Xperience Fitness Looking at Former Marshalls Site

Appleton-based Vertical Fitness Group is negotiating a lease of the former store space on Capitol Drive in Brookfield for a new 51,000-square-foot gym, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports.

VFG partner Jamie Nelson told the Business Journal he and the company's other two owners plan to have "at least six large gyms and five smaller fitness centers" in the Milwaukee area. 

Four Cardinal Fitness locations — in Oak Creek, Waukesha and two in Milwaukee — will also be part of the Xperience Fitness group, according to the Business Journal report. 

The Gold's Gym in Mount Pleasant also is now Xperience Fitness, as its franchisee owner leaves the Gold's Gym fold. 

Front desk staffers at the Mount Pleasant Gold's Gym said members won't notice much of a difference.

The sign went up on Monday, a large piece of tarp over the more official "Gold's Gym" lettering on the front of the building. Large placards just inside the door provide information for members about which other gym locations they can use their memberships.

Existing cards can be used until new ones come in, expected later this month. 

When we asked to speak to a manager, we were referred to Barton. Messages have not yet been returned.

Patch has heard from several readers about rumors of bacterial infections in the facility, including MRSA and ringworm. Keith Hendricks from the Central Racine County Health Department said the rumors are just that.

"We have received numerous unsubstantiated reports, but there have been no confirmed cases of bacterial infections," he said. "We don't know who is starting these rumors or why."

More, Hendricks said the CRCHD has been in contact with gym management about cleaning procedures there. According to what he was told, health club staff clean equipment three times a day and there are spray bottles at stations throughout the workout areas so members can also clean the machines.

"The best advice I can give people is to clean the machines before and after they use them and then take a shower after they work out," Hendricks added.

He also wants to refer people to the Centers for Disease Control's website for more information.

Name Change Comes With Launch of New Fitness Chain 

Last month, JSOnline blogger Don Walker wrote about how Gold's Gym International was looking to "arrange a mutual parting of ways" with one of the state's franchisees. This week, they announced the split, Walker wrote Tuesday. 

The new Xperience Fitness will be made up of 11 converted Gold's Gyms in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to a press release put out by Vertical Fitness, the franchisee. The company had been part of Gold's Gym since 2003. The affected Wisconsin Gold's Gyms are in Appleton, Green Bay Hales Corners, Menasha and Mount Pleasant. 

"This is us desiring to move forward and expand," Vertical Fitness partner Jon Barton told the Post Crescent, the daily paper in Appleton, where Vertical Fitness is based. 

"We are not selling (the clubs). We're not closing them. The clubs will be exactly the same. No members' rates will change," Barton told the PC.

The information from Vertical Fitness says the $9.99 monthly fee and local gym staffing will stay the same.