When the new state-of-the-art, 126,000 square-foot, two-story Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC) opens this fall, the future of Frog’s Fitness Center may appear bleak in comparison.
Located in the Walter Pyramid, Frog’s has been open since October of 1995. It is one of multiple full-service health clubs owned by Club One Fitness.
Ayla Donlin, the general manager of Frog’s, says that in a year and a half, when Frog’s lease expires and is renegotiated, she doesn’t expect the new SRWC to have any effect on renewing the fitness center’s lease. Despite the seemingly daunting competition, she insists that it will continue to stay open and operational.
Students will not have to pay for a membership to the SRWC because, beginning in the fall, a student fee of $118 per semester and $83 for the summer will be applied to tuition costs under the University Student Union fee. Cal State Long Beach faculty and alumni will also have access to the workout facility at the rate of $375 annually or $35 per month.
“I’m going to cancel my account [with Frog’s],” said Rodrigo Alava, a Spanish master student. “[The SRWC] comes with the classes and they’ve got a pool and sauna.”
Donlin has worked at Frog’s the last four years and has been Frog’s general manager for the last four months. Donlin said the majority of members at Frog’s are not students, but, rather, people from the outside community. She believes that the number of people who work out at Frog’s will not decrease when the SRWC opens because people outside of CSULB will still have a need for a public gym.
Donlin said that student membership has been pretty consistent and that Frog’s “has not seen much more of a drop over the past few years than usual.” She also explained that the summer months normally bring in fewer people than the regular school semester since students go on summer vacations or graduate and move on.
When asked how the SRWC will specifically influence the number of members at Frog’s, Donlin replied, “I anticipate that we might not gain as many students as the past, but I don’t anticipate losing any members at all.”
Donlin said that Frog’s has a lot of perks that students really enjoy like group fitness, personal training and Pilates classes. In addition, she said there is a great sense of community among the members and staff that work out at the fitness center, and a sense of belonging since there is a very diverse population that uses the gym.
“Frog’s has a community feel, the staff is friendly and this is a great place to work out,” said Stephanie Holleran, a former CSULB student who has been a member of Frog’s since 2000. “This is a place where I can unwind.”
Frog’s will continue to offer special student membership pricing and will constantly be running specials for enrollment fees to attract students, according to Donlin.
“One of the things we’re really pleased about with our club is our machines,” Donlin said, because almost every cardio machine has its own personal TV and audio outlet.
With 45 fitness classes per week, Frog’s offers a very diverse group fitness program that includes yoga, spinning, sports conditioning, Pilates, zumba, senior fitness and more.
According to Donlin, the personal trainers working at Frog’s are some of the most educated and experienced in the area, knowledgeable in individual, buddy and group fitness training. Frog’s is also the only health club in Long Beach with a wellness center that offers kinesiology training by registered kinesiotherapists.
“Most of what I see here is community,” said Shaun Meineke, a CSULB coach for track and field, who also teaches a weightlifting class at Frog’s. “A lot of people don’t want to deal with the novelty [of the SRWC]. The students already have the Student Union and [now] the Recreation Center to hang out in, but people here don’t want to deal with the student population.”
“Frog’s has a customer base that’s been around forever,” Meineke said.
Future plans for Frog’s include expanding the group fitness and personal fitness programs in order to appeal to a broader population. For example, to appeal to the senior population, Frog’s will be starting a member reward program for seniors called Golden Aging, which is specifically for seniors attending specialty classes.
In addition, Frog’s will increase the number of boot camp-style classes to include a Kettlebell circuit training program led by certified Kettlebell trainers.
As far as the relations between Frog’s and the SRWC, Donlin stated that they are nothing but friendly, and that she has even taken tours of the new facility to get to know the people who work there. She plans on setting up additional meetings in the fall to get to know the managerial staff.
Donlin said that “at first [the SRWC] was intimidating just because the unknown is intimidating,” but that she is excited to see what the future holds for both Frog’s and the SRWC.
Frog’s Fitness Center’s hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
David Cowan contributed to this story.
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