Want to be as fit as a 49er? Team building gym for public
SAN JOSE >> Attention fitness enthusiasts, gym rats and football fans: the San Francisco 49ers and a partner plan to open a “49ers Fit” health and fitness center in San Jose in September.
Heavy construction started about three weeks ago on the 36,500-square-foot, two-level facility at the Westgate Center Outlet Mall on Saratoga Avenue, about 10 miles from the team’s Santa Clara headquarters. With a budget of more than $6 million, the cost of building the gym is about double an ordinary facility, said the 49ers joint-venture partner, Mark Mastrov, founder of 24 Hour Fitness.
“49ers Fit is going to be cutting edge in every sense of the word and we’re going to leverage our unique organizational assets in ways that will make 49ers Fit one of the most dynamic gym experi-
ences in the country,” said 49ers president Al Guido.
The 49ers aren’t the first NFL team to create a branded gym. Mastrov has worked with the Dallas Cowboys to build a team-branded gym in Dallas, and he said 49ers Fit will be the second such facility in the U.S. The Chicago Bears plan to start building a branded gym in six to eight weeks, he said.
At 49ers Fit, members will find a unique fitness and training experience at the facility, which will feature a host of machines, free weights, a turf area, a variety of classes including yoga, stationary cycling and boxing, and post-workout options like hydromassage beds, saunas, steam rooms and muscle-chilling cryotherapy, Mastrov said.
“We’ve taken a little bit of traditional fitness and exercise protocols and then we’ve added in a lot of what the Niners have been doing, not just the training side but the recovery side,” Mastrov said.
“If you’re trying to get leaner, trying to get stronger, trying to get faster, we’ll have a variety of equipment.”
Members may also find themselves sweating alongside
49ers past and present and team cheerleaders, Mastrov said, adding that the gym’s walls will be decorated with photos of prominent 49ers, including the late Dwight Clark.
“It’ll give you a chance to be and feel like you’re a little bit closer to the 49ers than you’ve ever been before,” Mastrov said. “You’ll get to rub elbows a bit with the 49ers family.”
In the turf area carpeted with artificial grass, members will be able to replicate NFL training by pushing heavy sleds and using aids to develop speed and explosiveness, he said.
The gym will also have Fusionetics software used by professional athletes that can test body functions and reveal ways to improve performance, Mastrov said.
The $49-per-month membership will include access to all facilities and classes, though some recovery-related services such as cryotherapy may cost extra, he said.
The 49ers and Mastrov are aiming to attract fitness-inclined residents in the surrounding area, plus hard-core fans from further afield, Mastrov said.
Parents with children who aren’t old enough to work out can leave them with the “kids club.”