Old-school gym gets beefed-up location

A local gym is beefing up.

CrossFitRVA,  which uses old-school methods of exercise like pushups, pull-ups and kettlebells, outgrew its space near the Richmond Jail and has leased twice as much space on the corner of Foushee and Cary streets.

There are no Nautilus machines, treadmills or elliptical machines.

“In a way, we were limited to who we could attract. Now people don’t have to drive through the worst parts of Richmond,” said Jake Rowell, who helped start the business more than three years ago.

“We now have amenities like heat and A/C.”

CrossFitRVA (read about the concept here) opened in its new location Monday.

“It’s a more visible spot,” Rowell said.

Rowell hopes the new space – 3,000 square feet with exposed brick and two bathrooms – will help the business grow from 90 members to 200. When he started the business, most of his clientele were males in their mid-20s. That’s expanded some, but Rowell said he’d like to attract more working professionals, and the new locations should help, he said.

“I see no reason why we can’t get more females, too,” he said. “This location is much cleaner.”

Rowell pays $2,100 a month in rent at the new space, about double what he paid off Seventh Avenue.

Most patrons pay about $75 a month to work out at the gym, and sessions are always led by a trainer.

One challenge that’s common in the industry is the turnover. Because many of the patrons are in their 20s, that’s a transient demographic, Rowell said.

Like the old gym, the new one still has a garage door.

“We sort of liked that, and once we clean the garage, we hope to use that space, too,” Rowell said.

Aaron Kremer is the BizSense editor. Please send news tips to Editor@richmondbizsense.com.