Working out body and soul at God’s Gym
It’s 1 a.m. Friday, and while most businesses in downtown Oakland are closed, there’s a building at 25th Street and Broadway whose lights are on. Uptempo gospel music can be heard playing through the storefront windows. A mural of Jesus adorns the exterior. The mural is flanked in large white lettering by the words: God’s Gym. Inside, gym owner Gary Shields is starting his predawn ritual. “Everything in here is spiritual during that time of the day. It’s quiet outside, I’m not being pulled at, the phone’s not ringing,” Shields says. He rides a stationary bike, his legs pumping to the beat of the gospel songs that fill the room of heavy weights, barbells and treadmills. This is part of his early morning schedule, an hour of cardio, prayer and coloring that he says “feeds my soul.” Shields is preparing himself for the 90 or so clients that come to God’s Gym to get trained by him, his wife, Donna, and his godson, Anthony Navarro. The first clients arrive at 4 a.m. “I've got a lot of responsibilities here,” Shields says. “I've got a lot of not only bodies, but also souls, that I’m watching and I’m protecting.” Watch a video of Gary Shields at www.sfchronicle.com/theregulars. The Regulars is a photo and video column that offers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people in the Bay Area, caught in routine activities of modern urban life. If you know a regular, email regulars@sfchronicle.com.