Gold's Gym International 'Thunders' Into Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY, March 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Gold's Gym International, the world's leading authority in health and fitness, officially announced today its plans to bring new world class facilities and more than 46 years of fitness experience to the Oklahoma City area. This includes the development of two new state of the art facilities and the acquisition of two Aspen Fitness locations. In addition, the company announced that it will immediately become involved in several health and fitness initiatives aimed at improving wellness and physical activity throughout the area.

Gold's Gym's move into the market will begin with two signature facilities designed to offer residents the most comprehensive fitness experience in the city. This includes a dynamic group exercise program filled with fun and exciting classes like Body Pump™, Zumba®, group cycling, yoga and Pilates that are free with membership. Both gyms will also feature signature amenities like the world famous Cardio Cinema®, which is an actual movie theatre in the gym, along with basketball and racquetball courts, personal training, free Kids' Club and the latest cardio and fitness equipment.  All of this will be made available to residents at an affordable price.

"We're thrilled to bring the best in fitness to the Oklahoma City market," said Jim Snow, President of Gold's Gym International. "We think residents will be blown away by the amenities, services and affordability of our new gyms. More importantly, we look forward to serving the community long term. We are bullish on the Oklahoma City market and see this as the first of many moves we plan to make long term. We are actively looking for new locations and plan to expand aggressively in the near future. Our goal is help make Oklahoma City one of the healthiest cities in the United States and we look forward to working with residents, partners and the Mayor's office to make it happen."  

As part of its move to Oklahoma City, Gold's Gym has forged a partnership with Mayor Mick Cornett to join the "This City Is Going on a Diet" campaign. The company will work with the Mayor's office to improve the city's physical fitness levels and help the campaign reach its goal of a million pounds of weight loss. This will include bringing in Gold's Gym's celebrity trainers, hosting free seminars at its locations, offering the city free personal fitness consultations and providing free health and fitness content to residents.

"I am grateful for Gold's Gym offering yet another choice for Oklahoma City residents' health and fitness options to further the City's goal of losing a cumulative million pounds," Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett said. "Fitness facilities such as Gold's Gym are a natural ally for www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com in our fight against obesity."

The first two Gold's Gym locations in Oklahoma City will be the Quail Springs facility at 2301 West Memorial Road and the Northwest facility at 3625 NW Expressway. Both facilities are specifically designed to cater to people of all shapes, sizes and experience levels. Be it a novice looking to start a workout routine for the first time, a high school, college or pro-athlete looking to up their game, or a long time enthusiast looking to get in shape for summer, each facility will have all of the tools, expertise and support they need to reach their goals.

The 54,000 square foot Quail Springs facility will feature two group exercise studios, a group cycle studio, functional training area, walking track, indoor basketball court, racquetball courts, free Kids' Club, pool, sauna and smoothie bar. The Northwest location will comprise more than 36,000 square feet and will offer two group exercise studios, a group cycle studio, an outdoor basketball court, racquetball courts, functional training, smoothie bar and a Kids' Club. Both clubs will feature the legendary Cardio Cinema® and both will offer the latest cardio and strength training equipment.

The preview centers and "pre-sale" for each club will begin on February 21st. Construction on the clubs has already begun and both will soft open this spring with a grand opening celebration scheduled for June. During the pre-sale period, residents will have the opportunity to become Charter Members and join Gold's Gym for significantly reduced rates. This includes a variety of limited time membership options like no enrollment fee, no contract and reduced bi-weekly dues of $9.99. In addition, charter members will receive access to both clubs as well as any future Gold's Gyms in the Oklahoma City area. And of course, members will have travel privileges to more than 700 Gold's Gyms in 42 states and 30 countries worldwide.

Additionally, Gold's Gym has reached an agreement with Aspen Fitness to acquire both its Edmond location and the membership base of its Rockwell location. The company will immediately invest significant capital into the Edmond location, with upgrades to include new equipment, a new audio/visual system, new flooring, upgrades to the pool, sauna and more. The Rockwell location will remain in operation until the new Gold's location on Northwest Expressway opens in late Spring. The company plans to transfer the Rockwell membership base to the new Gold's Gym Northwest location upon its completion. All members who sign up for the presale will have full access to Rockwell and Edmond while the new Northwest and Quail Springs locations are being completed.

To reserve a charter membership, or for more information on the facilities, residents can call (405) 217-4334.

About Gold's Gym

Established in Venice, Calif. in 1965, Gold's Gym is the largest full service gym chain in the world with more than 700 locations in 42 states and 30 countries. Gold's Gym offers the latest equipment and services, including group exercise, personal training, cardiovascular equipment, group cycle, Pilates and yoga. With nearly 3.5 million members worldwide, Gold's Gym helps all kinds of people achieve their individual potential through fitness. For more information please visit www.goldsgym.com, www.facebook.com/goldsgym or www.twitter.com/goldsgym.

Consumers can also see the inspiring member success stories from the new Gold's Gym "Stronger Than" campaign at www.goldsstrongstories.com.

SOURCE Gold’s Gym International