Region’s first bungee fitness studio opens in Fayetteville
by July 7, 2021 11:05 am 4,874 views
Elevate Bungee Fitness opened May 31 in Fiesta Square in Fayetteville as the first bungee fitness studio in Northwest Arkansas.
Gravette native Kayleigh Cooper started a bungee fitness studio in Fayetteville after watching TikTok videos of the low-impact workout in late summer 2020. Elevate Bungee Fitness opened May 31 in Fiesta Square.
“The reason I was so drawn to it is that my background is in cheerleading and gymnastics,” Cooper said. “And I have a lot of pain in my joints. Also, my mom has a lot of health issues. It seemed like a workout she might be able to do as well because it’s low impact and lifts your body weight up.”
She’d looked to join an area bungee fitness studio, but after learning the closest one was near Oklahoma City, she decided to start one here.
“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit and decided I would jump in,” she said. “If not me, somebody else would, so why not?”
She received training at affiliate studio Sling Bungee Fitness in Edmond, Okla., and with support from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas, she started her first business.
Bungee fitness as a workout began about five years ago in Thailand, but Cooper said it’s been a part of circus arts for much longer.
Her studio is focused on its workout form, she said.
“It’s fun. It’s high cardio, but it’s a full-body workout,” she said. “It’s heavy on legs. It’s a core workout. Some of our classes will have light weights to incorporate, making that a little more of an arm workout as well — all working your muscles while not hurting your joints.”
Elevate Bungee Fitness has five instructors, including Cooper. One-hour classes start at $18 and can be booked via the Mindbody app, which is available on Apple and Android devices. Classes are limited to 11 people, including the instructor, and take place Monday through Saturday. Private classes are also available. Soon, the studio will offer mini-trampoline classes.
Over the next three to five years, Cooper, who’s also a web user experience manager for Springdale-based meat giant Tyson Foods Inc., looks to open another studio in the Rogers or Bentonville area.