Imagine preparing to blast off to improved or continued good health by joining an athletic club.
You unfurl an extensive personal “wish list”: strength-training machines, cardiovascular machines, free weights, exercise classes, personalized training programs, group-training programs, kickboxing, step aerobics, PX90 classes, fitness assessment, nutrition guidance, martial-arts instruction and an array of amenities, such as free child care, offered only in a first-class facility large enough to house it all under one roof. You go online and begin your search. And if you are wise enough to make the Horsham Athletic Club your first stop, it will unquestionably be your last.
Since its opening April 1, 2011, the club has shown itself to be the most complete of its kind in the area. Spanning an impressive 46,000 square feet and conveniently straddling Montgomery and Bucks counties, the club offers the most advanced equipment, knowledgeable instructors and challenging classes to satisfy any age or fitness level.
“The Horsham Athletic Club is not just a gym, but a place where the community can come to improve its overall wellness,” says Doug Steinly, who, with fellow Horsham native Jim Worthington, owns and operates the $4.5 million club. “We are a very service-oriented facility. People can come here and enjoy a comfortable, relaxed environment in which to improve their fitness.”
All Access
The spacious facility has more than 60 cardiovascular machines, such as treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines, tread climbers and rowing machines. The club also offers about 12,000 square feet of strength-training equipment, such as weight benches, free weights and dumbbells. There is also a large area dedicated to functional training, and youth, speed and agility.
The fitness center includes personal training, full fitness assessment and program design, group training, sports conditioning and nutrition guidance.
The functional strength-training area of Horsham Athletic Club helps members condition their bodies to better perform the types of movements used in everyday life. Featured training methods include Gravity Training System, TRX suspension training, EFI PlyoRebounders, power ropes, boxing gear, power sandbags and 50-meter runway.
Horsham Athletic Club also offers Group X Fitness Classes—about 60 per week. The classes are held in four studios and directed by 35 instructors and eight personal trainers. Offerings include Spinning classes, yoga and Pilates, Zumba, kickboxing and step aerobics.
“We’ve also incorporated popular trends like P90X and other cross-training-type classes,” Steinly says. “We’ve tried to accommodate every program members would want.”
Let’s suppose you planned to work out at the Horsham Athletic Club, but you’re babysitter called to cancel at the last minute. There’s no need to cancel your workout, as the club has a Child Care and Youth Zone. The 3,000-square-foot area is subdivided into areas for toddlers, small children and adolescents. Toddlers can enjoy playing in a castle or with toys on a soft padded carpet; small children can explore their imagination with small arts and crafts and finger paints; and older kids can enjoy home entertainment systems such as Wii and Xbox, and air hockey.
“Our goal is provide an area and space for kids to have fun while their parents work out,” Steinly says. “We’ve created a fun place that kids will look forward to coming to as much as their parents will look forward to coming to get their workout in.”
Horsham Athletic Club even has a café on site—Café 400—with a menu geared to, but not exclusively of, healthy eating. The café, which is open to the public and also offers off-site catering, has prepared salads, wraps and sandwiches.
“The food is fantastic, and it’s all prepared fresh on site,” Steinly says. “With things like the café and the child area, it shows how completely committed we are to serving all the needs of our members.”
The Road to Better Health
Steinly brings to Horsham Athletic Club more than 20 years of experience in the fitness industry. The 43-year-old began as a fitness trainer at Newtown Athletic Club in 1991. After managing the club for a few years, he joined its sister club, Health Quest, in Flemington, N.J., in 2000.
An added bonus to becoming a member at Horsham Athletic Club is the option of having privileges at Newtown Athletic Club.
“What’s great at all the places I’ve worked is having the opportunity get to know the members and being part of the community,” Steinly says. “Seeing people of all ages come to the club and improve their wellness is very satisfying for someone who’s been involved in health for many years.”
“As for the Horsham Athletic Club, the first thing I’d say to people interested in joining is to tour the facility. They can even enjoy a complimentary workout. Once they see it in person, they’ll see that it’s a little bit more unique than others. It’s a high-end club, with granite countertops and towel service. It’s designed to create a comfortable feel for everyone; a high school kid or a grandmother can feel comfortable here and help themselves on the way to better health.”
Phil Gianficaro is an award-winning writer based in Doylestown.
Rob Hall is a photographer based in Plumsteadville.
Horsham Athletic Club
400 Horsham Road
Horsham, PA 19044
Phone: 215-675-4535
Web: www.horshamathletic.com
Club hours: Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
