Outdoor Fitness and Boutique Studios: The Evolution of In Motion Fitness

We’ve all heard of the benefits of journaling, of writing down our intentions, visualizing what we want to happen, and manifesting what we want in life. For Carl Sommer, the 19-year-old son of a dairy farmer in upstate New York, these written thoughts included a journal entry that said, “I’m going to open my own health club.” That note was the beginning of a journey that eventually led him to Chico where he opened In Motion Fitness in 1992 on little more than a shoestring budget. Luckily, what he lacked in resources he made up for in resourcefulness, determination, and a ceaseless work ethic. He also surrounded himself with plenty of talent, including his general managers Marie Phillips and Chris Conway. The business grew from its early years as a small gym of roughly half an acre to the expansive 6-acre premiere health club of today, and it continues to remain at the forefront of health, fitness, and design in Northern California.

Carl’s strong work ethic and determination to succeed began long before In Motion Fitness though. He grew up in a farming community, his dad a dairy farmer and his mother a stay-at-home mom. They lived in the downstairs level of a two-story house and rented out the upstairs portion. He shared a small bedroom with his two rowdy brothers. Carl’s entrepreneurship began early with a newspaper route, along with a lawn-mowing service in the summer, and snow shoveling in the winter. He graduated at the age of 19 from a junior college in Cobleskill, New York with a degree in business management and says he just wanted to put his love of athletics together with his business degree in some way. He moved to California and attended California State University Long Beach on a wrestling scholarship and then transferred to Chico State where he earned an additional degree in exercise physiology and a minor in nutrition. Once in California, he asked for his parents’ help one time to which they responded, “We’ll send you $200 to help with rent. If you call us again we’ll send you a bus ticket home.” Determined to succeed in Chico, Carl proceeded to work many part time jobs in order to pay his own way through college. He may have been your waiter at Freduccine’s, LaSalles, or even Swensons.

Marie smiles and says, “I love to tell his story to all the new hires so they understand they can do anything.” She first met Carl at Danz Aerobics in the early 80s when they both went through a training program with Tamilee Webb of Buns of Steel fame. Marie taught aerobics “through the big hair, headband, and leg warmer phase.” When Carl opened his first gym, The Body Shop, Marie was already very involved in another gym where she went from teaching aerobics to having a successful weight-management program, to eventually managing, and finally becoming a partner in the business. After 20 years, and the retirement of her partners, Marie called Carl to accept the job he had offered her previously, saying, “I’m not ready to retire yet.” She’s been with In Motion for almost 22 years. In addition to her general manager duties, she also teaches spin classes, cross training, and is a personal fitness trainer.

Chris Conway was on the coaching/teaching track in college at Humboldt State and an avid tennis player as well. He began working at a tennis club in Redding as an assistant tennis pro before moving up to a management position. He says, “I’m in this business because I like helping people. We really change a lot of people’s lives.” Following his move to Chico, Chris started working at In Motion in the facilities department and then made his way up to general manager.

The concept of fitness and how best to go about achieving it has evolved over the past 31 years since In Motion first opened. The club’s class offerings, management perspective, and facility design have changed to accommodate this growth in the understanding of health. Marie shares that the emphasis used to be “cardio, cardio, cardio,” and that it’s really taken a turn to include weight and resistance training. In response, In Motion shifted to add more varied and balanced offerings with over 550 free classes available with membership. These include barre classes, aquatic classes, yoga, PiYO, and spin classes in their Galaxy Cycle Studio complete with neon lights, mirrored disco balls, and Millenium Falcon stage. Chris says, “There’s definitely more strength training now. It was more class-oriented back then, and now it's very individualized with people grabbing their own spot and doing their own thing.” In response to these changes, In Motion increased the number of resistance training machines, personal training options, and open workout areas. They have over 10 boutique studios tucked into different areas of the club. Each one has a different ambiance with some being more private than others, offering ample opportunities to grab your equipment and do your own individual workout if you’d like. For instance, The Sky Room situated on the second floor overlooking the pool is equipped with treadmills and recumbent bikes surrounded by blue sky and palm trees. While Southside Fitness is a twostory rainforest vibe room with a climbing wall, peg board, kettlebells, and ropes. The newest boutique studio in the works is a speakeasy-themed room complete with a ‘secret’ enshrouded entrance and art paying homage to speakeasies around the world, from Paris to New Orleans.

The demographics at In Motion have changed as well. Marie explains that in the beginning, she had to pull the first group of women into the weight room with the guys. Now, she says, “When you go out to the weight room floor, there are just as many women as men working out there.” For those who may not feel comfortable working out in the main workout rooms, there’s a women’s only boutique area in the locker room with an assortment of equipment for use. Carl speaks to the age shift happening as well, pointing out that the number of teenagers and younger kids working out has definitely increased. He thinks this is in part due to the influence of social media. “This age group is working out in health clubs more than any other teenage group before. It is truly a phenomenon going on right now, and these kids are going to get comfortable working out in a health club and have that for the rest of their lives.” The club offers InMo Fit Teen in their personal training studio, a class focused on functional fitness for teenagers and InMo Youth Fit aimed at 8-12-year-olds with “age-appropriate weightlifting and gymnastics.”

Yet another emerging trend that Carl sees is the concept of outdoor fitness. When Covid hit, they moved a lot of their weight and cardio machines outside under tents to allow people to work out safely. After the pandemic, they discovered a lot of members enjoyed lifting weights and working out poolside. He says, “Now we have an extraordinary selection of outdoor fitness opportunities.” Outdoor weight rooms, open-air boutique studios like the Venice, California-inspired Muscle Beach, and the track with its hidden pockets of fitness equipment are some of the ways the club is embracing this change. The club will be expanding its outdoor areas in the future with an addition to the track and two more buildings around the pool areas. The buildings will be the same neo-Mediterranean style as the existing facade and will have sun decks on the top floors; second floors full of glass-windowed studios, and open breezeways with workout machines for the bottom floors.

Throughout the evolution of the club, one thing remains the same, the importance of its members. Marie says, “There isn’t anything that feels better than seeing people come in and get more fit and healthier. They feel better and they’re happier; it’s very exciting to witness and be a part of.” In Motion hopes to continue to help thousands more people attain their health and fitness goals with their caring and passionate team as they continue to expand and embrace fitness.

If you’re looking to discover the healthiest and most fit version of yourself, visit In Motion Fitness for a tour of the resort-like campus at 1293 E. 1st Ave in Chico. You can also head to their website at www.inmotionfitness.com or Instagram to keep up to date on all their exciting planned additions, class schedules, and so much more!