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The gym-revisited

packrat

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It's been a while, but I had a thread some time back, a couple of them, on gyms and what members would look for and for help on a name. My brother is a bodybuilder and it's been a dream of his for years to have his own gym and my husband and I are totally on board to join him (and his new wife, come tomorrow!!) in it to make it a reality. Talks are starting and looks like it will be happening by around the end of the year.

We're stuck on a name. We could keep the current name, which is a good one, looks good on a shirt, it's not intimidating, it's recognizable in the area as it's been here for..20 years or so? My brother doesn't want to keep it, he wants to rebrand the gym completely. Coke rebrands itself all the time, new formula, new look etc, but the same name, so I think it wouldn't be a big deal to keep the name. But, since he wants to change it, we thought we'd discuss name possibilities.

I'm asking for help or thoughts or opinions, whatever anyone wants to throw out. My brother's suggestion is My Gym, which my husband and I aren't fond of. There's a gym already called The Gym, so we can't use that. I suggested Lift, which was Haven's suggestion last time and I think it's really nice. It sounds good. "I'm going to Lift" My brother doesn't like it at all. Soooo..that's all the farther we got. We thought about using his nickname, but it could be misconstrued in the pronunciation, so we were going to use the two little dots you put over a vowel, I don't remember what they're called..but with that, he was concerned b/c it's not just him owning/working the gym..but that doesn't really bother me I guess, it's *his* dream, I figure.

We'll be gone all day for the wedding tomorrow but if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please chuck them at me!
 

miraclesrule

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Hey packrat!! I miss you. Congrats to your brother. I hope the wedding is a blast!!

My new gym, which I overpay for and rarely use after my back fracture last year, was just rebranded. At first, I thought the new name was stupid. B2befit. Huh? Really? B2befit? I had to do a double take on the building signage. It has the same employees and equipment as the company they took over, but because the original company kept some of the gyms in the sale, they retained the original name which was Lava Fitness. I always thought that was a random name too, but it was orignally a boxing gym and I understood the logo and branding strategy.

I am not a fan of the word "gym" in a fitness center name. I associate gyms with gymnastic training and equipment. I remember when my daughter could finally do a back flip. I sarcastically replied "that only cost us $10,000"! What a really horrible thing for me to say. In my defense I was enthusiastically overjoyed that she was able to do the flip without breaking her neck or other body parts. I just didn't understand the future value... But I digress....

I think the choice of name and branding strategy really depends on the intended customer base, the type of fitness philosphy, equipment, and preference of programs he is passionate about. Is he more of a free weights kind of guy...machine kind of guy...innovative and integrated with Pilates, Gravity machines, cycling, boxing, TRX, etc. There are all sorts of cheap "gyms" popping up in our area with a $10 a month charge...insane...but limited capacity and reduced hours and few classes of any sort. I think those are horrible. Who is he trying to attract? Personally, i pay a premium to have the ability to attend a large selection of classes with specialized equipment, and a family like atmosphere where I know that I can talk to anyone and get help and never have to wait for equipment. I also know that I get clean towels and that each mat is sterilized after each use as protection against MRSA. The equipment i.e. medicine balls, elastic bands, bosch (?) balls, in addition to traditional equipment is much more than I get with my 24-hour fitness membership.

Bottom line...need more info. :)
 

Inkblot

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Mar 26, 2011
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As a gym rat myself, I think that "Lift" is an awesome name for a fitness center. There's the whole connotation of lifting weights, yes, but also it's a place where you get that endorphin rush, mental lift from knowing you're doing something healthy for your body, etc.

Let's see...I would add the word "fitness" to the end of some of these for a better ring.

Press
Push
Stacked
Transform
 

Amys Bling

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Get fit
BFit
Hmm, you love more info on the type of gym it is going to be....
 

iheartscience

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I also like Lift a lot. I'm not good at making up names for things, though, so I can't be super helpful on the naming. Good luck-I hope you all make it happen!
 

packrat

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Ooo lookit me not getting ready for the wedding! Bad Missi, Bad!

The guy who opened the gym in the beginning is a former Mr. America/Mr. Universe/Mr. World, used to lift with Arnie back in the day. There's free weights, machines and some cardio equipment there, but what we want to do is add a nutrition bar, clothing, it will be a key club thing open 24/7, better equipment (newer/updated), areas for yoga etc, and there are a lot of fighters in the area so we want a section for them to train as well. We want it something that older people feel comfortable coming to as well as younger, and to do things in the community to promote fitness and help causes, like Relay for Life etc. It's pretty old school looking right now and we want to spruce it up so it's not like you're going to an old hole in the wall place, make it fun and exciting.

I thought Haven's suggestion was awesome, personally and I was disappointed that he didn't like it. I liked it for the same reasons mentioned-it's what you *do* at the gym, you lift weights, plus it gives you a mental lift, it has a double meaning. It sounds all inclusive as far as ages/gender goes, I think too.

I'll have him read the thread tomorrow or sometime when it's not so hectic around here, or at least write the name suggestions down for him and when we get together next to hash out details about it we can talk about them.

I'm looking up words associated w/fitness now..maybe there's something in there that would work.

Thanks for the help guys, we appreciate it a lot!
 

ame

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When I read "lift" I was sold. I would NEVER go to a place called "my gym". It sounds so cheesy like I am going to see 80's aerobicizers in their thong leotards, reeboks and legwarmers.


ETA: I say this as though I go to a gym or in anyway move my big white butt.
 

packrat

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Miracles, I forgot to :wavey: How is the gorgeous granddaughter of yours???

I went thru some word lists and picked ones that sounded nice. Maybe to do a..word association, free thinking type deal where a word triggers another word, or maybe a couple words could be combined or something.

Anyway..

Lift, Strength, Motivation, Flex, Rush, Peak, Impact, Stride, Endurance, Capacity, Balance, Maximize (maximum), Champion, Discipline, Valor, Vault, Performance, Innovate, Kinetic, Threshold, Stamina. Oh..and Bitch Tits. Hubs and I had a good laugh over that one "Bitch Tits, this is Missi, how may I help you?" hahahahaha I'm totally putting that on the list just to see my brothers face.

The son of the current owner suggested Pump Hause (I think that's how it's spelled but it needs those little dots over a vowel or something but I don't know how to do that)

Ok seriously I need to get my rear in gear. Back later tonight!
 

Haven

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Well I love Lift. Whoever thought of that must be a damn genius. :cheeky:

Seriously, though--My Gym is a chain of cheesy little gymnastic centers here in the Midwest, so when I read that I thought of THAT. Here's a link, maybe that will dissuade him: http://www.my-gym.com/
Anyone who has ever seen a My Gym will immediately think of primary colors, small children, and foamy things to roll on. I don't think that's what your brother is going for.

Could you launch some sort of market research thing with the name possibilities to see what people prefer? You could send out a poll on Survey Monkey or something. Maybe it will be good to get feedback from a bunch of people to see what would really bring customers in.

Other options:
Stacked
Bench
Ripped
Rush

I like one word names, apparently. Lift is still my favorite. I see the word "Gym" beneath each word in the logos, too. "Rush Gym" sounds hardcore.

Most of the gyms around here have cheesy names, I like something short and straightforward. I also like that people would be saying "I'm going to go to Lift" and that indicates both where they're going and what they're going to do.

Edited. That was so weird. I linked to a gym website and the last picture I uploaded came up instead.

ETA2: I love Bitch Tits. I'd join.
 

zoebartlett

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Yeah, we have My Gyms for kids here too.

The first name I thought of was Fit. I have to give it more thought though.

My husband wanted me to pass along his suggestions, too. "If it was weight loss themed, you could call if Slim Gym or Why Weight?" :bigsmile:
 

vc10um

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I am really loving the one-word names as well!

My favorites so far, if this helps at all (other than Bitch Tits, which is OBVIOUSLY my favorite):
Lift
Bench
Flex
Vault

They're strong without being too masculine.
 

iheartscience

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I think Lift is the best because of the double meaning, and because it won't scare women away. I think Bench and Flex and a few of the other ones sound more masculine/meathead.

So tell your brother to listen to us!!! :razz:
 

somethingshiny

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I like Lift a lot too. Of course my first thought was weights, but then I immediately went to "lift your spirits" because that's what working out does for me. You can't get a better name than that!!
 

centralsquare

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somethingshiny|1315673257|3014440 said:
I like Lift a lot too. Of course my first thought was weights, but then I immediately went to "lift your spirits" because that's what working out does for me. You can't get a better name than that!!

I like Lift too. You can do a lot of plays on that word.
 

packrat

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Home. Tired as all get out.

See-I KNEW you guys would see it my way!! I think Lift is such a good name!

I gotta get to bed..It's taken me about 4 tries to get my fingers on the keys right when I start typing, so then I have to backspace my gibberish.

I'll talk to you guys in the morning. Any other comments, suggestions etc, please shout em out!
 

julia_girl

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LIFT for sure - love it!
 

jstarfireb

Ideal_Rock
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Yeah, Lift was perfect...can you convince your brother to rethink it? Then again, it's kind of his baby, so I guess we shouldn't force him to accept a name he doesn't like.

I second the idea of picking both a short/simple name (it kinda reminds me of trendy restaurant names) as well as one that alienates neither men nor women. The ones I've liked so far are Flex (my 2nd fave behind Lift), Rush, Fit, and Impact (although that may have a negative connotation for those with knee injuries). I'll also suggest Tone, Aero (as in aerobic), Lean, Body, Form, Shape, and Physique...but none of those have the same ring as Lift!

ETA: The dots over a letter are called an umlaut. Brought to you by the letter U with dots over it. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
 

mrscushion

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packrat|1315664260|3014367 said:
The son of the current owner suggested Pump Hause (I think that's how it's spelled but it needs those little dots over a vowel or something but I don't know how to do that)
If you want to use German, the correct spelling would be Pump Haus, without an umlaut (two dots). I know people in English-speaking countries sometimes put random umlauts wherever they want, because they think it looks cool/funny/funky. I think it's silly, but hey, people do it.

I love Lift and many of the other simple one-word suggestions that have been made.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Following the theme of one word names here are 2 more:
Verve
Moxie

Good luck on you and your brother's business endeavor!!
 

packrat

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Yes, umlaut, thanks! I knew when I spelled Hause it wasn't right, then when I saw it w/out the E I thought oh well, duh, no wonder! We have a restaurant called The Gasthaus here in town, you'd think I'd figure out there's no E.

I'm hoping we can get together soon..probably not till next weekend, b/c brother/husband work opposite shifts, but soon so we can start hashing out names again. The input is greatly appreciated everyone!!
 

Haven

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On a totally unrelated note, yes, the two dots over the U would be an umlaut in this case.

However, did you know that this particular diacritic is also sometimes used in English to indicate that an accented vowel is to be pronounced separately than the one preceding it? In this case, the diacritic is actually a diaeresis, also known as a trema. Some publications still use the trema, including The Economist and The New Yorker, and I triple-heart-love-them-for-it. (You'd see a trema used in words such as coöperate, naïve, and even Brontë, as in Charlotte.) I think French uses tremas, but I can't be sure since I don't know one thing about the language.

Umlauts, of course, indicate a sound shift in German. We don't use them in English because we just use a different letter to indicate the shift instead.

Fascinating stuff, isn't it?

I know it has nothing to do with this thread, but I love diacritics and couldn't pass up the chance to talk about the poor trema, which often lives its life mistaken for an umlaut. Poor little guy.

My vote is still for Lift. Or Lïft. Whichever. :cheeky:
 

Amys Bling

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What about: Tone ?!?
 

packrat

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That's interesting, Haven, thank you! I didn't know cooperate had the dots..the other two I did, tho I didn't know that's what it was for..well, I mean I knew it meant you pronounce it different b/c of the dots but not that it meant that it was different than the vowel before it. That doesn't make any sense...I knew it but I didn't know why I guess. Language is interesting.

Amy-he'd never go for it. He hates the word, it's bandied about by people "I just want to tone up" and he just goes nuts when he hears it. Good suggestion tho!
 

Haven

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packrat|1315757944|3015053 said:
That's interesting, Haven, thank you! I didn't know cooperate had the dots..the other two I did, tho I didn't know that's what it was for..well, I mean I knew it meant you pronounce it different b/c of the dots but not that it meant that it was different than the vowel before it. That doesn't make any sense...I knew it but I didn't know why I guess. Language is interesting.

Amy-he'd never go for it. He hates the word, it's bandied about by people "I just want to tone up" and he just goes nuts when he hears it. Good suggestion tho!
Hahaha--Your brother sounds like my husband. DH gets very irritated with the way some PTs throw certain words around when they really don't know what they're talking about. His favorite is when people talk about working their core, and especially the "upper" or "lower" abs. I bet they'd get along. I'm going to ask DH what he would name a gym, he definitely spend a lot of time in them. Some have terrible names out here (Bounce, for example, and "Joy of the Game" which focuses on training athletes.) He's on the phone yelling about yesterday's tennis match at the moment, but I'll be back once he calms down.

And thank you for not being irritated that I mucked up your gym thread with nerdy language information. :bigsmile:
 

decodelighted

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Lift just works. Its so upLIFTing. Counteracts dread. Positive associations etc. However, my vote goes to Bitch Tits.
 

jstarfireb

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I'm starting to like Form a lot, since it also has a double meaning...the form of a body as well as using proper form when you weight train. What does he think of that one?
 

Haven

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decodelighted|1315759080|3015064 said:
Lift just works. Its so upLIFTing. Counteracts dread. Positive associations etc. However, my vote goes to Bitch Tits.
I totally agree. And you can't beat the free publicity you'll get naming a gym Bitch Tits. Headlines in every local paper: LOCAL GYM OPENS TO MIXED REACTIONS - IS BITCH TITS TAKING IT TOO FAR?
 

Haven

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I asked DH what he would name a gym. He had no ideas, but when I asked him what he thought of Lift he loved it. Add one more to the list!
 

Miss Sparkly

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What about Lift Athletic Club or Gym 4 All?

I would not give a gym called "My Gym" a second glance. It sounds like somebody could not think of a name so they literally called it what it is, their (my) gym.
 

MissStepcut

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I'd go to a gym called Lift. But only if they had a row of ellipticals with TVs.
 
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