Red Cliffs gym on the move since January launch

IT has been almost two months since Red Cliffs’ first 24/7 gym got moving on Indi Avenue.

KBD Fitness opened its doors on January 11 and has already experienced a steady increase in membership.

Owner Sam Douglass said the gym had 85 members.

“In two months, that’s pretty impressive,” she said.

“My initial target was 50 when we opened. Week one we hit 45 and then week two we went up to 50.

“It’s actually going really, really well. I’m pretty pleased with how it’s travelling.”

Ms Douglass said most people in Red Cliffs were happy with the new gym, though some had questioned the price.

“You get what you pay for,” she said. “I look at it as quality over quantity.

“Most gyms – well, nearly all the gyms – don’t have a qualified PT (personal trainer) at their beck and call.

“I’m a qualified PT, so if clients come here and get stuck or have an injury or want to improve some part of their body they’ve got a PT on hand, whereas most gyms don’t have that.”

Ms Douglass grew up in Red Cliffs but was living in Tasmania when she started her original KBD Fitness.

After four years she decided to sell her original gym and bring the service to her home town.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “I don’t look at it as anything spectacular as such, it’s just a way of helping the community, helping people out – which is what I love.”

The gym offers a range of classes for different fitness types, including seniors. It also offers aqua classes offsite at a pool located in Red Cliffs.

“I try to keep all the classes very different every time we do them just to keep people engaged and committed,” Ms Douglass said.

This is just the first phase for KBD Fitness, with Ms Douglass having plans to use both her fitness and mental health backgrounds.

“I have high expectations, so I hit a goal and then I’m aiming for the next goal,” she said.

“There’s a lot of different phases I want to do. I want to do mental health and fitness seminars in schools just to take that stigma out of mental health.”