Perfect Fit

Member Jim Fink explains why working out at the new Nihonbashi Club’s fitness center will be more pleasure than pain.

Next month, the seminal bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron turns 44.

That might put the Mr Olympias and Mr Universes of the film a bit past their primes, but even they might turn up for one more workout were they to see what Jim Fink and the rest of the TAC Nihonbashi Task Force have planned for the upcoming satellite facility’s fitness center.

“We really went through a very thoughtful process to select the equipment both in terms of what types of equipment and which manufacturers,” says Fink. “We were able to buy newer models than those installed in the Azabudai Club.”

When the Nihonbashi Club opens in the spring, Members will be welcomed by four workout-specific areas: a stretching section with mats, rollers and exercise balls; a cardio space with stationary bikes, treadmills and rowing machines; a plated machine zone; and a noise- and vibration-dampening floor space for free weights.

While the Nihonbashi area will be roughly half the size of the Azabudai Fitness Center, Fink insists that this is a case of big things coming in a small package.

“[We] were adamant that it be a real, fully functional, multipurpose kind of gym where anyone could find a good way to work out,” he says. “Our assumption is [the fitness center] would probably see peak usage at 20 people, but it has many more than 20 stations.”

Since the space on the sixth floor of Nihonbashi Muromachi Mitsui Tower was originally built to code for office use, the locker rooms had to be waterproofed, the air-conditioning system upgraded and plumbing laid under a new floor.

The result, Fink says, is a streamlined experience for Members: check in, get changed and work out.

“[The design] is simple,” he says. “After people have used it once, they’ll know exactly how to move through it efficiently.”

Fink sees the fitness center as a perfect addition to life in the heart of the Nihonbashi neighborhood. Perhaps Members will pop in for a calorie-burning treadmill session followed by breakfast at the adjacent lounge and restaurant. Surrounded by office complexes, the Nihonbashi Club is well situated to cater to anyone who prefers to fit in a workout during lunch breaks or make a beeline for the bench press right after quitting time.

Following all the task force’s work to make the fitness center a home for light joggers and iron pumpers alike, Fink plans to be at the head of that queue.

“I can’t wait to see all the equipment when it’s brand-new, including some of those big, heavy plates,” he says. “I’m looking forward to being one of the first people to test them out.”