PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fitness has been a big part of Geoff Powell and AJ Bowman's lives. 

 

The two men struck up a friendship at Berkshire Nautilus and began working out together. After realizing they both had the same dream of operating a gym, they joked about doing it together.

 

Their dreams are coming true with the opening of the Ultimate Body Factory on Monday, Dec. 1, at 5 Cheshire Road. 

 

"We want to be a very broad, positive, friendly gym. We want people that it's their first day through the doors of a gym, and when they come in, they're going to be welcomed at the front door," said Powell. "They're going to be seeing the owners in here working out as well. There's going to be constant people around to help. They can ask questions. They'll be guided to what they want to do, or they'll be left alone." 

 

The new gym will welcome patrons of all fitness levels. Powell said it will be somewhat similar to the Retro Fitness on Merrill Road that closed several years ago. 

 

"This is basically our dream gym of 35-plus years of fitness experience between us that we're trying to create, our dream gym that we want to work out with, work out in, and basically open our doors to other people to experience what we want," Powell said.

 

"When Retro closed, I went to work out at Berkshire Nautilus ... We started to slowly work out together and train together and things like that. And then, honestly, it just became a joking conversation. We should just do our own thing."

 

The two said other fitness centers in the county are great, but they plan to bring in different equipment and cultivate a different atmosphere.

 

"It's really been driving the focus in this project, because Berkshire County is really missing that kind of standout gym. I mean, we've got your commercial gyms and your privately owned gyms, but nothing that is to this level," Bowman said. "This gym is definitely bringing things that you would see down south or out west, and we're definitely bringing it to the East Coast here, especially something that Pittsfield has never seen, something that we definitely want to bring to the community."

 

They said many gyms out here don't get the newest equipment and are not set up with the blue and white lights they plan to have. This type of lighting is considered a way to keep people motivated and alert. 

 

"We're taking the good stuff of those places, and then we're taking the newest, most advanced equipment and machinery that's just out on the market that kind of filters through the West Coast and the South and doesn't find its way up here," Powell said.

 

They both want the gym to be welcoming and motivating, learning about each of their members, seeing their differences and helping when needed. 

 

"That's what we want to have. We're going to be that way walking around during our workouts, or just here, walking around, interacting with people, motivating people, telling somebody, maybe, you know, they finally got from five minutes on a treadmill to six minutes. We're going to be watching those little things and going up to somebody and just saying, 'hey, awesome. Great job. I'll see you tomorrow, right?'" Powell said.

 

They acquired the space in September and moved walls, painted and moved in equipment.

 

"We have two full locker rooms that are handicap accessible, full showers, adding bathroom stalls, urinals, multiple sinks. So this is all from scratch," Powell said. "A big chunk of the budget was getting a fully handicap accessible building all the way through the toilets and the showers and everything."

 

There's a Founders Club membership option for those who register in advance of the opening. Club members will get perks such as an exclusive rate. 

 

Regular memberships are $50 a month, and can be paid in full for the year. Children ages 13 to 15 will have to be accompanied by an adult, those 16-17 will have to get a signature from an adult before working out there. 

 

Powell and Bowman are offering prospective members a chance to check out the gym this month before the official opening. They can't work out or walk around, but they can see how it's set up and what equipment it has. 

 

"We know that obviously signing up online for something you've never seen before is difficult," Bowman said.

 

Powell said there's a cap on membership to prevent overcrowding ... but they've got plans if they get to that point.

 

"We have in our head a rough number where membership is going to kind of top out at, we'd love to get to that number and then look at possibly expanding," he said.

 

The gym will be open from Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Members can sign up here; follow it on Facebook here.