For a lot of people past 65, the problem was never the exercise. It’s the room. Big rooms with loud music, machines set up by whoever used them last, and a 5:30pm crowd three deep on the only leg press. You can want to train and still not want to walk into that.
Apex Personal Fitness is a private, member only gym with two Niagara County locations, 2416 Military Rd in Niagara Falls and 445 Main St in Youngstown. Membership is capped on purpose, entry is on your phone through the GymMaster app, and the doors are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Here’s an honest look at whether it fits, including what it costs and how to try it without committing.
What Should Older Adults Look for in a Gym?
Five things matter more than the equipment list: access at quiet hours, machines you can adjust without help, enough floor space to do a movement without apologizing, somewhere to sit between sets, and staff who recognize you. Everything else is negotiable.
Notice that only one of those is about the hardware. Most gyms are judged on their equipment because that’s what fits in a photo. What actually decides whether somebody is still training in March is whether the room is bearable in January.
The Quiet Hours Are the Whole Point
A gym that’s open 24 hours is usually sold to shift workers and early risers. For retired members the value is different and better: you can train at 10am on a Tuesday, when the floor is close to empty and nothing is occupied.
That changes the session itself. You take the time to set the seat height properly. You rest as long as you need instead of as long as you feel entitled to. You repeat a movement you’re still learning without an audience. Coaches are on the floor from 5am to 9pm, so you can also have a coached session in that same quiet window rather than choosing between the two.
On Walking In for the First Time
This is the real barrier, and it comes up more than any question about equipment or price. Here’s Anthony’s answer to people who tell him they’re worried about being judged.
Clearly you’ve never walked into Apex, because you’ll be greeted with a smile and a hello from everyone. Most people are so focused on what they’re doing and their own goals that they’re really not paying attention to you. It’s a place where all of us are trying to get better. There isn’t the hate one would think, that gets seen so much online.
Anthony Kukovica, owner and head coach at Apex Personal Fitness, coaching since 2013
A capped membership helps here in a way that’s hard to fake. In a gym with a few hundred members you start recognizing the same handful of people at your hour. That’s not a program feature, but it’s the reason people keep showing up. If the nerves are the main thing holding you back, the gym anxiety piece goes into it further.
What’s Actually on the Floor
Both gyms carry the same categories of equipment, which matters because your membership covers both sites.
- Cardio: treadmills with individual screens, ellipticals, upright and recumbent bikes, stair climbers, rowers
- Selectorized machines: leg press, leg curl, lat pulldown, chest press, shoulder press, multi station cable
- Free weights: dumbbell racks, benches, squat rack and power rack
- Recovery: an infrared sauna with red light at the Niagara Falls location
The recumbent bikes and the selectorized machines are the usual entry point for somebody who hasn’t trained in years, because you sit down, set one pin, and go. The free weights come later, and they do come. You can see both gyms before you decide which one you’ll use more.
On accessibility, the Niagara Falls location has a wheelchair accessible entrance, parking and restroom, and a gender neutral restroom. If you have a specific access need, call ahead on 716-248-0250 and ask rather than guessing from a photo.
PASSES AND PRICING
Try It for $15 Before You Pay for a Month
A one day access pass is $15 with no sign up fee, and a one week guest pass is $25. Come in at the hour you’d actually train and see how busy it is. That tells you more than any tour.
Recovery Is Part of the Membership, Not an Upsell
The Niagara Falls gym has an infrared sauna with red light, two person capacity, included with membership at no extra charge. It’s one cabin rather than a separate suite, and there’s no sauna at Youngstown, though membership covers both sites so a Youngstown member is welcome to use it.
Worth being straight about what that is. It’s a comfortable 20 minutes after training that a lot of members build their week around, not a treatment. Anybody selling a sauna as medicine is overselling it.
Training for a Life, Not a Look
Most people arriving in their sixties and seventies aren’t chasing a physique. They want to keep doing what they already do. Anthony draws the distinction plainly.
Training for longevity is about functional movements, movements designed to improve quality of life. Training to look good is subjective. Some people think bigger is better, some think leaner is better, some want a mix. That’s the interesting part about exercise, it’s unique to each person.
Anthony Kukovica, owner and head coach at Apex Personal Fitness, coaching since 2013
If that’s the goal, a coach is worth more than a membership on its own, at least at the start. The program details for an older client are covered in personal training for seniors, including what changes in the programming and what a trainer does not do.
What Membership Costs
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Gym membership, monthly | $45 per month |
| Gym membership, annual | $540 per year |
| One day access pass | $15, one off |
| One week guest pass | $25, one off |
| Sign up fee | $0 |
| Cancellation fee | $0 |
Membership includes both locations, 24 hour access, and the sauna at Niagara Falls. There’s no contract. Cancel by phone or in writing whenever you want, and nobody makes it difficult.
Personal training is priced separately and doesn’t require a membership, starting at $35 for a 30 minute session. Most people who train with a coach take a membership anyway so they can come in on their own days.
Common Questions
Is there a senior discount?
There’s one rate for everybody at $45 a month, which is already below most staffed gyms in the area. Ask about the annual option at $540 if you want to bring the monthly cost down.
Does Apex accept SilverSneakers or Renew Active?
No. Apex is an independent gym and isn’t part of those networks, so if your plan covers a membership through one of them, Apex won’t be on the list. Worth knowing before you call.
Are there classes?
No group classes. Apex runs one on one coaching and small group training of 2 to 4 people, which is closer to a shared personal training session than a class. If a class format is what you want, Apex isn’t the right fit and it’s better to say so now.
Is somebody there if I need help?
Coaches are on the floor from 5am to 9pm. Outside those hours the gym is open on app access and unstaffed, so if being alone in the building would worry you, train inside the staffed window. It’s a fair thing to plan around.
FREE CONSULTATION
See it at your hour, not ours.
Two private gyms in Niagara County, open 24/7, capped membership, $45 a month with no contract. Come in on a $15 day pass at the time you’d actually train, or sit down with a coach first. The consultation is free either way.
Questions? Call 716-248-0250.
About the Author
Anthony Kukovica, NCSF Certified Personal Trainer, B.S. Health Sciences, Founder of Apex Personal Fitness
Anthony opened Apex on October 1, 2013 and has coached in Niagara County ever since. He works across the full range, from clients in their eighties training for mobility through to competitive physique athletes, and built the gym around private access and unhurried coaching rather than volume. Apex has two locations, 2416 Military Rd in Niagara Falls and 445 Main St in Youngstown.