Downtown Athletic Club in Mt. Sterling Offers Fitness Equipment, Classes
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Mt. Sterling may be small‚ but it won’t be out of shape if Mike Williams has any say about it.
Williams’ 17‚000-square-foot Downtown Athletic Club offers high-end workout machines‚ a Jacuzzi‚ a sauna‚ well-appointed locker rooms‚ an indoor walking track and more.
“Don’t worry about not knowing what you are doing‚” Williams reassures beginners. “We give a lot of free help.”
Longtime residents are astonished at the reincarnation of a building that for a while was the town’s only Kroger.
After life as a grocery store‚ it deteriorated and became an eyesore on the historic downtown landscape.
“We changed the building dramatically‚” Williams says. “We dug out the floor and put in the indoor pool. It’s got a whole new roof. We made it pretty colorful. It’s bright with a whole lot of light inside‚ cheerful‚ really open.”
Just a year ago‚ Williams moved more than 100 pieces of exercise equipment from his former‚ smaller location of eight years into the refurbished building. “People just say ‘Wow!’ when they see the variety of treadmills‚ elliptical machines‚ stair steppers‚ upright and semi-recumbent bikes‚” Williams says.
The club’s water aerobics classes have been a big hit with the over-40 crowd looking for fitness without joint complications. Other fitness options include swimming‚ karate and step aerobics classes each week.
“I do aerobics and weights‚” says member Tricia Haddix just after stepping off the leg-press machine.
She and her husband‚ both recently retired‚ try to get in for a workout daily. “We usually start out with a weight machine and work a body part per day‚ alternating on different machines so we won’t get bored‚” Haddix says.
She explains that she had been running for exercise. “My knees started bothering me‚ and I was getting older and knew I needed weight-bearing exercise to reduce bone loss.”
Haddix had never used the exercise equipment before but loved the help from club staff.
“They teach you how to do the machines and free weights; there’s always someone to ask or help you‚” Haddix says.
Williams is a certified health and fitness instructor from the American College of Sports Medicine‚ a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise‚ and has a master’s degree in exercise science from Morehead State University.
Got kids? Bring them along. Children as young as 11 are welcome to learn the routines. There’s also child care available.
You can finish off your workout at the smoothie bar. Williams recommends strawberry with banana and papaya juice or a low-fat chocolate peanut butter treat.
Just don’t tell him you can’t find time to exercise. The Downtown Athletic Club is open 365 days a year.
Story by Wendy Kurland
Photo by Theresa Montgomery
