Working it out
By Geneva Slupski
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| Natalie Keable of Sleepy Hollow works out at K-Star Fitness. (Photo by Dani Schweigert) |
In 2004, Ron Keable and business partner Mary Hermann set out to help McHenry County area residents achieve their weight-loss and fitness goals.
The result was K-Star Fitness, a personal training studio and gym offering one-on-one instruction and membership at affordable prices. What began as a personal training business run out of Keable’s Huntley home quickly grew, prompting Keable and Hermann to open a location on Randall Road in Algonquin.
By August 2009, K-Star Fitness moved to an 8,000-square-foot facility on Ackman Road in Lake in the Hills. The spacious new site boasts an arsenal of bikes, treadmills, ellipticals and other state-of-the art equipment, including multiple Gravity Training System (GTS) machines. With a professional staff that includes a registered dietitian and a licensed massage therapist, K-Star also offers metabolic testing and tanning services.
“I’ve always enjoyed exercising and helping people,” says Keable, a former firefighter who has been involved in personal training for about 17 years. “For me, it was just a natural progression to do something I have a passion for. It’s a lot of fun when you see people and you can share in their success. It’s very fulfilling.”
Keable, who met Hermann, a former RN, at a karate dojo in Lake in the Hills, says the two envisioned a neighborhood gym that would provide a laid-back alternative to larger, more intimidating facilities. It’s that relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere, along with top-notch service, that keeps clients like Doug Michaelis of Lake in the Hills and his wife, Nan, coming back.
“I’m impressed,” Michaelis says. “It’s the second or third [gym] that we’ve tried. They care. It makes a difference when someone is truly interested in your physical well-being.”
Keable took some time to chat recently with McHenry County Magazine about the fitness industry, staying in shape after the holidays and the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR WHEN FOLKS START WANTING TO GET INTO SHAPE. WHAT SHOULD THEY KEEP IN MIND WHEN TRYING TO FIGHT POST-HOLIDAY BULGE?
When you first start, do not over train. Don’t overdo it because you will be sore. One of the things I do when I interview people is ask them when the last time was they exercised. You want to ease back into it and then be consistent. Don’t just exercise once a week, that’s not enough. Ideally you should be exercising three to five times a week.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR PEOPLE WHO SIGN UP FOR A GYM MEMBERSHIP, THEN ALWAYS FIND AN EXCUSE NOT TO GO?
We know what the proper ingredients are to help people stay motivated and get fit, so one of the things we do is offer group classes. When you’re working out with other people instead of by yourself, it’s much more motivational. It’s a lot more fun.
HOW ELSE CAN PEOPLE STAY MOTIVATED?
If exercise came in a pill form, they would give it to everybody. But that doesn’t happen. That’s why people need to be in a gym, or working out somewhere. You need to exercise. We actually have an eight-week weight-loss challenge that offers a 100-percent money back guarantee if they follow our program. Our program is called Workout to Win, it’s our WOW program because when you finish after eight weeks, people look at the picture beforehand and they look at the picture after eight weeks and it’s like, “Wow.” We’ve been doing this for years, and it works for every single person who does the program. We’ve never had to refund money.
WHAT TYPES OF EXERCISES DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR LOSING WEIGHT AND GETTING TONED FASTER?
Exercise alone will not make you lose weight. We have a three-pronged approach to fitness, and you have to utilize all three components. The first component is you have to eat properly, so nutrition is the foundation. The other two components are strength training and cardio. We teach a specific cardio program here. That comes with the gym membership. It’s a 23-minute cardio session that puts you in a fat-burning mode for 13 hours post exercise.
TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE GRAVITY TRAINING SYSTEM YOU OFFER. WHAT DOES IT DO FOR PEOPLE?
It works your foundational strength. It gets you ripped. It gets you strong. It improves your flexibility and hand-eye coordination. It improves your speed, your agility. And it’s fun, not intimidating.
WHAT MAKES K-STAR FITNESS STAND OUT FROM OTHER GYMS IN THE AREA?
We’re not a large corporate entity. We’re a neighborhood gym. We’re service-oriented, and we care for people. I’ve got a lot of experience behind me, and so does Mary. When you come here, there’s a benefit to that because if you truly want to get in shape and want to improve your health, we’ve been through so many things and done so many things, we’re able to say, “OK, this works and this doesn’t work.” We get to the essence of what works.
• To see a video of K-Star, go to MCTV at http://tinyurl.com/y8evtdu.
