PEORIA — Tom Grims says his goal is to make fitness fun and to make it a way of life for people.
Judging by the number of members at his two Gold's Gym locations, it's pretty clear he's achieved his goal and then some.
Grims, 58, owns the two gyms that he says have transformed the way people in the Peoria area look at fitness. He says the facilities are on the cutting edge and offer the latest in technology for members. But more importantly, he said, they offer patrons camaraderie.
"There are people who come here, 20 or 25 of them, let's say for a 5:30 a.m. spinning class. They are friends and all love working out with each other. It's a family," he said, standing inside one of the studio rooms at his Peoria facility.
It's been 16 years since Grims opened the Morton facility. His route to being a fitness mogul followed working at a car dealership and as a warehouse manager. He knew he liked working out. He knew he liked being in shape, so opening a gym seemed like a good idea. But many gym rats in the area and likely in the nation have dreamed about opening their own gym, to get the equipment they wanted and to do what they thought was right. Grims said he wanted to create something that wasn't here.
"I went to a bunch of different health clubs and gyms and saw that there was something missing here," he said of his beginnings. At the time, the local health club market was dominated by local entities.
The scene, he said, "was stuck" and devoid of a "big name, full service club." So he decided to go with Gold's Gym, a leader in the fitness community since the 1960s. His first store was in Morton, as that's where he lived and there wasn't much in the way of competition. He then expanded into Peoria in 2005 with a conscious effort to blend in. The building, he said, was designed from the inside out to maximize the use of space but also to conform to the way The Shoppes at Grand Prairie looked.
And 13 years later, the Peoria location is going strong. It's 33,000 square feet, two stories and offers an indoor track, full service locker rooms, dedicated work out areas and a juice bar. Grims points to the women's area as a specific example of how things have changed over the years.
"People can go in there and do their own thing. They can go upstairs and use the high intensity training machinery or they go over there to do their own thing," he said, pointing to a spot in the work out area where several people were either balancing on bonzo balls or using kettle bells.
But Gold's Gym, he said, is more than that. It's a way of life for many of his regulars. Right now, one of his biggest demographics are seniors.
"They love coming here, the Silver Sneakers crowd. We have a person who is 92 who works out at the Morton gym. It's a way of life. The hardest part is getting into the door," he said.
Working out, he said, isn't just musclebound oafs grunting and heaving cast iron weights. It's about classes, and he's proud of the variety that his two facilities offer. It's those classes, he said, that offer wider experience to everyone. And for those coach potatoes, they're an excuse-killer.
"If you want to come in and work on your core, we have a 30-minute class. That's just a half hour. Anyone can find time for a half hour," he said.
Equipment, he said, is regularly swapped out when it's damaged or obsolete. There's a child care room, free to members, who are also free to use any Gold's Gym across the nation. Best of all, he said, he hasn't raised his prices since he opened the Peoria location and offers deals or specials every month.
Andy Kravetz can be reached at 686-3283 or akravetz@pjstar.co. Follow him on Twitter@andykravez.
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