Residents and workers in downtown Colorado Springs have a fresh workout option.

Iron Wild Fitness, 324 E. Pikes Peak Ave., officially opened on May 4 during the city’s Small Business Week. The gym features U.S.-made free weights, cardio machines and weight machines and a free movement space that founders Aaron Kaufman and Bonnie Rivera want to use for yoga and Pilates sessions.  

The two envision partnering with downtown hotels and businesses to provide a premium gym with flexible hours for residents, workers and visitors. The gym opens at 5 a.m. weekdays for the early birds, and closes at 11 p.m. on those same days for the night owls. On Saturday and Sunday, Iron Wild is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., the gym’s website said.

“Our goal is to be a great community gym for everybody,” Rivera said. “We want to know our members; we want to get to know them. … They’re part of us, and we’re part of them.” 

Downtown has at least two other gyms, the YMCA, and Fit365. Iron Wild’s owners hope a fresh take will help the gym stand out. Fresh, as in fresh air from being able to open a garage door, and a large bank of windows to let in natural light.

In their first weeks, Kaufman and Rivera said they’ve had the garage door open, bringing in the fresh air. On clear days, gym-goers can see Cheyenne Mountain and Pikes Peak, keying into one of the tenets of their business.

“We wanted something that would resonate with gym people and Colorado people,” Kaufman said.

“We want to incorporate the outdoors of Colorado into our gym,” Rivera added.  

Kaufman and Rivera attended Mitchell High School at the same time, but they said they didn’t know each other then.

What became Iron Wild Fitness started about three years ago, they said. The two met at Accolade Fitness on the city’s west side and began working on ways to open their own gym. At one point, even before Kaufman had a business plan, his real estate agent grabbed him and said, “Let’s go look at buildings.”  

“I was kind of taken aback,” he said. “He’s like, ‘We don’t have to buy it, let’s just go look.’ It was a series of different things, looking at different opportunities, and I’ve had these come up before, and it always ended for whatever reason.”  

But this time, one thing led to another, and the two were submitting paperwork needed to open a business and signing a lease for the new gym.

Iron Wild has two memberships. One is a $79 monthly rate, with a $49 enrollment fee and a $79 annual fee. First responders, educators and military personnel with a valid ID do not pay the enrollment fee and get a discounted monthly rate of $69. The annual fee still applies, according to the Iron Wild website.

The second option is an annual rate of $869.