Sport
20 April, 2025
New blood gives life to gym
AFTER finishing his carpentry apprenticeship, Ben Adams switched industries to the gym.
The 21-year-old bought badly-performing Think Fitness at Cairns North and has just finished a $500,000 upgrade, including new state-of-the-art Hammer Strength equipment from the US, renovations, a lick of paint, new signs and branding colours, fresh lighting as well as new classes, timetables and personal trainers.
It includes a weight room, lots of free weights and pin-loaded machines, a big cardio area, group fitness room, as well as showers and change rooms and toilets.
The gym’s motto is: ‘Make yourself great again’.
“The business couldn’t sell on the market. It was for sale cheaply and I saw the opportunity,” Mr Adams said.
“We’ve changed the whole atmosphere and will expand it in the future to included ice baths and a sauna and a smoothie and coffee shop. It will become an all-in-one fitness centre,” he said.
“It was originally Club One Fitness and is 40-years-old. It was a tired gym,” he said.
The gym is in commercial premises on the corner of Grove and Sheridan streets, with neighbours including a liquor store, a pizza outlet and a NightOwl convenience store.
“It was haemorrhaging when I bought it and the first six months were tough. We now have our heads above water,” Mr Adam said.
“We’re on the up and getting bigger and bigger. I only need another 100 members to start doing really well.”
Membership fees are competitive at $16.99 a week and $12.99 for students. There are also six and 12-month memberships as well as acceptance of the corporate and business Fitness Passport program, which is mainly aimed at the health sector.
The gym has 24/7 access and is staffed Monday to Friday 9am-6.30pm and on Saturday mornings.
Mr Adams aims to make his business the premier boutique gym in Cairns and plans to franchise the brand in the future.
“The aim is to get this one pumping first,” he said.
The demographics are all genders, aged 18-45.
“Our point of difference is convenience and location. We are in a prime spot,” Mr Adams said.
“This gym is for the everyday person. We are very welcoming,” he said.
The gym has eight staff, including receptionists, cleaners and three personal trainers.
The gym is targeting the 3000 staff at Cairns Hospital plus the 1600 students and 133 staff at Cairns State High School – both within five minutes’ walk from Think Fitness.
Also nearby is James Cook University’s $50 million Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre and associated Cairns Hospital 32-bed surgical centre, both currently under construction.
