Did you know that Johnson is home to a place where you can beef up your physique? In this episode of Naturally NWA, I’m going to take you to Ozark Iron Gym right here in Johnson. We’ll meet with gym owner and trainer Will Anthony to learn more about what this awesome workout space has to offer.
Pump It Up
If you’re looking to sculpt your guns, Ozark Iron Gym has the best equipment to sculpt them. Will Anthony is the owner of Ozark Iron Gym, which has been open for about 5 years. Working in the industry, Will felt like the gyms in the area at the time weren’t really encapsulating what the community wanted or needed: a gym with an old-school feel. He thought he could do better, and so he took the plunge.
I’ve been working out at Ozark Iron Gym for a little over a year and a half, and I can verify that Will has achieved his goal. I can’t say enough great things about the facility and staff. When you ask one of the staff a question, they’re very knowledgeable about proper form and technique. They know all the stuff that a gym person should know.
This is an important part of why Ozark Iron Gym is such a great place to be. It’s important that members feel comfortable in the gym with the equipment and everything they have available to them. A key component is that the staff is right there with them, wants them to do better, and wants to help them achieve their goals in the gym. Will helps members with this by directing them to the right person or right exercise.
Specialty Equipment And Community
So what makes Ozark Iron different from the other gyms that people can join around here? The first is the specialty equipment that they have. Certain bars and unique pieces allow them to be sports-specific, not only for powerlifting and bodybuilding but Olympic lifting as well.
Another great aspect of this gym is the community. You’re going to get experience at Ozark Iron that you’re not going to get anywhere else. This is because you’re going to have men and women that are on a different level of their training in where they want to compete—along with their mindset. It’s a great way for gym members to feed off each other, regardless of where they are in their fitness journey.
Ozark Iron’s great community atmosphere will drive you that much harder to get to your goals. If you’re trying to find your way but are struggling with your programming, there’s going to be somebody to help pick you up.
Smashing Weights
When I joined Ozark Iron Gym, I had come from one of those corporate gyms. While I’m not the strongest or most bulked-up dude around, I ran out of enough free weights in those corporate gyms and wasn’t able to do the workouts that I wanted. I started out as a beginner and progressed to the point where I was at the capacity of what I could do at the corporate gym.
When I came to Ozark Iron, I felt like I went right back to the bottom of what’s possible for my workout—which is great. Everyone has to start somewhere, and taking your workouts to the next level can make exercise feel new and exciting again. It’s a place where you can absorb knowledge and benefit from all the equipment available.
Corporate gyms are often cardio-focused; there are a million treadmills and TVs everywhere. That’s not the focus at Ozark Iron Gym. There’s not a single TV, so if you’re interested in watching Divorce Court, you’re not going to do it while working out here. What you will find is loud music and smashing weights—which is exactly what Will thinks a gym should be.
A New Location
Ozark Iron Gym just moved to a new location a few months ago. For those who went to the old location, the biggest difference is the new showers and locker rooms. There’s also functioning HVAC, allowing members to keep going without it getting too warm in the summer. While it’s still going to be hot, Will is going to be able to regulate it a lot better than at the previous location.
The quality of the building’s structure, bigger space, and improved layout makes it a great option. With additions and more potential, the only way is up. There’s even a separate room just for heavy lifting and deadlifting, with platforms, bumpers, and specialty bars for Olympic lifting, deadlifting, and more.
Keeping this equipment in its own room benefits members for a few reasons. At the old gym, it was sometimes difficult for people to know the difference between the bars without making their way around the gym. This helps people avoid doing the wrong thing or injuring themselves using the wrong bar. It also keeps people happy with having all the stuff in one place, allowing them to pick it up and go.
Personal Training
The gym offers a variety of ways to get fit and prepare for competitions. For example, they have a Monolift and a competition bench, allowing members to practice for competitions and meets they might have coming up. Additionally, Ozark Iron Gym has personal trainers here—with a key difference.
What’s cool about their personal trainers is that they work independently, setting their own price points. The trainers simply pay Will to operate out of the gym. Most gyms also usually take a percentage of the pay, which ends up hurting not only the trainer but the client as well. This makes the prices super high and the training cost a ton. However, Will and his team don’t do any of that.
Members can just reach out to the trainer directly or reach out to Ozark Iron’s staff. They’ll get you in touch with the trainers, and the two of you can set something up that works between both parties. With three trainers to choose from—Audrey, Zach, and Lucas—you can get the experience that fits your goals.
Nutrition Advice
One thing that I’ve learned through my journey is that working out is only a small part of it. A huge percentage of making changes to your body starts with nutrition. Will makes sure that this is part of the deal for most of his clients. Of course, eating healthy foods doesn’t mean that fried foods are off-limits.
Personal training is nice because you have somebody that’s giving you something to do that you don’t have to think about it. All you have to do is follow it, and this breeds better results. If you’re doing half the work, you’re going to get half the result. If you’re doing all the work, you’ll get better results.
Membership Fees
So if you’re looking to make Ozark Iron Gym your home, what can you expect to pay to be a member? Is there a contract to sign? Thankfully, Ozark Iron is very straightforward with its prices. Membership costs are readily accessible on their website and social media, with no smoke and mirrors hiding hidden fees.
With a one-year commitment, prices to attend the gym are $40 a month. If you prefer an open monthly contract, that price is just $55 a month. This means you can go monthly and simply let the gym know if you’d like to stop; there’s no cost to quit. With the one-year commitment, there’s a $60 opt-out option to end the year early.
Additionally, the enrollment fee will also never be more than $20 to sign up. If anything, it will be less than that.
Start Working Out Today
I hope this gave you a good idea of everything that Ozark Iron Gym has to offer. If you’re interested in taking your health and fitness to the next level this year, make this gym your spot. It’s located on Johnson Mill Boulevard right off Interstate 49. If you have any questions, you can also reach out to Ozark Iron Gym via email or Instagram and Will will help you get started.
Thank you for watching another episode of Naturally NWA, my show all about living in Northwest Arkansas. If you’d like to have your business featured on a future episode of the show, feel free to reach out to me and I’ll be happy to connect with you!