By Christopher Aadland
Murphy News Service
From the inside, Lions Gym and Wellness Center looks typical: free weights, treadmills and other equipment are spread out about while muscular personal trainers encourage clients to achieve their fitness goals.
But the center is no ordinary gym and changes are planned to ensure it remains unique.
What was once Lions Gym is owned by spouses Stephen Menya and Leah Menya. The duo recently modified the name of their gym to match its mission. That is just the first step aimed to creating a “one-stop shop” for fitness and overall well-being.
The 13,000 square foot gym is located in the heart of downtown Robbinsdale off West Broadway. And it will take on not just a new name, but add acupuncture, chiropractic/rehab services, Oriental medicine and a juice bar. The new services will complement the services already offered: personal training, yoga, barre classes, massage therapy and nutritional counseling.
The Menyas’ goal is to have many of the changes in place by the end of the year.
Stephen Menya is scheduled to graduate from Northwestern Health Sciences University in May and will be a licensed chiropractor after passing his boards, in a perfect world by July, he said.
The Menyas envision a seamlessly integrated gym and clinic where a client can get a massage or back adjustment after a hard workout.
Stephen Menya said anyone is welcome to take advantage of the chiropractic, rehab and massage services, check out classes offered or to stop by for a consultation, he added. “We hope patients will come in and see the gym is right here, too. It’s the total package,” he said.
Adding a wellness center to their small business isn’t a new concept, but the philosophy of personalization that it shares with its clients is what sets it apart from other facilities.
“It’s their gym really, so they should take advantage of it,” Stephen Menya said. “We really want the gym to be welcome to people who want to grow.
Ryan Nelson is a personal trainer at the gym who is a vegan bodybuilder. He too said the personal touch offered by the gym is what makes it easy for people to improve their health.
“We’re just very personalized. It’s a pretty family oriented atmosphere,” he said. “Everyone gets a hello and goodbye. It’s an enjoyable, hardworking atmosphere.”
Lions has a diverse group of personal trainers to cater to the diverse clients the gym welcomes. Stephen mentioned they are looking to hire a female massage therapist and are always on the lookout for trainers who share the gym’s vision.
“The way they approach it [personal training] is more personal and fun,” Coley Spooner, an instructor at the gym, said.
Elite athletes — including former Minnesota Vikings Cedric Griffin, Benny Sapp, and Madieu Williams — have trained at the gym.
Lions staff members need to “look the part” of in-shape, super-healthy trainers to make clients feel comfortable and confident they are being professionally trained, Stephen said.
“We are actually personal trainers who live the life of a personal trainer,” he said.
Diane Knust trains at the gym. She said working out at the gym isn’t intimidating because each member works at a pace that is comfortable.
“Every time he tells you to do something harder, he smiles so you can’t say no,” she said.
The trainers work to make training sessions less intimidating, but it is still about fitness.
Melinda Johnson works out at Lions and knows that all too well.
“They will still push you,” Johnson said. “It is still about how they can help you.”
The gym hired Spooner, who leads barre classes held at the gym.
Spooner studied ballet and professionally performed. She needed a new way to stay in shape after scaling back her dancing. Gyms were intimidating so she took up ballet-inspired barre.
“I get so excited being an ex-ballet dancer to show people how much hard work it actually is,” she said.
Leah Menya said barre is physically exhausting, despite how ballet can be perceived.
“Barre is a class that includes very small, intentional movements,” she said. “They say that 10 seconds in a barre class feels like an eternity.”
Stephen Menya immigrated to the United States from Kenya in 1992. He attended college on an athletic scholarship and dreamed of running track for Kenya in the Olympics, but an injury ended his chance to win a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics.
He turned his attention to health and set his sights on becoming a physician. But instead of becoming a medical doctor, his passion for the well-being of the body and mind steered him in a different direction.
Menya’s journey began in 2003 with running gyms out of a two-car garage, then a small bedroom and then a basement before he moved to a 1,000-square-foot commercial space in St. Louis Park in 2007 and eventually expanded before they moved to Robbinsdale in 2012.
Johnson and Brian Weikle, who work out at Lions, said they were members at another gym but weren’t accomplishing anything.
“We drove by and saw classes and said ‘OK, this is a new gym, let’s see what this is about,’” Johnson said. “Once we got in and realized the support structure and vision it was a no-brainer …”
Johnson works out with Stephen Menyas three times a week. She said the support structure Lions Gym offers separates it from the other gyms.
“You just walked in and did whatever you thought you wanted to do. No one was there to encourage or discourage any of that. It was very anonymous,” she said. “Here, Stephen will introduce you to everybody whether you’ve met them or not …”
Weikle said working out at the gym “saved my life,” because health issues threatened to deteriorate his health if he didn’t improve his lifestyle
“Stephen and the staff, they know me as a person and understand … my goals …” he said.
The Menyas have two young boys so being family-friendly is a priority.
Family-friendliness is also one of the reasons Jason Newville has chosen to use the gym.
“Stephen’s boys might be here chasing after you,” Newville said.
Johnson added, “And they might demand you chase them back.”
Newville said, “I usually bring my 11-month-old daughter in on Saturdays and Stephen watches her while he trains me. He changes diapers too.”
The personalized atmosphere Lions Gym provides helps form a sense of community within the gym that is missing from other, larger gyms.
“Everyone who walks through the door can probably stay at our house if they get kicked out of their house or apartment,” Nelson said.
Stephen Menya said he and his wife hope the community welcomes them long-term and “they benefit from Lions Gym to their highest potential.”
That would mean opening other locations, if the Menyas have their way. Regardless of what happens, the couple plans to stay in Robbinsdale.
“This,” he said, “will be the world headquarters.”
Christopher Aadland is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.