Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
New equipment, new look for JCC fitness
Click image to enlarge
   |
By MARGI HERWALD ZITELLI
City Editor
Who should be doing weightlifting and strength-training as part of their exercise routine?
According to The Mandel Jewish Community Center fitness staff … Everyone!
But they’re not.
So, JCC fitness decided it was time for a change. This month, the JCC’s free weight room will undergo a complete renovation, including the installation of all new equipment, in an effort to “spark and renew” interest in strength training, explains fitness center director Rich Zatta.
The JCC’s free weight room was created out of two former racquetball courts. It currently sports orange walls, a well-worn black floor covering, and aging weight-training equipment in white with blue vinyl “upholstery.” While all the equipment is in decent condition, it was time for a total overhaul, says JCC fitness, wellness and recreation director Lorri Slesh.
The room closed yesterday (Oct. 16) for renovation and equipment installation. When it reopens to the public on Sun., Oct. 26, it will be renamed the Advanced Training Center.
LIFT!
Slesh and Zatta are not introducing any new types of equipment to the Advanced Training Center, just replacing the existing pieces with upgraded models. However, many of the new pieces will be “multi-use stations,” meaning a client can perform several different exercises on one machine, and there is room for more than one person at a time to be using the machine. “It will be less equipment that can do more things,” Slesh explains.
These include a 4-in-1 adjustable Olympic bench that offers “decline, incline, flat and shoulder press all in one,” Zatta explains. There will also be a super power rack that combines a squat rack and a cage; a T-bar row; a six-station cable crossover; and an all new set (from 5-100 lbs.) of urethane Hampton dumbbells, with an extra set from 5-50 lbs.
JCC fitness staff consulted with members who frequent the free weight room to determine what they wanted out of the room’s upgrade, Slesh says. They also spoke to members who don’t use the room to determine why they stay away. “They don’t like the look or feel,” she reveals. “We want people to feel more comfortable.”
Therefore, in addition to new equipment, the JCC is giving its Advanced Training Center a design makeover as well. The room will be re-painted white, and roll-out gray and black Everlast flooring will be installed. The incoming equipment will all be slate gray with black vinyl to further unify the room’s look. With a sleek, modern, coordinated design, Slesh and Zatta hope more people will be enticed to come into the Advanced Training Center and try free weights.
Throughout November, fitness staff will conduct demos for membership in hopes of drawing new users to the weightlifing equipment.
RUN!
Meanwhile, the Total Fitness Center (the JCC’s main workout room) will also be receiving some equipment upgrades.
“We heard from members that they love personal TVs with the equipment,” says Slesh. So, the JCC will swap out some of its more heavily used treadmills and bikes for 14 new Star Trac treadmills and two Star Trac
recumbent bikes, each including a 15-inch, high-definition, personal TV screen. The JCC will also install four flat-screen TVs in the fitness room for general use. These will replace the eight traditional TVs currently mounted to the fitness center’s ceiling.
The new treadmills also feature iPod hookups, built-in fans and heart-rate monitors. The new bikes will be “step-through,” meaning there will be no awkward middle bar to climb over in order to mount the bike.
Current StairMaster machines will be swapped out for new Nautilus StairMaster StepMills.
Another rep
This renovation and equipment overhaul is the first phase in an ongoing plan for the JCC’s fitness center. Eventually Slesh plans to have the Advanced Training Center made contiguous with the Total Fitness Center, so it no longer feels like a separate entity. But it will be some time before the JCC begins its next phases of fitness renovations.
This first phase cost about $200,000, with funds coming from lease agreements, private sector funding, and the JCC operations budget, Slesh says.
“Technically, there’s nothing wrong with the (current) equipment,” Slesh maintains. “It was just time for an update. Sometimes you need a fresh coat of paint.”
mherwald@cjn.org
Membership
JCC fitness facilities are open to all JCC members. Membership fees vary according to age:
Individual membership: $411-540
Family membership: $684-816
216-831-0700, ext. 1327
According to The Mandel Jewish Community Center fitness staff … Everyone!
But they’re not.
So, JCC fitness decided it was time for a change. This month, the JCC’s free weight room will undergo a complete renovation, including the installation of all new equipment, in an effort to “spark and renew” interest in strength training, explains fitness center director Rich Zatta.
The JCC’s free weight room was created out of two former racquetball courts. It currently sports orange walls, a well-worn black floor covering, and aging weight-training equipment in white with blue vinyl “upholstery.” While all the equipment is in decent condition, it was time for a total overhaul, says JCC fitness, wellness and recreation director Lorri Slesh.
The room closed yesterday (Oct. 16) for renovation and equipment installation. When it reopens to the public on Sun., Oct. 26, it will be renamed the Advanced Training Center.
LIFT!
Slesh and Zatta are not introducing any new types of equipment to the Advanced Training Center, just replacing the existing pieces with upgraded models. However, many of the new pieces will be “multi-use stations,” meaning a client can perform several different exercises on one machine, and there is room for more than one person at a time to be using the machine. “It will be less equipment that can do more things,” Slesh explains.
These include a 4-in-1 adjustable Olympic bench that offers “decline, incline, flat and shoulder press all in one,” Zatta explains. There will also be a super power rack that combines a squat rack and a cage; a T-bar row; a six-station cable crossover; and an all new set (from 5-100 lbs.) of urethane Hampton dumbbells, with an extra set from 5-50 lbs.
JCC fitness staff consulted with members who frequent the free weight room to determine what they wanted out of the room’s upgrade, Slesh says. They also spoke to members who don’t use the room to determine why they stay away. “They don’t like the look or feel,” she reveals. “We want people to feel more comfortable.”
Therefore, in addition to new equipment, the JCC is giving its Advanced Training Center a design makeover as well. The room will be re-painted white, and roll-out gray and black Everlast flooring will be installed. The incoming equipment will all be slate gray with black vinyl to further unify the room’s look. With a sleek, modern, coordinated design, Slesh and Zatta hope more people will be enticed to come into the Advanced Training Center and try free weights.
Throughout November, fitness staff will conduct demos for membership in hopes of drawing new users to the weightlifing equipment.
RUN!
Meanwhile, the Total Fitness Center (the JCC’s main workout room) will also be receiving some equipment upgrades.
“We heard from members that they love personal TVs with the equipment,” says Slesh. So, the JCC will swap out some of its more heavily used treadmills and bikes for 14 new Star Trac treadmills and two Star Trac
recumbent bikes, each including a 15-inch, high-definition, personal TV screen. The JCC will also install four flat-screen TVs in the fitness room for general use. These will replace the eight traditional TVs currently mounted to the fitness center’s ceiling.
The new treadmills also feature iPod hookups, built-in fans and heart-rate monitors. The new bikes will be “step-through,” meaning there will be no awkward middle bar to climb over in order to mount the bike.
Current StairMaster machines will be swapped out for new Nautilus StairMaster StepMills.
Another rep
This renovation and equipment overhaul is the first phase in an ongoing plan for the JCC’s fitness center. Eventually Slesh plans to have the Advanced Training Center made contiguous with the Total Fitness Center, so it no longer feels like a separate entity. But it will be some time before the JCC begins its next phases of fitness renovations.
This first phase cost about $200,000, with funds coming from lease agreements, private sector funding, and the JCC operations budget, Slesh says.
“Technically, there’s nothing wrong with the (current) equipment,” Slesh maintains. “It was just time for an update. Sometimes you need a fresh coat of paint.”
mherwald@cjn.org
Membership
JCC fitness facilities are open to all JCC members. Membership fees vary according to age:
Individual membership: $411-540
Family membership: $684-816
216-831-0700, ext. 1327
 |
 |
|
| Journalist shares tale of her secret Jewish roots | Montefiore wins 2 CCF awards |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of clevelandjewishnews.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments. Registration is free.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
