24-hour gym coming to town

Published 6:00 am Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

A 24-hour gym is coming to Farmville, although its anticipated opening date of June 1 has been affected by the coronavirus.

Tyler Ramsey, 27, owns a gym in Appomattox called Elite Fitness 24/7. Ramsey said after opening the gym in October of 2014, membership has since grown to approximately 1,000 people. He is now opening his second Elite Fitness 24/7 at 905 S. Main Street in Farmville.

Elite Fitness 24/7 is a family-friendly facility, which he said is one of the reasons Farmville residents expressed interest in the gym coming to town.

Email newsletter signup

As there is no other 24/7 facility in the area, Ramsey believes the gym will draw many of the area’s night shift workers and those looking to work out any time, day or night.

The Farmville location will be approximately 4,000 square feet.

“From an elderly person getting a good workout in to a high school student, to your bodybuilders. We will have everything they need to get a good workout in, and pretty much 85% of the equipment that we’re going to be bringing in is going to be brand new.”

Elite Fitness 24/7 will feature a variety of top-of-the-line Insignia equipment from Life Fitness, including treadmills, ellipticals, stair climbers, rowers, a deadlift station where athletes can maximize their lifts and more. Crossfit enthusiasts, body builders, seniors, teenagers, college students and busy adults will all be able to benefit from the facility.

New members will be able to come to the gym from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday in order to join. After becoming a member, individuals will be given a barcode card which gives them 24-hour access to the facility.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced last week his plans to reopen Virginia in phases starting May 15. The first phase of the governor’s plan mandates that gyms can only offer outdoor fitness classes for the time being.

Northam’s decision means Elite Fitness 24/7 will no longer be able to open June 1 as planned. Ramsey said the opening date will now depend on when the governor allows gyms to officially welcome customers back inside their doors.

Ramsey said cleanliness is a top priority for Elite Fitness, and that the new gym will be working to follow the guidelines to be set by the state during the reopening process.

The Farmville gym will also have one-to-two on-site personal trainers by private appointments only. Ramsey said the front desk staff, however, will be knowledgeable about using each machine and will encourage members to ask if they have questions about equipment or exercises, describing the facility as a “no judgement zone.”

“We’re going to keep all our equipment (maintained), we’re going to keep all our equipment clean and we’re going to do our best to keep Farmville healthy.”