ANDERSONVILLE — Twelve years ago, Dave Bostik weighed in at about 350 pounds. Five years and two trainers later he is down 145 pounds.
"That's how I got into the fitness industry," Bostik said Wednesday over the din of crews working to complete his third gym, Andersonville Fit Body Boot Camp, 5430 N. Clark St. "At that gym, I [lost the weight at] I became certified and I've been training for 9 years."
The gym is slated to open March 7 in the former home of the Famous Fido Rescue and Adoption Alliance, an animal rescue service that moved to Irving Park in January. After 25 years on Clark Street, the owner said she was being priced out the neighborhood.
Bostik, 33, also owns Transform Personal Training, 2727 N. Lehman Ct., and North Center Fit Body Boot Camp, 1830 W. Irving Park Rd. He chose to open the newest gym in Andersonville because of its sense of community, he said.
"I just love the community and neighborhood. It's really tight-knit. And there's a lot of walking traffic," Bostik said, adding that the neighborhood demographics reflect his target customer — active people between the ages of 25 and 45.
But the program, which features short group workouts, is "for everyone" — all ages and fitness levels — whether you want "to lose a lot of weight or want to tone up," Bostik said.
"It's all about high intensity, short-but-effective workouts. You don't need to work out for an hour-and-a-half to have a good workout," said Bostik. He said the abundance of training sessions, which last about 35 minutes, is a selling point for customers.
Sessions are led by certified trainers and designed to be "supportive and challenging, while burning maximum fat in minimum time," according to the gym's website.
The gym has 38 weekly sessions. The earliest session begins at 5:30 a.m. and the latest begins at 7 p.m. with seven classes in between. While there are Saturday sessions, no Sunday sessions are currently on the schedule, but will be added soon, he said.
With a little more than a week until the grand opening, about 90 people have already registered for classes. He expects between 120-150 members before the opening.
The facility will open with a six-week "transformation challenge," a comprehensive program with unlimited sessions, nutrition guidance, private coaching and more. The program costs $37 to register and $37 per week. Other pricing is not yet available, Bostik said.
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