Gym in Apex Wellness Center looks to better connect physical therapy with fitness
Redefine Fitness's Tim Irgens says the business is much more than a place to work on being in shape.
It's more than your average fitness facility so the new name of the Apex Physical Therapy's Redefine Fitness seems to be aptly named.
Located in the Apex Wellness Center at 1855 First St., Redefine Fitness, combines the best elements of physical therapy and fitness, all under one roof.
"We've kind of been in the process of rebranding and changing a lot of the way we do things," Tim Irgens, a strength and conditioning specialist at Redefine Fitness said.
The gym offers a variety of membership programs ranging from $5 for day use to a yearly membership of $450. They also offer classes and have personal training packages starting at $300.
The business has been in Cheney since 2006 so they've been established for a while. "Still a lot of people don't know that we're here," Irgens said.
The Wellness Center was under the Apex Physical therapy umbrella, Irgens said. It's one of four different Apex locations, but because of its square footage it was the only one with the gym.
"I came around in 2009 and I kinds of slowly warmed my way into (being) the head honcho of the gym," Irgens, a 2007 Cheney High School grad said. His training goes much deeper, however as Irgens holds an associates degree from Spokane Falls Community College in health and fitness and is a 2013 Eastern Washington University grad with a degree in exercise science.
His interest in gyms and fitness goes beyond that. "Sophomore year in high school I decided what I wanted to do and rode it out ever since," Irgens said. "I've enjoyed every moment of it."
He wants to build a bridge between physical fitness and physical therapy.
"It's kind of my belief that for too long - and I've seen this happen interning in collegiate strength and conditioning - there's too much of a separation between what we consider strength and conditioning and fitness; training for sports, training for life whatever your goals may be," Irgens said.
Then there's the physical therapy/athletic training that takes care of the injuries and oftentimes there's this giant disconnect between the two.
Those fields do not talk to each other enough, he said. "In my opinion those two worlds should mesh."
It needs to be a collaborative effort.
"Hey I'm injured but what else can I do when I am feeling better?" Irgens said. "How do I sort of bridge this gap and get back to my sport, get back to my recreational hobby, whatever it may be."
The connection of the gym and physical therapy seems to be the right fit.
"Certain injuries may come up in the process of training that you refer them to (a) PT," Irgens said.
In sports performance the focus is not just "bigger, faster and stronger" but there is an element of preventative measures, Irgens said. "Let's make sure we're moving correctly, let's fix any dysfunctions we have, let's make sure we're moving well."
Redefine Fitness provides what are called bridge programs from physical therapy. The PT aspect is something that separates Redefine from other gyms, Irgens said.
"We have that kind of strength to our staff if someone does come in to an issue or whatever, or coming in with previous injuries - orthopedic injuries, joint replacement - we have the luxury of working with that quite well because of the therapists we have on staff," Irgens said.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
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