Gotta Love It Fitness Caters to the Masses

Gotta Love It Fitness
Owner: Ben Hunter
Address: 461 E. Township St., Fayetteville 72703
Phone: 501-283-0007
Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday and by appointment
Start-up date: Nov. 1
E-mail: [email protected]

Personal training is no longer reserved for the rich. Gotta Love It Fitness offers individual attention in a private, 400-SF studio of weights and machines for a competitive price.

A consultation that costs $20 determines the client’s fitness goals. Owner Ben Hunter figures the client’s target heart rate, body fat percentage and a workout schedule. After the initial visit, each hour with the trainer costs an average of $20 per hour.

“At one time, personal training was for the elite only,” Hunter said, “but not anymore.”

Hunter allows only two clients to work out in the studio at a time, catering to those who are self-conscious or extremely overweight. That method eliminates competition for equipment while encouraging focus on the exercise.

Many gyms also serve as social clubs, he said, adding that one hour in his studio could be worth five hours in a big gym. Each session at the studio includes beginning-to-end attention from the trainer.

Gotta Love It Fitness staff also calls clients to follow up the beginning sessions to make sure they are comfortable with the workout. Hunter said his background in nursing and paramedics helps him work with different kinds of customers to educate them in fitness.

The studio also offers diet management and massages by Bobbi Ellen Loftis, a licensed massage therapist.

Less than $50,000 opened and stocked the gym with new equipment.

Gotta Love It Fitness had two successful ancestor stores in Wisconsin, Hunter’s former home, and he decided that another personal gym could flourish in Northwest Arkansas.