Rebuilt Fitness Offers Free Weekly Class

The COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for industries across the board, unless you were in the business of vaccine development or sanitizer production.

Fitness centers and gyms, many of which largely relied on in-person memberships and shared equipment, were hit especially hard. During the first lockdown in March, Rebuilt Fitness, a mixed modal high-intensity interval training gym located at 2401 E Hancock Street across from the Wilco, was completely shut down. They slowly reopened with the rest of the community as regulations lifted, but were then shut down again due to a spike in statewide infections.

Christine Stacey, General Manager and Head Trainer at Rebuilt Fitness, said they were considering throwing in the towel.

“It was awful, to be completely honest. We weren’t able to thrive online like others were,” Stacey said. “We had three or four people show up consistently, and it was the same three or four people. I was in the camp of, ‘Is this even worth it?'”

Stacey started as a member of Rebuilt Fitness in 2016, where she found a natural home for her fitness level and competitive spirit honed through years of competitive gymnastics. After competing in CrossFit competitions for a few years (she finished in the top 50 women in the world in her age group for two years in a row), she transitioned to coaching and ascended to Head Coach and General Manager in 2018.

She said the core of the gym was and is its community, and the Rebuilt team knew they were providing a service to people in Newberg who wanted a fun, safe, effective workout built on connections with neighbors.

“We just have such a positive community, a lot of people come here for their daily interactions,” Stacey said. “We knew we needed to push through and continue to do this not only for us and our coaches but for all the people around us.”

Rebuilt Fitness reinforces its connection with Newberg by offering a free weekly class every Saturday to anyone who wants to show up (age 12 and older) and move their body.

“It’s honestly why I love Saturdays. You never know what you’re going to get,” Stacey said. “Some days are wild with tons of people, and other days are a little slower. It all depends.”

The weekly community class started “years ago,” but Stacey said they recently saw renewed interest. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, 61% of Americans gained weight, 47% delayed or canceled health care services, and 48% experienced higher levels of stress during the COVID pandemic. Not to mention the well-reported figures about increased loneliness around the country.

“We call this a community class, and that’s what people do here—build community,” Stacey said. “It’s always a partner workout because it should be fun. There’s something about doing a tough workout alongside someone; time flies by because you’re having fun.”

The workout is intentionally generalized, with bodyweight exercises instead of weighted workouts. And each exercise included in the cycle can be adjusted to each person’s individual fitness level.

For example, there may be pushups on the menu. A pushup can be anything from the traditional hands-and-toes pushup from the floor to the extended arms and back down, to hands and knees pivoting to the ground, to standing against a wall at an angle and pushing against the wall.

“The workout you do really depends on where you’re at,” Stacey said. “But the community class is a great way for people to realize ‘oh, I can do this.'”

Stacey said the community class is especially great for anyone looking to dip a toe back into working out if they’ve been away for a while or have never tried a structured class. Each module in the workout of the day focuses on endurance and strength in a positive and supportive atmosphere.

But she knows that not everyone is going to be prepared to work out with others right away. Sometimes working out with a group can be intimidating. That’s why Rebuilt offers an initial consultation that helps assess the member’s fitness level before any workout starts, to ensure they’re getting the right workout for them, creating a positive and safe experience.

“We literally have something for everyone,” Stacey said. “We have 80-year-old members who participate in our senior programming geared for those with limited mobility. We also have athletes as young as 12 to 16 years old who are trying to learn the fitness ropes.”

Mostly, Stacey said they simply want to support a happy and healthy community. If that means consistently running a free class each week, so be it. They don’t have a pitch for community class participants to sign up for a membership. Just show up and enjoy the workout, she said.

“We want people to realize, on their own, that fitness and group fitness are doable for any individual.”

Rebuilt Fitness offers the free community class every Saturday morning, starting at 10:30 a.m. No preregistration is required; however, participants need to fill out a waiver prior to the workout. Contact Rebuilt Fitness at (503) 714-7624 for more information.