New fitness club in Columbus opens with a crowded room in its first month of operation

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to remove reference to the number of members Crunch Fitness has signed up. A company spokesperson claims the initial number they provided was inaccurate and refuses to provide a new, accurate number.

Parking was difficult to find on Oct. 2 as people filled up the new Crunch Fitness on Manchester Expressway to workout, check out the vendors or grab a bite to eat from a food truck during the club’s grand opening.

The new Crunch Fitness location in Columbus is excited to welcome its new members after the club opened last month, personal training director Kimtrell “KP” Petty told the Ledger-Enquirer.

Inside the 45,000 square-foot building owned by franchisee Fitness Ventures, LLC, vendors sold jewelry, essential oils and other products, as members utilized the free weights, Olympic-style lifting platforms, weight machines and other equipment to workout.

“We have everything under the sun for you guys to be able to utilize Crunch Fitness,” Kevin Martin, the assistant general manager, told the L-E.

Crunch Fitness is in the former Best Buy location on Manchester Road, which was the home of the Kadie the Cow statue from 1967 to 2022 when it was moved to downtown Columbus.

The $5 million facility holds $1.5 million dollars’ worth of state-of-the-art equipment, according to a May 2023 news release. Along with the cardio and strength training equipment, the facility includes:

• Functional training zone

• Dedicated group fitness studio

• Boxing studio

• Full-service tanning salon

• HydroMassage beds

• HIITZone

Developing new trainers

To support the large number of members, Crunch has hired 42 trainers, Petty said, which is the most of any center in the company.

Petty, who has opened eight other Crunch Fitness clubs, knew that the Columbus location would have a large number of members joining as he got his team prepared to open over the summer.

The main goal was ensuring there were enough trainers on the staff to reach thousands of members, Petty said.

As the opening date grew closer, Petty’s team made it a priority to recruit and develop trainers to work at Crunch Fitness.

“We had three different workshops here at this location developing and training the staff,” he said.

A program called Crunch Club helped the staff with getting the knowledge and certifications they need to become trainers, Petty said.

HIITZone popular class

The trainers lead a number of classes ranging from Zumba to cycling to yoga. But the most popular group class at Crunch is the HIITZone.

Delontaye Taylor, one of Crunch’s trainers, led a HIITZone class during the afternoon of the grand opening. He had a small class with about 12 who he split into two groups.

Speaking into his microphone, the energetic 47-year-old encouraged participants to push through the grueling exercises he had them doing at each station that included squats and throwing exercise balls.

“(HIITZone) is for anybody,” Martin said. “The main thing in that class is you’re trying to burn as many calories as you can.”

Along with the group classes, Crunch trainers also offer personal training.

The process of setting up working with a personal trainer begins with a “kickoff”, Petty said. The trainer will begin with a 3D body scan that creates an assessment that the trainer can then use to set up a personalized schedule and program for the member.

There are a few different membership packages people can join from $9.99 to $29.99, Martin said.

“It’s just good energy,” he said. “We just love to have fun. That’s the main thing. It’s a no judgment zone and stress-free.”