WORKOUT THE WHOLE FAMILY

Published 12:00 am Friday, March 6, 2015

The idea to involve the whole family working out in a gym was too hard to pass up for Shannon Wilkerson and Rachel Hatch.

Wilkerson and Hatch recently opened up Andalusia’s newest gym, Cardio Zone, in the old Pink Peppers building inside of Covington Mall.

This isn’t your ordinary gym, Wilkerson said.

“We started a kid fit program that we’re starting up right now,” he said.

Wilkerson said the gym doesn’t have any workout machines, instead relying on cardio activities or programs.

Every program the gym offers, which includes P90-X Live, Turbo Kick Live, Insanity Live, Piyo (a mixed style of martial arts), cross training, cardio boxing, aerobic kickboxing, Zumba and the kid fit program, caters to the whole family.

“The whole idea behind this was to involve the whole family,” Wilkerson said. “Most families can’t go to the gym because of their children.”

Wilkerson has been planning to open Cardio Zone after working at USA Gym and Andalusia Health and Fitness, both of which are good places to work out, he said.

“We put this in a place to enjoy a style of group fitness,” he said.

Membership fees for Cardio Zone vary based on the type of class. The open class fee is $25 per month, and the private training closed group is $45 per month.

The gym’s hours of operation are based on the class or activity families decide to participate in.

From 5 a.m. until 6 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the closed group meets; the fit kids program meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3-5 p.m.; the open classes meet Monday through Friday from 5:30-6:30 p.m.; the cardio boxing class meets on Wednesdays from 6:45-7:45 p.m.; a closed group meets from 7-8 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; and another open group meets from 8-9 p.m.