The Pincher Creek Voice: Monster Fitness opens for business

The finishing touches are being applied to Monster Fitness, a new active living facility which opened last week in Pincher Creek.

Monster Fitness is owned and operated by Sariah Brasnett, the result of "a little dream of mine of a personal training studio that turned into a full gym". It is located in a brand new warehouse space at 1373B Hunter Street, facing Highway 6/Waterton Avenue.

Monster Fitness is open from 6 am to 8 pm, with 24 hour access available to members via a swipe card, with some restrictions.

Sariah Brasnett on 'Jacob's Ladder'
C. Davis photo

It's a huge facility, with several distinct areas designated for different activities. One enters through a spacious lobby, which is still being completed. From there, the space opens up to a large matted floor area with a variety of equipment and a 20 foot ceiling. Branching off of that there is a Mini Monster area for kids to play in while their parents are busy. There are two distinct and separate upstairs areas as well. One is a large studio complete with hardwood flooring for yoga, group fitness, and other activities. The other contains cycling and rowing machines. The main level alone is 4000 square feet in size.

There is a long list of brand new exercise and fitness equipment available. Experienced trainers are on site, including Brasnett, Eleanor Stephens, and Tia Doell.

'Mini Monster' play area

For the month of July, for a $5.00 entry fee participants can test their skill against "Jacob's Ladder", a climbing machine that gets more difficult the higher one tries to ascend. It's an interesting piece of gear which allows users to set their own pace. Half the proceeds from the Jacob's Ladder Challenge will go to the winner, who will be the person who managed to stay on it the longest. The other half of the proceeds will go towards charity. You don't have to be a member to take the challenge. Brasnett said she got the idea from the TV show "The Biggest Loser."

Monster Studio

Brasnett said she had been interested in fitness "for a couple of years" before she got involved in personal training. After she had her son she decided she didn't want to work full time at her ambulance job with Pincher Creek Emergency Services, where she is still on call. "I wanted somewhere to take my son that was kid friendly," she said. "With blood, sweat, and lots of tears" she created a Monster. Kids fitness is part of her long-term vision.

Monster Fitness
C. Davis photos

Brasnett and Cory Comeau, also from Pincher Creek, participated in the Southern Alberta Bodybuilding Championships, held on June 16 of this year at the Red Deer Arts Centre. Brasnett placed second in Tier 1 Figure Medium, and Comeau was the overall winner in the Men's Lightweight division. This earned them both a place in the Provincials, where Comeau won second in his weight class.

Monster Fitness will be the site of a free Active Living Workshop, held in conjunction with Youth Employment Services on Wednesday, August 1 at 1:00 pm.