When a young entrepreneur opens a small fitness studio inside a small strip mall in the middle of a small town one could be excused for thinking his business would stay small.  Not so much.  Not with Aaron Williams

You see, Aaron eats and breathes fitness. Not the usual run-on-the-treadmill-and-lift-heavy weights kind of fitness, but a fitness that aims to improve his client’s bodies and understanding of how they function.

That devotion to not just doing a motion but understanding why one exercise would be more or less beneficial than another bears out in the name he chose for his business.

Asked how “Zealous Fitness Lab” differs from a typical “gym” he said,

“I chose ‘Zealous’ from a portion of Psalm 69:9, ‘…zeal for your house will consume me..’ and ‘Fitness Lab’ because I want help my clients and members do exercises while knowing why and more importantly, how to execute a move for the maximum gain.”

And because of his dedication to his clients and their needs, his business has grown. 

Grown so much, in fact, that he needed to move to a larger area but he didn’t want to leave Lincoln City-the small town he loves. After much searching, he finally found a place that was perfect for his growing business. But, that will have to wait until the end of the story.

“Since my days as a high school athlete,” said Williams,  “I’ve been fascinated by how the human body works.  An ankle injury during basketball season sidelined me for a week or two and during that time off I began studying the different aspects of the injury and the healing process that goes along with rebuilding an injured area.”

Later, while in college at Warner Pacific in Portland, he studied anatomy, physiology and kinesiology-which, according to Wikipedia is, ” The scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement.”

Williams continued, “I became fascinated with learning and zealous about sharing how exercises done in a controlled, correct motion can speed up healing and increase overall fitness and muscle strength.”

After working for different mega-gyms in the Portland area, Williams moved to Lincoln City, married his wife Becky and together they brought 3 children into this world.  If all that wasn’t enough, he then opened Zealous Fitness Lab in a tiny section of a strip mall on NW Hwy 101. And, as mentioned before, Zealous Fitness Lab’s client base began to grow to a point where it became clear he need to move to a larger facility.

And now as promised earlier…Williams is pleased to announce, “After more than a year of searching I found a great space beneath the Beach Club and Event Center at 2020 NE 22nd street.  It’s over four thousand square feet and includes men’s and women’s showers with locker rooms.

“We have a full range of exercise devices from stacked weights where one does a series of isolated motions, free weights, full cardio-including treadmills, elliptical, stair steppers and stationary bikes.  We also have a studio where we can offer different classes like cycling and full body workouts. And, of course, we have many traditional workout devices.”

For a more unconventional workout Williams himself will be leading a “Slam” class which involves manipulation of 20 foot long ‘Battle ropes’ and ‘Slam balls’ where members do a continuous cycle of movements for about 20 minutes.  “It’s a great strength and cardio workout,” Williams added.

“Asked about his resume, Williams answered, I’m a National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified trainer. I’ve coached junior high boys basketball at 2 different schools.  I’ve also coached, cross country, high school soccer, and track and field with an emphasis on relay and jumping.” 

He has also personally trained several Taft district athletes.  “I’ve been able to help 3 sophomores and 2 seniors working on vertical jumps and strength training. It was a real pleasure to help one student to be able increase his vertical leap enough for him to slam dunk a basketball.”

Sounds like a slam dunk all the way around.

(Note-full disclosure, Author is proudly Aaron’s father)