Destination Fitness is expanding in Duluth

DULUTH – Destination Fitness is celebrating its expansion during an open house Saturday, Nov. 30 from 10 am to noon. The grand opening will take place on Jan. 4-5.

The family-run fitness and health center is located at 4966 Rice Lake Road, next to BoomTown Woodfire Bar & Grill.

The new 11,000-square-foot building, called The Barn, triples the company’s footprint. Taking a “mind, body and spirit” business approach, Destination Fitness now has two dedicated gyms, as well as a health center and a nutrition cafe.

Existing members were given a sneak peek of the new location this month. In December, its doors will officially open to new members and the general public.

Destination Fitness was operated primarily from The Shed, a small building nearby that will continue to host adult classes, personal training, home fitness programs and sports training. youth.

The air studio was moved to The Barn to allow more personal training space in The Shed.

The facility is located less than a mile from the Duluth Indoor Sports Center, a unique fitness facility that focuses on tennis, pickleball, yoga, piyo and volleyball. Local Practice owners Julie and Mike Hendrickson are committed to serving as a hub for everyone to share their business.

“I’m really excited to have a partnership, and where everyone is working together to have a one-stop shop,” said Mike.

Membership offers a la carte options, with military and senior discounts, and youth memberships with evening group workouts and a trainer.

“We have athletes; their goals are to get stronger, faster,” said Julie. “We have older people coming in who want to play with their grandchildren. For middle-aged adults — it’s usually to lose weight.”

The new 3,600-square-foot fitness center offers secure 24-hour access to cardio equipment, free weights and weight machines. It also has relaxation rooms, locker rooms, infrared saunas with towel facilities, a personal study room and an all-purpose wind studio for classes.

The new gym is available to members only via a geo-fenced device, with a 10pm curfew for 16 and under. The owners live in the area.

Julie said: “We just want to be as open to everyone as possible. “We’ve had a lot of people like, ‘Oh, that’s great. I can put the kids to bed and then work out, and not have to worry about it being closed.'”

FitFuel Nutrition Cafe will serve Herbalife protein shakes and energy tea from 6:30 am to 7 pm.

Julie said: “We have a lot of evening events going on here, and often people leave the gym, and they don’t have a dinner plan, so they’ll make bad decisions or eat- grain. “The cafe will be open for people from the group or after training after work.”

The FitLife Wellness Center has six treatment rooms for eyelash extensions, aesthetic services, or chiropractic, massage and physical therapy sessions. Destination Fitness works with each doctor as an independent contractor on a commission basis, and currently has room available for an additional service provider.

Mike and Julie are both certified in group exercise and personal training. Julie has received additional certification in yoga and kettlebell training, as well as advanced fitness.

Destination Fitness specializes in youth programs by providing sports training for everything from soccer to gymnastics.

“There will be a coach here to help them with form and a program designed to get them stronger during the season,” Mike said.

The couple became very interested in the next generation of athletes when their three children entered high school.

“At East High School, there was no weightlifting program at all,” Mike said.

As former athletes at the University of Minnesota Duluth, the college sweethearts realized the need to fulfill within their community.

Mike said: “I ran programs for about 120 athletes down there, and we trained three days a week with strength training and conditioning. “And sometimes, that’s it turned into other groups of people coming here.”

Although neither Mike nor Julie have business degrees, they have inherited the entrepreneurial spirit from their entrepreneurial parents.

“Business is born. It’s not taught,” Julie said, adding that her father’s company, Tim Anderson Construction, helped make their vision a reality.

Their grown children will also be helping out – from working the counter at the shake shop to shoveling snow in the parking lot.

After receiving her teaching degree from UMD, Julie began in the fitness industry as a YMCA trainer. One day, a client asked Julie to come to her home to train because her child was sick.

“As a coach from the Y, they don’t,” Julie said. “But I thought, is it necessary?”

Destination Fitness began when Julie began training clients in their homes and businesses, while her husband worked as a commercial truck driver for a living. Eventually, their company formed a partnership with the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center – business services for the venue.

Meanwhile, Mike Hendrickson got his training certificate and they bought their house. The property included an outbuilding which became The Shed.