Increase Fitness has officially opened on Scott St. in Fort Frances, the state of the art facility is located in the basement of 353 Scott St. which formerly housed the Salvation Army Thrift Store.
After months of hard work the public can now come in and do their own hard work at Increase Fitness. While officially open, the last of the equipment was still being assembled when The Times arrived for an interview.
Owner Simeon Firth decided to build the gym when he wanted a place to work out and knew the basement space was open.
During their open house last week, Firth said he heard from a lot of people who didn’t realize how big the space would be. At about 5,000 square feet, the facility has weights including multiple sets of free weights, squatting racks, lifting benches, a Smith Machine and a variety of cardio machines including treadmills, bikes, a rowing machine and a stair climber, with some equipment still to be installed. Firth says it felt like a long time coming.
“It’s been a long process, I thought about it in February or something like that,” Firth said. “I started making calls to see what it would be like getting equipment and what it would cost.”
He added that some of the things he managed to get are no longer available because of shortages and timelines or have just gone up so high in cost.
The gym has a state of the art security set up with all memberships managed online and members able to use a smartphone to gain entry 24/7 using the GymMaster App. Firth said there have been a few wrinkles on the back end but he is getting the kinks ironed out.
The space is dotted with security cameras, which Firth can access at all times in case of issues, there is also a secondary exit which will have an alarm for emergency use. The security system is also equipped with a “tailgate feature” which keeps people from following a member in after they scan in at the entrance which is located behind the Chip Truck just off Scott St.
“What will happen is say you are a paying member, and you scan in the door and let yourself in and you’re like, ‘Hey, I’m going to pull a fast one and let five other people come in with me,’” Firth said as an example. “The camera is smart enough to pick that up, and it will email us right away, and then we’ll be able to know who to go after, especially because there’s no gray area because we can literally watch it on the outside camera, and we watch it on the inside camera.”
For those who don’t have cell phones capable of using the app, security fobs are available for an extra cost.
Day passes are also available for $9.99 through the app for anyone who wants to try the gym or is from out of town looking for a workout. To see more about membership rates, check out increasefitness.ca
