With Athens housing more than 20,000 residents, there are many gyms available to both locals and Ohio University students.
MG Fitness on 8960 United Lane and Structure Sport & Fitness on 181 N. 1804 Way, Unit A, provide an intimate gym experience for exercise enthusiasts.
“The biggest distinction is the emphasis on personal training,” Lee Dubois, owner of Structure Sport & Fitness, said. “Two-thirds of our members are in a personal training setting, either one-on-one or in a small group.”
Structure Fitness strives to create a welcoming environment by offering “science-based training and nutrition.” Potential members have two membership options.
“Our lowest membership is around $10.75 a week, and it goes all the way up to $60 a week,” Dubois said.
The $10.75 membership is called the “open gym” membership, Dubois said, and allows members to work out anytime, as the gym is 24-hour access.
The $60 membership, or the “synergy summit program,” Dubois said, is Structure Fitness’s most expensive membership and includes three sessions per week, personal training and nutrition coaching.
“We focus on the quality of movement first…we don’t load dysfunction,” Dubois said. “When people move badly, and then you add weight to it, injury is just inevitable. We have coaches that know how to take people who’ve never done weights and get them to a place where they’re really feeling good about it.”
Dubois said around 85% of clients are women, and 90% of those members have never touched weights before.
The “no nonsense” gym, or MG Fitness, opened in September 2024 and offers a welcoming environment for lifters. Mike Meek and Gracie Postlethwait, owners of MG Fitness, said they have fostered a gym family.
“Our community here is a lot different than at Planet Fitness, where you might see the same faces every day, but people don’t necessarily talk,” Postlethwait said. “We have a whole family here, we know what’s going on in each other’s lives, it’s a lot more of a close tight-knit community.”
Similar to Structure Fitness, MG Fitness is also a 24-hour gym, with monthly memberships costing $48. Staffed hours include Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
MG Fitness has been a part of the Athens gym community for just one year, but it caters to all lifters. Meek said the gym currently has 40 to 50 active members.
“We got quite a few student (members) and I would classify it as average to serious lifters, but also we have a lot of beginners,” Meek said. “We kind of have every age demographic a gym could have.”
Meek and Postlethwait said MG Fitness distinguishes itself from other gyms with its various equipment and free weights.
“We’re not that big. We don’t have a huge footprint, but we have pretty much the same amount of equipment Planet Fitness does … plus more specialty equipment,” Meek said.
Postlethwait also said the gym offers large single-use men’s and women’s bathrooms, fully stocked with shareable hygiene products, including make-up wipes and hair ties.
Katelyn Mann, a graduate student studying marketing, entrepreneurship and business analytics, and Luci Blazek, a graduate student earning her MBA, said their favorite gyms can vary depending on equipment.
“I would say I have two different opinions,” Mann said. “I would say Ping is the best gym in Athens regarding classes and for F45 and cycling,” Mann said. “But looking at machines and equipment in that perspective, I would say Planet Fitness.”
Blazek said both Planet Fitness and Ping Recreation Center offer realistic payment plans for students.
“I think Planet Fitness is very affordable, and Ping is also free to students,” Blazek said. “So I get the classes from one, and then I can go for machines and stuff to the other.”
Planet Fitness offers a variety of membership prices, with a classic membership costing $15 per month and a Black Card membership costing $24.99 per month.
Mann said she enjoys Ping’s fitness classes because she can go with friends and meet new people. All Ping classes are free for students to attend, excluding F45. Single class passes cost $8, with 30-day unlimited passes costing $20 and semester unlimited passes costing $50.
“Once I learned that there were F45, cycling, yoga and all that, I was kind of intrigued to learn what it’s about,” Mann said. “It’s a great way to bring people together so we can go with friends.”
Each gym in Athens provides specific amenities to various levels of gym-goers, and locals and students do not have to search far for one that meets their needs.
“Don’t be scared to step in,” Blazek said. “Everyone’s kind of focused on their own workouts. No one’s staring at you, trying to make you feel awkward. So really, just push yourself and you’ll thank yourself later.”
