca, told the BBC. “I’m not a nudist myself, though I have no problem with it. But this initiative is about the money.The gym’s grand opening actually ended up not being so grand, as only four people could be seen working out on the first day, according to Spanish website ABC.But Laseca believes that the business in the buff can only go up from here. Starting in May, the space will be open to nude gym rats every Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday.The owner believes nudists can be a burgeoning niche market. The Basque region boasts 12 nude beaches, local swimming pools with naked sessions and even a mass nude run in nearby Sopelana, the BBC reported.But not everyone sees the business model as a naked truth.”Each to his own,” the owner of a traditional gym in Bilbao told the BBC. “But I think it’s the most unhygienic thing in the world.”Nonetheless, the gym is moving forward. According to Spanish newspaper, El Correo, a yoga teacher teacher has offered to teach naked yoga classes.Maite Vicuna, the president of the Basque Naturist Association, told El Correo that the culture of nudists is light years ahead of where it was.”Ten years ago if you went on a naked run through the woods they would have arrested you,” Vicuna said. “But now everything has changed. Everyone is much more accustomed to it.”

Naked Workout? The First of its Kind, Lets You Get Buff in the Buff

Pet peeves in the gym – be they other people’s loud grunts or their refusal to wipe down sweaty machines – are commonplace.

But a gym in the Basque region of Spain taking the fitness club culture and turning it on its head.

Easy Gym in Arrigorriaga is letting nudists work out in their birthday suits.The gym, the first of its kind, came up with the idea while trying to figure out how to reinvigorate their business amidst a recession.”With the crisis we noticed there were fewer people using the gym,” owner Merche Laseca, told the BBC. “I’m not a nudist myself, though I have no problem with it. But this initiative is about the money.The gym’s grand opening actually ended up not being so grand, as only four people could be seen working out on the first day, according to Spanish website ABC.But Laseca believes that the business in the buff can only go up from here. Starting in May, the space will be open to nude gym rats every Saturday afternoon and all of Sunday.The owner believes nudists can be a burgeoning niche market. The Basque region boasts 12 nude beaches, local swimming pools with naked sessions and even a mass nude run in nearby Sopelana, the BBC reported.But not everyone sees the business model as a naked truth.”Each to his own,” the owner of a traditional gym in Bilbao told the BBC. “But I think it’s the most unhygienic thing in the world.”Nonetheless, the gym is moving forward. According to Spanish newspaper, El Correo, a yoga teacher teacher has offered to teach naked yoga classes.Maite Vicuna, the president of the Basque Naturist Association, told El Correo that the culture of nudists is light years ahead of where it was.”Ten years ago if you went on a naked run through the woods they would have arrested you,” Vicuna said. “But now everything has changed. Everyone is much more accustomed to it.”

Is Your Health Club Suffering The recession?

Health clubs not sweating the recession

Colorado Athletic Club and Carmichael Training Systems among those expanding

It’s hard not to sweat during these uncertain economic times. Literally.
Although the recession has taken its toll on countless businesses across the state, Colorado’s health club industry continues to expand. “I think don’t think we’ve been hit as hard as retail businesses because people still value their health,” said Ed Williams, president of Denver-based Wellbridge, which owns and operates four Colorado Athletic Club locations and has plans to open two new clubs in Boulder and Denver. Nationwide, the brand has 20 locations. “When life becomes more stressful, people want to make themselves more healthy,” he said. One of the new Colorado Athletic Club sites will be in Boulder’s 29th Street Mall; it is planned to open by year’s end. The 14-year-old Colorado Athletic Club will also add its sixth Colorado fitness outlet in Denver’s Tabor Center. Williams, who founded Wellbridge 27 years ago, said the company is taking advantage of the down economy by building health clubs in good locations that were more expensive before the recession. “We’re facing the same obstacles as everyone else in this economy, but these locations were strong enough that we had to grab them when they were available,” Williams said. When the economy turns around, Williams said, the newly built sites will reap more benefits. That could mean increased membership and use of facilities. Currently, membership numbers at Colorado Athletic Club gyms have not increased, but use of facilities has gone up 30 to 40 percent, Williams said. That means instead of working out twice a week, people are now heading to the gym three or four times weekly. But Colorado Athletic Club is not the only health club chain expanding. Carmichael Training Systems, a state-of-the-art training outlet for high-endurance athletes opened a new location in Colorado Springs . And fitness studio Brio Active officially opened its doors in Cherry Hills Marketplace in Denver recently. Nationwide, franchises of the Irving, Texas-based Gold’s Gym have recently opened or are planned to open this year in several cities, from Fitchburg, Wis., to Midlothian, Va. Franchises are also planned in parts of the East Bay and Bay Area in San Francisco to take advantage of low-cost real estate.
The gym in Cherry Hills Marketplace is the pilot studio for Brio Active, which takes a “new approach to fitness and wellness” with a 25-minute full-body workout. Expert coaches move groups of four or fewer clients through warm-up, flexibility and strength exercises and complete each workout with a “recharging” massage.
The fitness studio chose Colorado as its first location because it is an “activity-oriented state” with many different markets to reach out to, including hardcore athletes as well as those who don’t exercise regularly, said Marsha Macro, manager of Brio Active. Sufferers of multiple sclerosis, arthritis and other physical ailments also find Brio Active’s approach beneficial, Macro said.”We have many fingers in the market right now, and we’re touching so many people,” Macro said. “We want to find out what works and grow with success. We plan to open more sites in Colorado and then go nationwide.”Macro said she expects membership to be slow during the summer because more people spend time outside during this season. But despite the state of the economy, she said, fitness remains a priority for many.”You need something that can take your mind off what’s happening,” Macro said

Is Your Health Club Suffering The recession?

Health clubs not sweating the recession

Colorado Athletic Club and Carmichael Training Systems among those expanding

It’s hard not to sweat during these uncertain economic times. Literally.
Although the recession has taken its toll on countless businesses across the state, Colorado’s health club industry continues to expand. “I think don’t think we’ve been hit as hard as retail businesses because people still value their health,” said Ed Williams, president of Denver-based Wellbridge, which owns and operates four Colorado Athletic Club locations and has plans to open two new clubs in Boulder and Denver. Nationwide, the brand has 20 locations. “When life becomes more stressful, people want to make themselves more healthy,” he said. One of the new Colorado Athletic Club sites will be in Boulder’s 29th Street Mall; it is planned to open by year’s end. The 14-year-old Colorado Athletic Club will also add its sixth Colorado fitness outlet in Denver’s Tabor Center. Williams, who founded Wellbridge 27 years ago, said the company is taking advantage of the down economy by building health clubs in good locations that were more expensive before the recession. “We’re facing the same obstacles as everyone else in this economy, but these locations were strong enough that we had to grab them when they were available,” Williams said. When the economy turns around, Williams said, the newly built sites will reap more benefits. That could mean increased membership and use of facilities. Currently, membership numbers at Colorado Athletic Club gyms have not increased, but use of facilities has gone up 30 to 40 percent, Williams said. That means instead of working out twice a week, people are now heading to the gym three or four times weekly. But Colorado Athletic Club is not the only health club chain expanding. Carmichael Training Systems, a state-of-the-art training outlet for high-endurance athletes opened a new location in Colorado Springs . And fitness studio Brio Active officially opened its doors in Cherry Hills Marketplace in Denver recently. Nationwide, franchises of the Irving, Texas-based Gold’s Gym have recently opened or are planned to open this year in several cities, from Fitchburg, Wis., to Midlothian, Va. Franchises are also planned in parts of the East Bay and Bay Area in San Francisco to take advantage of low-cost real estate.
The gym in Cherry Hills Marketplace is the pilot studio for Brio Active, which takes a “new approach to fitness and wellness” with a 25-minute full-body workout. Expert coaches move groups of four or fewer clients through warm-up, flexibility and strength exercises and complete each workout with a “recharging” massage.
The fitness studio chose Colorado as its first location because it is an “activity-oriented state” with many different markets to reach out to, including hardcore athletes as well as those who don’t exercise regularly, said Marsha Macro, manager of Brio Active. Sufferers of multiple sclerosis, arthritis and other physical ailments also find Brio Active’s approach beneficial, Macro said.”We have many fingers in the market right now, and we’re touching so many people,” Macro said. “We want to find out what works and grow with success. We plan to open more sites in Colorado and then go nationwide.”Macro said she expects membership to be slow during the summer because more people spend time outside during this season. But despite the state of the economy, she said, fitness remains a priority for many.”You need something that can take your mind off what’s happening,” Macro said