A personal fitness trainer in Prairie Village is opening his own studio in downtown Mission.
Derek Welles, who operates another personal fitness studio on the Mall, is closing up that shop with plans to open WellFit at 6104 Johnson Drive. The downtown Mission space is occupied by Bonfire, a coworking office that will close its doors at the end of this month.
At the new private fitness studio, Welles will offer one-on-one training, tandem training for groups of two, small group training for no more than six people per session.
“The vision of the whole place is to create a fitness community,” he said.
Welles said he plans to offer strength training and high-intensity cardio, including circuit style training that feature group weight workouts, ball slams and training with ropes and bicycles — a “circuit-style training,” he added.
WellFit officially opens March 1, but Welles plans to begin offering classes as soon as possible for 45 to 50 of his former clients from the franchise. The new studio will be open by appointment only, with 45-minute sessions tentatively beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 9 p.m. weekdays, and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
He said he’s been teaching personal fitness for two decades, since his college education in exercise and wellness.
“I always liked coaching people — and I didn’t want to teach school — and I thought people need help with their own personal health,” Welles said. “It’s kind of like being a personal coach.”
Welles’s former studio in Prairie Village closes at the end of February.
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