The growth of home fitness is helping ArkLaTex businesses in a big way

By Web Staff

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    SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (KTBS) — “If it wasn’t for this fitness section, I wouldn’t have my house,” said Rob Webster, Owner of Play It Again Sports in Shreveport.

Webster is a busy man. When he’s not on duty for the Shreveport Police Department he’s been answering non-stop fitness questions from customers at his Play It Again Sports on 70th Street in Shreveport.

Like many business owners the Covid Pandemic forced him to shut the doors for nearly five months. Slowly but surely shoppers started coming back, but they were all looking for one thing – fitness equipment.

“Everything shut down. When restaurants and non-essential businesses shut down, we had to shut down. It was three months before things started to open up under the fitness pretense. We started working with a lot of doctors who would send PT (physical therapy) patients up here,” said Webster.

That small section of his store proved to be a saving grace for his business. According to Rob’s research in the two months since reopening the fitness section shattered records and was made possible thanks to a local connection.

Webster added, “we were actually lucky enough to team up with X-Mark Fitness equipment who is a local Shreveport company actually. They’re here and sell nothing but commercial grade fitness equipment.”

The move turned out to be a win-win. X-Mark is company that specializes in all things heavy is centered right here in Shreveport. The company was able to supply the store with everything his customers were looking for.

LexMark was even able to help him out with some hard to find items like this squat bar, said to be the Rolls-Royce model. Those using it can flip the grips to what feels best and get to lifting.

With certain Covid protocols still in effect, the personal home fitness business is expected to continue to boom, something that’s making health officials happy.

Craig Alger of Willis Knighton Health System told KTBS, “it’s incredibly important, especially during the pandemic. One thing we’re seeing is that Covid 19 isn’t the only thing contributing to people’s health decline. With everything shutting down, staying in and getting very little physical activity does as well. We’ve seen quite a bit of weight gain and people losing their ability to get out and do the things they want to do.”

So Whether you decide to stack the plates, or just toss a few dumbbells around in the garage, just having fitness equipment around may entice you to get healthier.

“Chemically our body is in a better mood when we exercise more frequently. When our body is chemically in a better mood, typically we are mentally as well,” said Alger.

If you’re just starting a new workout, it’s always a good idea to speak with a health professional to see what routine is best for you.

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