CHESTER – A new facility has opened on Kent Island offering people of all ages, sizes and interests one of the most affordable access points to fitness and exercise equipment in the area.
Fitness Rx expanded its operations from its base in Easton on Friday, July 16, with a second full-fledged gym on Postal Road, Chester. The company previously operated a facility out of Stevensville, despite the fact that that gym, which included a pool, was forced to vacate the building earlier this year. The company has been operating a temporary location on the island in the Chesapeake Bay Business Park since March.
The establishment of the new 24/7 facility, which includes a self-described “iron room” filled with weight training equipment and tools, brings a greater emphasis on muscle fitness than the previous Kent Island location. That emphasis also drives the company’s goal of attracting younger, more traditional gym membership.
“There is a trend reversal in fitness,” said Mark Cuviello, owner of Fitness Rx, in an interview. The couch in his office was littered with dog hair from his friendly German Shepherd mascot, Dakota. “People are starting to learn functional training and strength training properly.”
The gym, which is located in part of the former Sears department store, offers a range of classes throughout the week for different groups, including women and seniors, some of which focus on yoga, functional strength, full-body resistance, and cardio.
For $ 45 a month, customers can enjoy unlimited access to Kent Island and Easton facilities and courses at the gym, anytime of the day.
After registering, members receive an electronic key card with which they can access outside of the opening times if no employees are present. Security cameras monitor the gym’s presence and make sure everyone who works out is a paying customer. According to Cuviello, anyone caught cheating or taking advantage of the gym’s trust – such as bringing in a non-member when no staff is present – will have to pay a monthly membership fee.
“You pay for a 24/7 gym, that’s your privilege,” said Cuviello. “It’s not someone else’s privilege who doesn’t pay for it.”
However, when staff are present, the gym works wholeheartedly as a helpful resource for exercise.
“My philosophy is education,” said Cuviello. “The more you know, the faster you can see results.”
The owner, who is also available for personal training and nutritional coaching, believes in acclimatizing to the over-the-top New Years mentality – give your body time to properly adjust to a consistent exercise program rather than burn out and give up entirely in a short series of workouts . He also mentioned that he will stop and coach her immediately if he sees clients mislead an exercise.
It’s a responsible and meaningful act of making sure clients don’t hurt themselves while getting the most out of their training, but it also reflects Cuviellos general attitude towards his job.
Cuviello’s extensive customer service experience – helping design audiovisual presentations for various clients for over three decades – is driving his career in the fitness field. Customers who hire him as a personal trainer also have 24/7 access to him, and Fitness Rx is as individual and personal as the customers prefer.
For example, for an additional $ 100 fee in the gym, jumpstart programs offer newbies three one-on-one sessions with one of the gym’s trainers, during which a workout plan is developed to meet the client’s specific goals – be it more look-based, how trying to tone muscles or lose weight, performance-based, such as the desire to gain strength or endurance, or wellness-based.
This focus on individuality is also driven by the all-day operation of the fitness studio. With customers free to enter at any time – Cuviello stated that the busiest times of the day are between 5pm and 7pm, right after the work day – there are no traffic jams or crowds when it comes to the facility and its amenities.
“It will never be madly hectic in here,” said Cuviello. “People come around the clock. I think people are starting to like the fact that they can come anytime and not be crowded. “
