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BUSINESS FOCUS | "Limited time, maximum gain"

Frank Adamson's Kwik Fit routine caters to busy people Ask Frank Adamson what effect COVID grey-lockdown had on his personal fitness business on Highway 20, and he’ll answer in one word. “Devastating.
Frank Adamson on the MedX chest press machine. DON RICKERS

Frank Adamson's Kwik Fit routine caters to busy people

Ask Frank Adamson what effect COVID grey-lockdown had on his personal fitness business on Highway 20, and he’ll answer in one word.

“Devastating.”

Kwik Fit Niagara has been closed for all of January and February, and just opened up again when Niagara went to the red zone on March 1.

He received $10,000 in provincial business grants during the pandemic, he said, which has “kept my head above water.”

Thankfully, his bookings are filling up. He had 65 clients prior to the lockdown, and said, “Pretty much everybody that I had onboard has been coming back, so that’s a good thing.”

His clients train once a week using MedX resistance machines under Adamson’s strict instruction. The foundation of Kwik Fit is the “Body by Science” program developed in 2009 by American doctor Doug McGuff, based on strength training principles popularized in the 1970s by Arthur Jones, the founder of Nautilus. The program involves high-intensity exercise using heavy weight, and very slow motion.

“They're in for about 15 minutes on six machines. Done, recoup, recover, come back the next week, repeat. That's it, essentially,” said Adamson.

A single session is $40, but most clients sign up for packages of 15 sessions for $450. Adamson has a special offer for new potential clients of three free orientation sessions/workouts.

His client base includes surgeons, crown attorneys, lawyers, small business owners—busy people who can’t spend an hour and a half in the gym three times a week, but still want to keep fit.

A career paramedic and hospital administrator with no formal background in kinesiology, Adamson started the business ten years ago in his retirement. A long-time member of the YMCA, he had taken personal training courses they offered. He later discovered the Body by Science program, and was hooked. He also has a stake in a Kingston Kwik Fit gym which his nephew operates.

All workouts are by appointment, and most clients come weekly on the same day, at the same time.

“I have a lot of golfers, some tennis players, a few basketball types. They are keen to build their muscles, joints, tendons, and ligaments, so they can do the things they enjoy,” said Adamson.

The biggest issue we face as we age is the inevitable wasting and loss of muscle, said Adamson, and inactive adults can add a pound of fat annually. Compounded over the years, this can lead to a significant loss in functional ability, and a host of serious health issues. By using what he asserts are the scientifically proven techniques of Body by Science, Adamson says his clients achieve a more efficient metabolism, a reduction in body fat, increased strength, enhanced cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, increased bone density, improved flexibility, and resistance to injury.

A veteran of the Boston Marathon, Adamson professes to be more of a long-distance runner than a cyclist, but on his bike he has logged tens of thousands of kilometres, and raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity. Four years ago, he and pal Larry Boggio cycled from Toronto to Miami, Florida, and raised some $30,000 for Wellspring Niagara. Adamson and his fellow Rotarians also cycled around Lake Ontario three times for Wellspring, raising $230,000.

In addition to his charitable work with Wellspring and the Rotary Club, Adamson has been involved with Heart Niagara, the United Way, Niagara Community Foundation, and was a founder of Niagara Mudfest, which raises money for Pelham Cares.

His legendary volunteerism earned Adamson the Fonthill Kinsmen’s 2018 Citizen of the Year award.