Lakeside Fitness Keeps Up On All The Latest Equipment
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
SYRACUSE – Lakeside Fitness has so many pieces of exercise equipment that co-owner Justin Frericks can’t keep track. There’s 75 to 80 pieces of cardio equipment alone, including 19 rowing machines and 10 different elliptical machines, along with pin loaded machines and free weights. There are two racquetball rooms, a Pilates room, a unisex sauna, two lockerrooms, a tanning bed, a hydromassage and an infrared sauna. The property includes an outdoor park and pavilion that members and classes can use. “The park has a 1,000-foot asphalt path through the garden. And we have an additional building we’ve done workshops in, we do Yoga classes, dance classes. So it’s a general purpose building,” Frericks said. He said the two buildings and trail area encompass more than 15,000 square feet. Lakeside Fitness has been in business about 30 years, but under a different name and not in the same location. Before opening at its current location at 1309 S. Harkless Drive, Syracuse, in October 2005, it was on Chicago Street next to Rinker Boat Company. “We needed some more area. At the time Rinker Boat Company sold, so we needed to move on and find a different space. So that’s pretty much why we moved down here. We weren’t going to build anything this big and it just kind of grew,” Frericks said. The other co-owner is Resia Rinker. “I’ve always been in fitness, and so has Resia. She started the business and operated under a different name when we were on Chicago Street. When we moved down to this location, we changed the name to Lakeside Fitness,” Frericks said. The fitness center is opened 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday. On Saturdays, it is open 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., he said. The only days it’s closed are Easter, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Single adult membership is a fee of $60 plus $45 for one month or $486 for a year. Couple enrollment is a $120 fee plus $70 for a month or $756 for one year. Enrollment for a family of three is a fee of $150 and $85 for a month or $918 for a year. Additional family members are $10 more a month for each person. There also are member rates for youth up to 15 years old, students up to 22 years and seniors 65 and older. Classes are $10 per month per person. “We like people to come in and see us and talk to us and kind of get to know who we are,” Frericks said. Personal trainer Tami Pavel said, “For $45 month, what people don’t understand, not only do we have counter service the entire time we’re open, but we’re here to assist people with questions on their fitness journeys. We even say, if you have a corrective exercise question, come ask us. We’re here. Normally, there’s someone here who can answer their questions.” Frericks estimated Lakeside currently has around 800 members. “We have a lot of summer residents that come out so they’re kind of semi-active. Some of them just buy punch cards so they’re not really a member. If I include those people, I am up in the 1,000 range.” He said the location can handle more members and they would like to see more people get active. “There’s a lot of people who aren’t doing this who should be doing this, and they wait until it’s almost too late,” he said. Pavel said, “If they just walk in the door and see that this place is not just a bunch of meatheads. It’s very comfortable and there’s a lot of seniors come here. And it’s not all people who look like they’re perfectly physically fit. This just has a comfort. The style and design and layout of this gym is just a lot different. It’s got that inviting comfort. And it’s clean and it’s spotless, that’s how Justin and Resia keep it. And they’re buying new things all the time. They just got three new pieces of cardio equipment in plus some more Shockwave rollers. They’re constantly updating the equipment and keeping it in top-notch condition.” Some of the classes offered are Les Mills Body Pump, CX Works, Tabata, TRX Training, cycling, Zumba, Shockwave and yoga. “We have a wide range of classes that are geared toward all of our people. All of our instructors have to go through a certification process so they’re not just anybody who has done a few classes. They’ve actually gone through a rigorous program to become certified, and then they have to maintain continuing education credits every two years to maintain that. That’s where we like to say we’re different than anybody else because we require anybody we hire to go through this process,” Frericks said. “We’ve got a well-rounded assortment of classes.” He said Lakeside’s trainers include himself, Pavel, Donna Pressler and Rinker. It also has “quite a few” group exercise instructors. Pavel said she is a certified personal trainer through National Academy of Sports Medicine. Her specialties include corrective exercise, fitness nutrition and senior fitness. She’s certified in TRX suspension straps. Pressler focuses strictly on Pilates, Frericks said, “which is kind of unique because there’s not too many facilities that do the Pilates.” She is a certified Pilates personal trainer, TRX certified and has 10 years of training experience in the Pilates method. Lakeside also offers a line of supplements, pre-exercise and post-exercise drinks and powders. For more information on Lakeside Fitness, visit its website at lakesidefit.com or call 574-457-8562.
