Published: February 25, 2007 06:59 pm      

Anytime Fitness works out in Edmond

EDMOND — Chad Carattini, the manager of Edmond’s newest gym and fitness center, Anytime Fitness, used to hate the fitness industry. At the young age of 27, after managing a handful of other gyms, he was contemplating a mid-life career change.

“The fitness industry was draining me,” Carattini said. “At most gyms it’s not about helping clients get fit. It’s about hard-core sales. I hated it. I got to the point where I hated coming to work. Then I met the owners of Anytime Fitness. The concept behind this company totally rejuvenated me. It’s a great place to work and work out.”

Clients of the 1-month-old gym at 1333 N. Santa Fe share his enthusiasm. Like Carattini, they respond to Anytime Fitness’ refusal to do business as usual.

Carattini and his staff work hard to make the gym a comfortable, friendly place to work out.

“It’s very intimidating to walk into a gym for the first time. We’re the gym that’s going to make you feel comfortable if you’re new to this. It’s not a meat market. It’s very much like working out at home — only we have better equipment,” he said.

Carattini’s not joking around. The effort to make clients comfortable includes private restrooms and showers instead of large locker rooms.

Anytime Fitness sports the latest in fitness equipment, and several nationally certified trainers are on location to demonstrate its use.

All of the gym’s cardio machines have flat-screen televisions. New members enjoy an orientation that familiarizes them with all of the equipment.

The gym is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It also boasts the only 24/7 tanning salon in the Edmond area. Because clients are free to come and go at all hours, security is paramount and the premises are monitored.

Despite being the largest fitness franchise in the United States with 400 locations nationwide, the company continues to live up to its founding principles. Anytime Fitness emphasizes convenience for its users.

The company puts its focus on more and better gyms close to its clients’ homes. The Santa Fe location is the first of three planned for the Edmond area. To ensure its gyms are as easy to reach from clients’ workplaces as they are from their homes, the company has a total of 14 locations planned for the Oklahoma City metro area.

Anytime Fitness low-key, no-frills attitude means it doesn’t offer a lot of programs found at larger gyms. There are no aerobics, no kick-boxing, no pool and no day care for children.

But it does offer an early Saturday morning “boot camp” for customers who have trouble keeping the momentum going through the weekend.

Membership prices are competitive. A personal membership runs $30 per month while a couples membership runs $45 per month. Tanning costs $10 per month.

While those are two-year memberships, Carattini said the company does make it easy for clients to opt out before the membership period expires.

“In a nutshell, we create an adult-oriented, at-home atmosphere in our gym. We’re very low-pressure here,” he said.

“We’re not as concerned about the number of members we have as we are about keeping our existing members happy. We are completely different. It’s all about customer service here.”