Crunch Fitness is getting an upgrade.

The club that has operated for 14 years at 5620 N. Academy Blvd. on Colorado’s northeast side is moving about a mile south, into a former Big Lots location at 5085 N. Academy Blvd.

Representatives with Fit Fusion, a fast-growing Crunch Fitness franchisee that bought two Springs locations from Harman Fitness in April, said it expects to open the 30,000-square-foot facility by the end of the year.

Membership pre-sales are beginning now, a Wednesday news release said.

“We are very excited about this opportunity, and we know we’re going to be able to create unique offerings,” said Mike Goodsell, Fit Fusion’s chief strategy and development officer. “We have a massive community, culture and following (at this location) and we were trying to be very respectful, as far as proximity, where we go.”

The north club will be upgraded to a new Crunch 3.0 design, blending fitness with entertainment for an elevated workout experience, Goodsell said.

Fit Fusion’s $5 million investment will include expansive cardio and strength training areas, amenity studios for yoga and Pilates, Crunch’s signature HIITZone training area with indoor turf, Power Half Hour Circuit Training, personal training, group fitness classes and Olympic lifting platforms.

Crunch North will also include a dedicated Crunch Reform Pilates studio for people who join with the brand’s premium Peak Results membership, representatives said. Members can access specialty offerings like TRX (Total Resistance Exercise) classes and a hot studio with hot yoga and hot Pilates. Relax & Recover amenities will feature HydroMassage beds, red-light therapy, cryotherapy, tanning, a sauna and a stretching zone. Families can also access Kids Crunch babysitting services.

The gym will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a change the franchisee implemented at its clubs on June 1.

“These are incredible offerings,” Goodsell said.

After evaluating the Colorado Springs market, Fit Fusion determined moving the north club location and improving its design “would be a massive win” for the city, with the potential to “bring a new investment into the market and hopefully create this energy and light and flame,” he added.

Crunch North will continue operating at its current location at 5620 N. Academy until the move is complete.

Fit Fusion also is subleasing an enrollment center a couple of doors down from the former Big Lots, planned to open this winter. Goodsell said it’s expected to create excitement and momentum for the new location; a street team will create strategic partnerships with local businesses, helping them connect with Crunch members, and support employee wellness.

Fit Fusion will also open four new Crunch Fitness clubs in the Denver area later this winter and into the new year, according to a July 13 news release. All will feature the Crunch 3.0 design, and each club offers different amenities, Goodsell said.

The franchisee is considering opportunities to relocate or renovate its southern Colorado Springs location at 1801 S. Academy Blvd., but leadership is primarily focused on the north club’s impending move, he added. The southern location has operated for 16 years.

Goodsell said Fit Fusion’s and Crunch Fitness’ commitment to diverse offerings for an affordable price and the brand’s history of inclusion make it stand out from other competition in town.

For example, Colorado-based gym chain VASA Fitness opened its fourth location in the Springs last summer, in Briargate; New Hampshire-based Planet Fitness opened its seventh location in the greater area in December, in Old Colorado City; and Iron Wild Fitness, a local gym, opened downtown in May.

“… We really stand on the history of our brand, its diversity and inclusion, being able to walk into these four walls and … (face) no judgment. Our team members do an incredible job, and we’re looking for areas of opportunity. We have a philosophy and a mission that drives us, and I think that’s where we find ourselves setting a new standard, or creating a new community, if you will,” Goodsell said.

To learn more about Crunch memberships and lock in a membership rate, visit CrunchNorthColoradoSprings.com. The first 500 founding members will receive offers to join for $1 and get one month free, plus free Crunch swag, the news release said.

New members can lock in the “founders rate” while working out at the current location until the new one opens. 

The new Crunch North location is also giving away 10 free one-year memberships through its sweepstakes page. 

Fit Fusion was founded in 2024. It operates 18 clubs across the nation.