Ellettsville Fitness Center — Local services in Ellettsville

Back in March of 2010, I had just gotten back from active duty and the home that was waiting for me was a place I had never seen before. It was a little house right behind the barbershop (which is behind this gym) and next to the church. My wife had moved into that home while I was away. Coming home was already an adjustment. Coming home to a place that wasn't really "home" made it even harder to adjust. I had spent most of my life in Indianapolis and had never even heard of Ellettsville. The silver lining was that I had been competing in powerlifting since I was 16 years old and wanted to get back to strength training once I was home, so having a gym I could see from my back door was a Godsend. I am not going to make this story longer than it needs to be. Here are the highlights of what happened. I joined this gym. I was given a keycard for the front door and told that I was not allowed to let anyone else in. I didn't know anyone in the area and I am not the type to try to take advantage of that type of thing, so I had no problem agreeing to that. I had already paid a one or two year membership up front (I honestly can't remember how long it was, now), so I didn't have anything to worry about. Well, I had only been training there for about a week or two before the owner introduced himself to me. He was commenting on how heavy I was lifting in sort of a negative way. I expected him to tell me that he was worried about me damaging the equipment or something. But, he never complained directly, and instead started probing me for info, asking about my background, where I was from, how I heard about his gym, etc. I ended up telling him that my best friend, the guy who was like a big brother to me and basically raised me, who had bought me my first weight set, would love this gym. He loved old school gyms (so do I). The owner perked up, looked excited, and said "well, invite him on down!". I said "no, he doesn't live down here so he wouldn't join. He would just appreciate it if he saw it". The owner said "Oh, that's no problem. Just bring him in with you for a workout sometime. See what he thinks". I was excited, called my friend, and invited him down. About two days later, my buddy came down and we walked into the gym together. He loved the gym and we were talking about some of the great old equipment. We were there for all of 5 minutes before the owner came out, made a B-line right to me, and with a very stern tone of voice and a "gotcha" grin on his face, he informed me that when I signed up I agreed to never let anyone else in with me. As such, my membership was cancelled immediately. Me and my friend needed to vacate immediately. I was not allowed back and I would not be reimbursed any of the money I had spent. The last words he said were "Guy's like you should really go someplace else, like maybe the Iron Pit". In that moment, I wasn't even mad at the owner. I was mad at myself for falling for it. He didn't want a guy like me in that gym. He also didn't want to just come to me like a man, explain the situation, and give me my money back. Instead, he chose to tell me directly that I was allowed to invite my friend to work out with me the next time I came in, and then the moment my buddy walked in behind me, he got me. I broke the rules. I'm out and he didn't have to give up any cash. It has been nearly 14 years since that happened, and I still can't forget it. I have now lived in Taiwan for 11 years, am now a father, and my life is absolutely wonderful and is more than I ever thought I would have... yet I still think about what happened at this gym and it still bothers me, all these years later. The gym itself seemed really cool. Loved the old school setup. The owner, though, is one of those rare individuals who seems to have absolutely zero integrity and won't hesitate for a second to take advantage of someone or a...

I have been a member for a few months now. The owners are so friendly and very helpful if you have any questions! Everyone is very respectful of others. The environment is clean and there are directions on most of the equipment. Looks dated but Definitely very well taken care of! I am so excited to continue...

I used to go to this gym quite a bit before I moved, and I will never find such a perfect gym again in my life. It's small but packs quite a punch. It has all the free weights, stations, and machines you'll need. It was never busy and the 24 hour access was great. I wouldn't recommend it if you want to...