Columbia Tribune Article on Grand Opening

GRAND OPENING: NEW BUSINESS IN COLUMBIA NITRO FITNESS
Published Saturday, March 4, 2006
Jenna Isaacson photo
Donna Corrado and Terri Thompson ● Owners: Terri Thompson and Donna Corrado
● Address: 3911 Peachtree Drive, Suite A
● Telephone: 881-2650
● E-mail: columbianitro@hotmail.com
● Web site: www.nitrofitnessformen.com
● Nature of services offered: A Lenexa, Kan., franchise, Nitro Fitness offers 30-minute core circuit training for men who have little time to work out. Core circuit training concentrates on improving muscle strength from knees to shoulders, Thompson and Corrado said. They said the training is a good way for men to improve on their functional strength, stability and flexibility. “It’s an effective way to burn fat and to improve on overall fitness,” Thompson said. “It’s faster, efficient and effective, and it works. That’s why they only need 30 minutes.” The business also offers nutrition consulting and meal plans.
● Opened: November
● Hours: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays
● Costs: Memberships cost $29.95 per month. Supplements cost $15.
● Reason for location: The owners say the location is ideal because it is next to Curves, a fitness center for women. They said that because they are marketing to men age 30 and older, the location is convenient for married couples.
● Owners’ experience: Thompson has been a fitness trainer for 2½ years. She also has worked in long-term-care facilities and said she enjoys helping people. Corrado is a registered nurse, and manager Fred Manuel has been a college football coach for about 29 years.
● Clientele: The owners said the workout is designed so baby boomers and busy working men can exercise before work, over lunch or on the way home from work. They said the atmosphere is noncompetitive and is for men who aren’t interested in fad diets or spending hours in the gym. Even though the business targets men age 30 and older, the women say they also can accommodate younger men. “Our youngest guy right now is 25, and the oldest is 74,” Corrado said.
● Origin of name: The local Nitro Fitness is a franchise of the Nitro Fitness company.
● Customer appeal: The women said that the 1,500-square-foot gym has 15 individual training stations fitted with modern equipment and that customers can achieve visible results with just two to three visits per week. “Our machines are designed to work each individualized muscle area and can work out up to 28 muscle groups,” Thompson said. The owners said their customers also benefit from personalized attention that traditional gyms do not offer. They said you don’t have to pay for personal trainers at the gym because it’s small enough that employees can help members.
● Why take the plunge now: Corrado said men age 30 and older are underserved when it comes to fitness. “Women have Curves,” she said. “And now men have Nitro Fitness. We are into preventive medicine and also to help that segment of men who need a workout but don’t know how to go about it.”
● Future plans: The owners said they plan to operate a 24-hour gym in the future to accommodate men who can’t come between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. They said they also hope to introduce access cards that would allow members to come and go at will.