New fitness center making it easy for people to return to work

MENANDS, N.Y. (NEWS10) - A new gym has officially opened its doors in Menands, and for many, it's not too far from their office desks. Worksite Fitness is owned and operated by Marine Veteran, Capital Region Native, and Syracuse alumnus Ben Brickman. The gym is located on the third floor inside Riverview Center on Broadway in Menands.

Ben is thrilled to share his fitness passion with others. A few months ago, this space was just an old warehouse area, but now it's a full decked out gym. Ben hopes to bridge the gap in the current workforce shortage. He says not everyone built a home gym in their basement when the pandemic struck, and this change in health can be a barrier for people looking to return to work. Ben wants to make it easier for companies to offer health and fitness as a "perk" to returning to work.

"If anything, COVID should be a call to action for everybody...you don't have to be a superstar athlete but do something, get out and move a little bit because even a little bit of movement can help you out," said Ben. 

Worksite Fitness is not a gym, as many have all come to know gyms, and Ben is not a personal trainer the experience is somewhere in between; offering easily accessible and relatable fitness regimens to help make people healthier. He has a workout space, and partners with companies to offer affordable fitness options to employees. He's not an app that merely counts calories; he is a human person to help coach and direct people towards their health goals.

His mission is to make fitness easily accessible to as many people as possible by overcoming the barriers to fitness which include convenience, experience, and price, and to meet their fitness goals where they work.

The gym is open Monday-Friday. For specific hours and classes, you can visit their website here.