By Ralph Kowalski
The New Citizens Press
LANSING, MI – Chris Najor (pronounced like major with an ‘n’) knows that there is value in maintaining a healthy life through exercise.
“I recently was has a sports injury and had not been able to work out and I feel terrible. Now I know how people feel who don’t work out.”
He is the owner of Go Work Out located at 6135 W. Saginaw Highway. The facility opened October 1st, 1988 as a Gold’s Gym on Waverly Road, where the current Home Depot is located. After 10 years they moved to the location at 6135 Saginaw Highway.
When they moved they took a look at the changing demographics of the fitness industry and decided that the Gold’s Gym name was more of a bodybuilding name and we needed to change the name because they were more fitness oriented. Their clientele did not fit the bodybuilding image.
Before Najor took ownership of Go Work Out almost 3 years ago. He worked there for a year doing all of the jobs necessary to run the gym.
Najor said, “It was a humbling experience cleaning up, working behind the counters and making shakes but it was worth it. The experience taught me how I could improve the place.”
Najor knows all about working hard. As a child he worked with his father in business and recalls how difficult it was. He added however that the experience gave him a good insight to how to run a business.
Growing up in Detroit, Najor has always wanted to work in the Criminal Justice field. He was a Detroit police officer for 4 years. He was always active in sports, playing football, hockey and running track.
Always having a goal to better himself, he decided to go to University of Michigan and pursue a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice program and a friend asked him to explore the opportunity to own Go Work Out.
He is also opening up a new Go Work Out on Edgewood in the same area of Celebration Cinema in Lansing. The facility on Saginaw is 13,000 square feet and the new facility will be 22,000 square feet.
There will be renovations going on at the Saginaw location as well because Najor said that he wants to upgrade the facility so that he will be able to still draw new and retain old clients.
Najor said that the people who work at Go Workout, work together to create a safe, effective exercise facility for everyone who makes a commitment to this establishment. He also added that his current position as owner of Go Work Out has been most rewarding.
“When I was a police officer, I saw people at the lowest points in their lives. As a owner of a fitness facility, I get to see people at their highest points, when they are healthy,” said Najor.
Most of the members are adult professionals between the ages of 25-55 (we do have some younger and quite a few older members including a 70-something gentleman who could pass for 40-something).
There is a General Manager, sales persons and a cleaning person hired solely to take care of those duties. Najor feels that some positions like keeping the facilities clean is to be taken seriously and only handled by one person.
He added that members treat the Go Workout facilities as if it were their own. The members are required to replace the weights when not using them and to generally clean up after themselves, which is a benefit for all of their members.
Go Work Out offers step aerobics, yoga, strength training, cardio kick boxing, pilates and more.
For more information, call is 517-321-3111.
