LAKEVIEW — A former banker who quit his job to pursue fitness full time is opening a gym and studio aiming to minimize muscle injury.
F.u.n. Fitness Studio, where "fun" stands for functional, unique and novel, will hold its grand opening next week, said owner Marcus Brent, 52, a licensed personal trainer and massage therapist. The gym at 2935 N. Clark St. already is open for individual lessons and will start classes this week, he said.
People tend to repeatedly use the same muscles in the same motion — like runners or volleyball players — and that "muscle imbalance" can cause pain or injury, Brent said.
F.u.n. Fitness will focus on "cross-training" classes and individual stretching sessions to work a variety of muscles — and thus lessen overall muscle pain.
Runners, for example, might have pain on the outside of their legs from the repetitive running motion. A F.u.n. Fitness class would work many muscles in the runner's body simultaneously in hopes of decreasing pain in future runs, Brent said.
"The objective is to get as strong as you can be without pain," he said.
Brent quit working the corporate world and started to pursue personal training in 2005. He was already interested in fitness and, disillusioned by corporate scandals, decided to go out on his own.
Brent added a massage therapist license to his repertoire of services in 2008, after his personal training business took a hit during the financial crisis.
F.u.n. Fitness Studio will be Brent's first location. He will offer massage therapy and fitness classes as soon as the business receives a city license for massage, he said.
Monthly membership costs $140 for nine sessions, $180 for 13 sessions and $230 for 17 sessions or more, for classes of five or six people. Individual sessions cost $180 for nine.
Individual stretching sessions cost $18 for 15 minutes and $24 for 20 minutes.
The grand opening party is from 5-10 p.m. Oct. 18.
