North Fitness Center located at 55 S. Spring Street, Logan, Ohio, is a local gym owned by Shaun North. Although I have never been a serious gym “stud”, I decided to take the plunge and join this local gym with my 40th birthday looming in a couple of months. My other gym experiences have been limited to the recreation facilities on the Air Force Bases where I was stationed during my 11 year tenure as an active duty enlisted airman. With this in mind, I was a bit intimidated entering on my own without the camaraderie of a buddy.
My first stop at the gym was just to get a feel for what was in store for me. Upon entering the fitness center, I was immediately greeted by the owner, Shaun. He immediately put my mind at ease and the intimidation I felt at first subsided. Feeling confident that I could workout without feeling like a wimp in the midst of muscle bound hulks, I signed up for a membership. The first official day at the gym was spent in an hour long orientation with Shaun. He took the time to take me through all the equipment so that I would know how to operate everything.
Like most gyms, you can find an array of equipment to suit your personal workout needs. The frontline of the gym is equipped with cardio equipment including treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bicycles. Multiple televisions are set high on the facing wall of the cardio stations to allow viewing while working up a sweat, increasing lung capacity, and building cardiac output. This is a great feature since I find it very mundane just walking on the treadmill without any visual stimulation.
The nautilus equipment is organized in rows so that you can work all lower body one day and upper body the next. Part of the membership includes a list of exercises and equipment on a personal sheet of paper. Shaun has done a fantastic job of setting up a routine that even a novice, like myself, can follow without any confusion. The list flows in the order of the machinery so it is very simple to follow and user friendly.
The rest of the fitness center is filled with free weights and mirrors lining the walls. I assume the mirrors are supposed to be there to watch the bulging muscles, although at this point I am just avoiding making eye contact with them so that I do not notice how small my muscles really are. The free weights are something I am sure I will attempt after becoming more comfortable with their use, but for now I plan on staying with the cardio and nautilus equipment.
All in all, North Fitness Center is a very comfortable place to workout. I am just starting my second week, but am already feeling more confident. In fact, I find myself looking forward to the early morning exercise routine. This gym is a great addition to the Hocking Hills area and I encourage anyone that is interested to stop in and talk with Shaun if you are unsure about how you might fit into a fitness center.
