One of the racquetball courts at the Frank P. Phillips YMCA in downtown Columbus will soon be replaced with a brand new functional fitness gym.
Executive Director Jimmy Woodruff and YMCA’s Christian Mission Director Rita Felton gave updates about the new gym and several other programs to the Columbus Rotary Club on Tuesday at Events off Fifth.
“It’s a trend that continues to grow in the (fitness) industry,” Woodruff said. “The plan right now is to convert one of our racquetball courts into that functional fitness room and we’ll also have classes there too. Depending on the demand, and if it calls for more space, then we’ll take that into a secondary area as well.”
Woodruff told more than 20 attendees he hopes to convert the gym by 2024.
Functional fitness consists of strengthening regularly used muscle groups for simple tasks, such as daily lifting and mobility, rather than regular weight lifting or cardio-based workouts.
“If you want to build muscle, you lift weights, and if you want to do cardio, you run or swim,” Woodruff said. “Functional fitness is good for your life. There’s a lot of pushing, pulling, bending, squatting, lunging. You’ve seen the people using the ropes or picking up the big tires, stuff like that. It’s more movement-based fitness that kind of prepares your physical body to be able to function better for everyday life.”
Woodruff added the YMCA is trying to accommodate an increased member base. In 2020, the number of members dropped 20% to about 4,000. Woodruff said that number has shot back to pre-pandemic levels with more than 5,000 members.
To that end, Felton and Woodruff both said they are working to start other programs at its downtown facility to accommodate more young people and those with special needs.
Those include implementing a mentorship program with local adults to mentor local children, as well as a teens’ night, where children could come to the YMCA regularly for a social event. Felton said she hopes to start mentorships later this year.
“So it will be mentorship with purpose, and we are working on that right now,” Felton said. “They are looking for a group of men that’s going to be able to support that program for teens. We will probably be doing that when it gets a little bit cooler, maybe in October.”
Woodruff said the YMCAS also wants to do more for adults with special needs, and he and Felton are working on adding to the YMCA’s yearly Camp with a Mission.
The camp includes swimming, bowling, arts, sports and guest speakers to give special needs people a camping experience.
Woodruff said The new program will consist of weekly meetings and activities to give people with special needs more activities throughout the rest of the year.
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