First Capital Fitness Opens in Louisville

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01/16/2018

The News and Farmer

Just in time for everyone’s New Year resolutions, Louisville native John Kelly has opened First Capital Fitness, a gym and fitness center designed to fit the needs of the entire family.
The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce joined Kelly and his wife Darya for a ribbon cutting at the facility last month. 
“We were really pleased and excited and we signed up a few people,” Kelly said of the ribbon cutting. “We wanted to be open before the New Year for a couple of weeks to get all the kinks worked out.”
The gym, located at 503 US Hwy 1 on the bypass, boasts more than 30 exercise and weight lifting machines, free weights, an expansive set of dumbbells up to 120 pounds each, and all the cardio machines anyone could need. 
“We have leg machines, back machines, arms, chest, we pretty much have any type of machine you can think of,” Kelly said. “There are several stack weight machines you put the pin in and several free weight machines. There’s a big six stack machine in the back that has six stations. 
“We’ve also set up a women’s area in the front with kettle bells, stability balls, bands and mats. That came from requests. Some women have said they don’t like working out around men so there is a separate area. Of course they are welcome on the machines in the back as well.”
With a membership comes an encoded key that grants members unlimited 24-hour access to the facility and its equipment. The gym also offers wifi internet and has security cameras in place as well as a pull-handle emergency management system.
“We want people to feel comfortable working out at their convenience,” Kelly said. “We had a pull-handle installed that automatically calls the police and sets off sirens inside and outside of the building. There is also one for EMS.”
While the building itself will be available at all times to members, an employee will be on hand for Old Capital Fitness’ office hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
“Darya and I will be here around 5:30 p.m. every day ourselves and on weekends to work out,” Kelly said. 
The center will also offer a number of fitness classes, including Zumba, yoga, senior workouts and cross fit. Contact the office or follow them online for more details on times and prices.
“I have thought for a long time that a fitness center could do well in Louisville,” Kelly said. “Then, when the wellness center at Jefferson Hospital closed, we saw the opportunity to try to put together a gym.”
He said he knows from personal experience how the access to the right facility and the willpower to stick to a workout and nutrition plan can change a life.
“Going back to 2012, I was as heavy as I’ve ever been,” Kelly said. “I was 250 pounds and had high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I went to the doctor and he told me that if I lost 20 pounds everything would get better. So Dec. 26, 2012, I decided to change my life. I started working out and eating healthier. I lost 30 pounds in about three or four months from eating better and exercising and I’ve stuck with it.”
While he started working out at the hospital’s wellness center, over the last few years he has worked out at a number of gyms in the surrounding counties. 
“Really, it comes down to just sticking with it. When I was in college, I would work out a couple of months and quit,” Kelly said. “But when I decided I was going to stick with it, I lost 35 to 40 pounds in the first four months.” 
A big part of that, he said, is eating right and paying proper attention to nutrition.
“I love to cook and eat as much as anyone, but what I’ve figured out is being healthy and living a healthy lifestyle is 70 percent nutrition and what you eat and 30 percent exercise,” Kelly said. “What you eat is very important. You can work out an hour or two every day and if you still go eat bad food afterwards you aren’t going to see the results. I think that’s the biggest thing people struggle with.”
He hopes to eventually include nutrition tips as well as other classes, such as maybe karate or gymnastics as membership grows and the demand increases. Kelly said he is currently planning to approach a number of local companies about potential corporate memberships for their employees and is working on trying to get his facility qualified for the government sponsored Silver Sneakers program that promotes healthy living and pays for senior citizen gym memberships.
With memberships starting as low as $28 a month with a year commitment, Kelly said that he hopes to make a difference in the lives of individuals in the community in which he was raised. 
“We want to get families involved and introduce nutrition and working out,” he said. “It just takes the commitment to living a healthier life.”
Visit firstcapitalfitness.com to learn more about their membership packages and class schedules as they develop. 
 

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