Absolute Fitness, Gold's Gym to merge in January

Wednesday
Dec 27, 2017 at 6:26 PM Dec 27, 2017 at 8:14 PM

By Benjamin NunnallyTimes Staff Writer

Rainbow City’s Absolute Fitness will welcome new members in January, when Gold’s Gym of Rainbow City closes its doors as part of a merger between the two fitness clubs.

Gold’s owner Stace Beecham said he had been a franchisee since 1996 when he signed his first 10-year term, with another long-term contract due to be signed in January. Though Gold’s Gym had been excellent to work with over the years, he said, its rates had steadily increased, while membership had leveled out. Absolute Fitness made an offer to buy out Beecham’s membership at just the right time.

“The timing is probably the No. 1 thing for me,” said Beecham. “But this will be very big, bringing two of the best clubs together.”

Current Gold’s Gym members will start going to Absolute Fitness as early as Jan. 1, with Gold’s closing its doors permanently on Jan. 15. Members will pay the same rates under the same contracts. Beecham estimated that his club has about 2,600 members, with about 500 who attend on a day-to-day basis.

Dawn Gregerson, club manager at Absolute Fitness, said that the transition should be simple. There’s plenty of room for the new membership in Absolute’s 40,000 square feet of training space, which she said is double the floor area of Gold’s Gym. Absolute is open 24 hours a day, with staff around the clock, a convenience Gregerson said is unique to her gym.

“We want our members and the members coming over to understand that this is a good thing for everybody. We’ve got plenty of amenities and a lot of space, so there’s not going to be an ‘overcrowded’ feeling,” said Gregerson. “We have a large staff of trainers and fitness instructors, so we can help them no matter what their fitness needs may be.”

Absolute’s offerings include classes in yoga, cardio, muscle training and Zumba; “Absolutely Ageless,” a senior program; indoor cycling and an indoor track for those who want a walk but don’t want to stay on a treadmill; child care; and infrared saunas in the men and women’s locker rooms.

Beecham will also be be moving over to Absolute Fitness after Jan. 15, working alongside management to help run the facility from day to day, making him a familiar face for Gold’s Gym members.

“The fitness track is something that I really enjoy, so hopefully I’ll be staying in that for a while and helping out at Absolute,” he said.

Wednesday
Dec 27, 2017 at 6:26 PM Dec 27, 2017 at 8:14 PM

By Benjamin NunnallyTimes Staff Writer

Rainbow City’s Absolute Fitness will welcome new members in January, when Gold’s Gym of Rainbow City closes its doors as part of a merger between the two fitness clubs.

Gold’s owner Stace Beecham said he had been a franchisee since 1996 when he signed his first 10-year term, with another long-term contract due to be signed in January. Though Gold’s Gym had been excellent to work with over the years, he said, its rates had steadily increased, while membership had leveled out. Absolute Fitness made an offer to buy out Beecham’s membership at just the right time.

“The timing is probably the No. 1 thing for me,” said Beecham. “But this will be very big, bringing two of the best clubs together.”

Current Gold’s Gym members will start going to Absolute Fitness as early as Jan. 1, with Gold’s closing its doors permanently on Jan. 15. Members will pay the same rates under the same contracts. Beecham estimated that his club has about 2,600 members, with about 500 who attend on a day-to-day basis.

Dawn Gregerson, club manager at Absolute Fitness, said that the transition should be simple. There’s plenty of room for the new membership in Absolute’s 40,000 square feet of training space, which she said is double the floor area of Gold’s Gym. Absolute is open 24 hours a day, with staff around the clock, a convenience Gregerson said is unique to her gym.

“We want our members and the members coming over to understand that this is a good thing for everybody. We’ve got plenty of amenities and a lot of space, so there’s not going to be an ‘overcrowded’ feeling,” said Gregerson. “We have a large staff of trainers and fitness instructors, so we can help them no matter what their fitness needs may be.”

Absolute’s offerings include classes in yoga, cardio, muscle training and Zumba; “Absolutely Ageless,” a senior program; indoor cycling and an indoor track for those who want a walk but don’t want to stay on a treadmill; child care; and infrared saunas in the men and women’s locker rooms.

Beecham will also be be moving over to Absolute Fitness after Jan. 15, working alongside management to help run the facility from day to day, making him a familiar face for Gold’s Gym members.

“The fitness track is something that I really enjoy, so hopefully I’ll be staying in that for a while and helping out at Absolute,” he said.

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