Excel Fitness is going high-tech, with an old school twist.
At first glance, the group training centre, located on 30th Avenue, looks to have the traditional equipment one would find in any other gym, but there is one major difference. None of it is powered, at least not by electricity.
“Nothing is plugged in. It’s all you,” said Carla Rayner, co-owner with Rhonda Catt and Rhona Parsons.
Their treadmill is a good example. Rather than running on a conventional treadmill, which is more or less a high-speed conveyor belt, Excel’s, with its concave shape, is more like being a hamster on a wheel.
“People are used to seeing a traditional gym. They walk in, see a room full of cardio equipment, zoning out on that equipment and watching a TV. And they’re getting on machines that are actually doing a lot of work for them because they’re only working in one plane of motion,” said Catt.
The 8,600 square-foot facility, which opened in May, has four unique training studios, a dedicated yoga and Pilates room, not to mention some pretty stylish change rooms.
“It’s been a long wait because of construction and delays. It’s been hard. It was all out of our hands. But we’re open now and we’re ready to scream it from the rooftops,” said Catt.
Spin classes have become increasingly popular at gyms, and where stationary bikes are rigid, Excel’s RealRyder is designed to give the natural side-to-side swaying motion of riding a real bike.
“Your body is working less in a sense because it’s more of a natural motion,” said Rayner, adding the RealRyder is proving successful for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Excel is also the first studio in Canada to receive full certification for Krankcycle, which is similar to a stationary bike, only the “pedals” are hand-operated and require upper-body strength.
But Excel’s trendy equipment doesn’t tell the whole story of the philosophy behind the training centre. Catt, Parsons and Rayner are all certified personal trainers and their goal is to incorporate the feel of having a personal trainer, only in a group setting.
“Because we are in the industry and we are trainers, we are running a facility that is our passion. We want to bring the best that we can to our members,” said Rayner. “It’s a group environment where they’re accountable. If they don’t show up, someone’s going to call them and say, ‘Hey, where were you yesterday? We missed you.’ To have someone know your name and to know that you’ve been missed is huge.”
Added Catt: “We’re really catering to efficient training, so you can get in and out of here in an hour. Some people spend two hours in a gym and see no results.
Excel also hopes to begin working with schools to develop a mentorship program where students interested in pursuing personal training, or other similar career paths, can gain experience at the gym.
And for parents with toddlers, Excel offers Active Kids, a program where supervisors engage kids in active play.
Rayner says it can be anything from Duck, duck goose, freeze tag, balloon play or kids’ yoga.
“It’ll be something fun to keep them moving. You’re not going to be dropping your children off and seeing supervisors sitting on their butts watching the kids watch TV.”
One thing Excel Fitness wanted to steer away from was the burden of contracts and sign-up fees.
“For a lot of people, going into a gym and committing for a year can be scary and we want to take that away. We want people to come in and feel comfortable and have fun,” said Catt, noting there are a variety of available exercise packages catering to members’ needs. “We offer flexibility.”
