A ‘dream come true’ for new gym owner

A familiar face has taken over the Club Fitness gym on Guyton St.

Mathew Munson is a long-time member, having worked there from 2006 to 2012.

He replaces Dave and Vaughan Cockburn who ran Club Fitness in various locations for over 20 years.

“It’s a dream come true, really,” Munson said.

“There are still regulars here and some of my old training partners as well.

“At the moment I’m doing a little bit of everything, even cleaning. When you have a passion for something, you tend to go the extra mile.”

The gym has around 400 members on the books.

People of all shapes and sizes are welcome at Club Fitness, with a simple focus on results.

“Those could be people who want to transform into a different body, lose weight, gain muscle, or just be happier,” Munson said.

“Obviously, exercise also has an important role to play in improving mental health.

“A key difference here is that we don’t have the critical stigma associated with other gyms.”

Munson’s own fitness journey began in 2006, when he studied to become a personal trainer at the New Zealand Institute of Sport in Wellington.

After his first stint at Club Fitness, he moved to Jetts in Palmerston North and brought that franchise to Whanganui.

“Jetts Whanganui reached about 700 members and then I went to London to do the same at Anytime Fitness in Clapham South for about five years.

“Then, it started to feel like it was time to come home. I love being back.”

Outside of personal training, he enjoyed a long stint as KPW (Kiwi Pro Wrestling) Champion as H-Flame, holding the belt from 2006 to late 2009 and the KPW Tag Team Championship with Lazarus Volt from 2011 to 2013.

While in the KPW stable, he rubbed shoulders with another Whanganui wrestler, Chris Delorean, and tried out for WWE in 2008.

Bringing back regular assessments and exercise routines was at the top of her to-do list at Club Fitness.

“Getting some more modern equipment is another. We want to show that we are putting money back into the business.

“There’s definitely a club feel here. Everybody knows your name and eventually we’ll have open houses and barbecues.”