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Losing That Muscle-Bound Image

Posted on: Tuesday, 14 June 2005, 21:00 CDT

Jun. 14--KINGSTON -- There will be a new sign on the outside and a new look on the inside. And, manager Ed Uzdilla is hoping that the 24-hour fitness center on Market Street will have a new image, too.

The local Gold's Gym is changing its name to Market Street Fitness and hopes to appeal to a wider audience of fitness enthusiasts, Uzdilla said.

The club, which opened as a franchise of the world famous Gold's Gym 10 years ago, will continue to operate around the clock.

The money it will save by separating from the Gold's Gym network will be used to add services and market the center to more groups including students, senior citizens and people looking for cardiovascular workouts.

Uzdilla would not say how much it pays to use the Gold's name but called it "substantial."

Membership fees will remain the same and Market Street Fitness will offer three-month specials, a high school rate and one-month programs for senior citizens.

"I can do this kind of stuff with a private name," Uzdilla said. "This will become more of a fitness center for all ages."

The changes will be gradual, beginning with a new exterior sign and the addition of four treadmills and a revamping of equipment, from the locker room to the fitness floor.

"We've enjoyed the Gold's Gym name for 10 years and we feel that Gold's is more of a free-weight gym, more like a muscle-type setting," Uzdilla said. "We want to cater to everyone."

Uzdilla said that some people might be intimidated by the Gold's reputation. He found that people are seeking a variety of fitness programs.

"We open our facility to cancer patients for a yoga relaxation course through Candy's Place," he said. "That opened our eyes that we should take this in a different direction.

"There are a lot of people who just want cardiovascular programs and weight loss. We want to get to this crowd."

The first Gold's Gym was opened in 1965 at Muscle Beach in California. The company founded by Joe Gold has more than 2.5 million members at 600-plus gyms in 27 countries.

There are 15 Gold's Gym locations in Pennsylvania, including a center in Scranton.

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

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Source: The Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.)

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