Absolute Fit in Fort Oglethorpe: A fitness center with sledge hammers – The Catoosa County News

There are now five fitness centers in Fort Oglethorpe, but Absolute Fit is likely the only one where sledge hammers are part of the exercise routine. Or where you’ll do tandem sit-ups holding a log. Or two-person push-ups outdoors.

When Jack Bell crawls into bed at night, instead of watching TV, he concocts new exercises for the members of his gym. “No class is ever the same,” says Bell. “I like to keep things fun and interesting.”

Thomas Parrish started at Absolute Fit seven months ago, weighing in at 265 pounds. He did some cardio and weightlifting classes then signed up for the fitness center’s signature six-week J-Blast course. The course features regular weigh-ins, support group-style discussion, lessons in nutrition, and encourages good exercise habits, either at the gym or at home.

“I learned to make better choices about what I eat,” Parrish says. “Fruit, not cheese fries.” It’s paid off. The welder and former U.S. soldier, who visits the gym 3-5 times a week, has lost 60 pounds and says the exercise and discipline have helped him manage stress and the anger it triggers and enabled him to do things he couldn’t have done at his former weight. “Last week, I went kayaking with my brother. That wouldn’t have happened at 265.”

Parrish’s fiancée, Ridgeland High School horticulture teacher Kaita McGregor, is the one who turned him on to the gym. “I love the challenge you get here,” says McGregor, “and when you take classes you become good friends with people.” McGregor started at the center as a teenager to keep in shape off-season when she wasn’t playing high school volleyball, basketball or running track. “I really like the kickboxing classes on Mondays,” says the teacher, whose mother also attends the gym.

Absolute Fit is unique in more ways than its creative exercise routines. It’s housed in the old 1940s PX building from the days when Fort Oglethorpe was an actual fort. “All the soldiers passed through this building,” says Bell. “They came here to pick up their uniforms, insignias, their canteens and knives and boots and socks.” The building was also a gathering place where soldiers could relax on the porch and shoot the breeze with one another.

Bell, who already had a fitness center in Fort Oglethorpe, bought the building and moved there in 2003. He’s managed to preserve the feel of history in it even with all the high-tech and innovative exercise equipment. The brick columns and stone walls in the basement, their bright yellows and reds and whites aside, have an old-timey look about them, like some below-street-level city gym Rocky might have worked out in.

But Rocky would have lacked the air conditioning and the computer screen hanging on the historic walls, showing readings of each exerciser’s heart rate, calorie use, and other stats — and he certainly wouldn’t have received an email summary of his progress.

Kim Cooley has been a part of Absolute Fit from the start and has been working out her entire adult life. “When you exercise regularly,” says Cooley, “you feel better, you look better, it’s good for your relationships and for relieving stress.”

And you meet great people, Cooley says. “One of my best friends started coming to Absolute Fit and lost 100 pounds. The exercise and nutrition counseling can transform your life, but you also become a part of a group that cheers you on and helps you stick with it.”

Cooley enjoys the group activities at the center. She usually attends two early morning classes each week, before heading to her job at an oral surgeon’s office, two evening classes and one on Saturdays. “We’re all on different levels and there’s no competition — just a bunch of people working together to stay healthy.” It’s also important to Cooley that she’s setting a valuable example for her three daughters.

“It becomes an addiction,” Cooley laughs, “but a good one.”

Some parts of the gym are accessible 24/7 to members, including the main floor, which is equipped with more customary equipment — treadmills, exercise bikes and weights. Another 24/7 area of the gym allows members to exercise to fitness videos from its library or to ones they bring themselves.

Bell holds regular classes throughout the week. There’s a 6:15 a.m. class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and an 8:30 a.m. class on Saturdays. Three evening classes run every Tuesday and Thursday. All classes are 45 minutes each. Non-members can attend for $8 per class.

Absolute Fit offers a wide array of other fitness-related services, from wellness and body analysis to metabolic and VO2 testing, meal plans, personal training and a challenging boot camp (maybe you’ve seen the class hoofing it around Barnhardt Circle). The next J-Blast course begins September 3.

“This isn’t just a fitness center,” says member Celeste Hochrein, “we’re like family.”

“What we do is very personal,” says Bell, whose gym has won multiple Chattanooga Times Free Press Best of the Best People’s Choice Awards. “We care about the fitness and lives of the people who come here and we do everything in our power to support their efforts to become healthier, stronger individuals.”

Absolute Fit is located at 3012 Lafayette Road in Fort Oglethorpe. A basic membership runs $34 a month. Advanced membership is $49 a month. They can be reached at 706-858-3456. Web site: absolutefitinc.com. J-Blast testimonials on You Tube: youtube.com/user/JblastTC/videos.

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