New apartments offer other options for fitness

The face of downtown \nBloomington has changed. The presence of Smallwood Plaza cannot be missed when driving down College Avenue between Eighth and Ninth Streets.\nBut what might go unnoticed is the new fitness center that rests below the 239 apartments in the complex.\n"It is the first time we have constructed a building like this, so it's uncharted territory," said Brandon Podgorski, on-site manager and owner of the Bloomington Cardinal Fitness.\nCardinal Fitness centers are located throughout Indiana and Illinois and are usually in high-traffic sections of metro areas, namely in strip malls.\nLast November, the partners who own the Cardinal Fitness business decided to scope out a site in Bloomington for the gym and were pleased to find the downtown location.\nIn April of 2004, the company announced its plans to lease part of Smallwood's retail space.\nThe gym opened its doors for the first time Sept. 2, offering memberships for $19.95 a month, something the owners take pride in.\n"This gym is something that is affordable to the average person," Podgorski said. "For only $20 a month, a student can afford it."\nSmallwood Plaza residents get a free membership to the gym as part of their leasing agreement -- a perk for which some are grateful. And with more than 700 automatic customers, Podgorski said the main advantage of the location has been word-of-mouth advertising. He said students do most of the marketing for them just by inviting their friends to workout with them.\nSince the majority of Smallwood residents are also students, most have already paid for a membership to the Student Recreational Sports Center. Eighty-seven percent of the student body uses services provided by the SRSC and the Division of Recreational Sports, according the Rec Sports Web site.\nHowever, some Smallwood residents still prefer to use the new fitness center.\n"I love the gym," said junior and Smallwood resident Megan Russell. "It's easier than going to the SRSC, and it's not that crowded."\nThe gym staff emphasizes cleanliness and availability of the brand-new equipment in the gym as a way of attracting members.\n"There are more than 40 pieces of cardio equipment, so more than likely, when a member comes here, they will not have to wait in line," Podgorski said. "There are no \nsign-up sheets."\nOn a much larger scale, the SRSC offers more than 400 pieces of equipment inside the gym. To handle the high traffic it receives, the SRSC requires members to sign up for 30-minute time slots on \ncardio machines. \n"This is a protocol developed by students, which has become standard procedure," said Kimberly Ruff, director of marketing and sponsorship for the Division of Recreational Sports. "However, we welcome new suggestions." \nBesides the many pieces of cardio equipment, Cardinal Fitness offers 5,000 pounds of free weights and two pieces of strength equipment per body part.\nOther services on which the center prides itself are the tanning beds, clean locker rooms and showers, and the Kids Room -- a babysitting service inside the gym that many parents choose to take advantage of.\n"One of the reasons I love this gym is because I can bring the kids and workout ... It's more efficient," said member Suzy Yeagley.\nYeagley said she still goes to the SRSC to participate in their group exercise classes, something that Cardinal Fitness does not offer.\n"What we offer at the SRSC is far beyond a place to use equipment," said Ruff. "We offer many other programs."\nCardinal Fitness does offer free trainers to show members how to use the equipment, along with personal trainers. Other amenities include free parking and an IU student, staff and faculty discount.\nAccording to Podgorski, Cardinal Fitness is catering to a new niche.\n"There has never been anything like this in Bloomington," Podgorski said. "It's probably the cheapest place in the town to train and workout."\n-- Contact staff writer Eboni \nGatlin at egatlin@indiana.edu.