7:24 Fitness on the Rock

09/27/2026

7 YEARS. 💙

Over the last week, I’ve shared a lot of the 7:24 Fitness story.

From taking over Anytime Fitness…

To closing for 2 months during COVID…

To hauling weights to the riverfront…

To watching our group training grow and move from location to location…

To getting our own studio…

To knocking down walls, expanding into the old Verizon space and adding Red Light Therapy.

It’s been a journey. 😂

And there is NO WAY we’d be celebrating 7 years without the people who supported us along the way.

THANK YOU to those who trusted us during the transition from Anytime.

Thank you to everyone who stuck with us through COVID.

Thank you to those who followed our classes from building to building.

Thank you to our trainers and staff who have poured so much into this place.

And thank you to every person who has walked through our doors, referred a friend, shared a post or told someone about 7:24 Fitness.

An EXTRA thank you to those who have been here since DAY ONE. You’ve literally watched this place grow up. 💙

7 years of owning a small business has taught me that things rarely go exactly as planned.

You adapt.
You learn.
You keep building.

And that’s exactly what we plan to do.

So one final invitation…

If you used to be part of 7:24 but haven’t been through our doors in a while, COME BACK AND SEE US.

The door is always open.

Come say hi, take a tour and see how much has changed.

7 years down.
A LOT of memories.
A LOT of lessons.
One pandemic.
A couple knocked-down walls. 😂

And we’re still building.

Here’s to YEAR 8. 🙏💙

09/26/2026

Over the last several posts, we’ve shared how much 7:24 Fitness has physically changed.

We’ve moved classes.

Expanded our studio.

Knocked down walls.

Taken over the old Verizon space.

Added equipment and created more room in our free-weight area.

But our growth over these 7 years hasn’t just been about adding more SPACE.

It’s been about adding more ways to HELP PEOPLE.

Because getting healthier doesn’t start and stop with the hour you spend working out.

Training matters.

Nutrition matters.

Accountability matters.

Recovery matters.

And longevity matters.

That’s a big reason why one of our newest additions this year was our whole-body Red Light Therapy bed.

We wanted to bring another tool into our gym that could complement what our members are already doing, whether their focus is training, recovery, performance or simply taking better care of their bodies as they get older.

And just like expanding the gym, this wasn’t about adding something just to say we had it.

We wanted to invest in something we felt could add real value to the people we serve, so we found the BEST available!

When I think about the future of 7:24 Fitness, THAT is where I see us continuing to grow.

Not just more equipment.

Not just more square footage.

More ways to help people live stronger, healthier lives.

And after 7 years…

I still feel like we’re just getting started. 🙏

👇 So we'd love to hear from you:

What would YOU like to see us add next at 7:24 Fitness?

More equipment? Another service? A new class? Something completely different?

Drop your ideas below. You never know what Year 8 might bring. 👀

09/25/2026

As 7:24 continued to grow, we added members, added equipment and tried to make the most of every square foot we had.

But especially in our free-weight area, things got TIGHT. 😬

And I know we lost some members because of it.

That’s part of growing a business, you don’t always get everything right, and sometimes you simply outgrow what you have.

Moving all of our classes into our current studio in 2024 helped tremendously by opening up more room inside the main gym.

But we knew we still weren’t done.

Then the old Verizon space next door became available… 👀

And we saw an opportunity.

This year, we knocked down the wall, expanded into that space and completely changed the layout of the gym.

We were able to spread equipment out, create a MUCH larger free-weight area and give our members something we had wanted to give them for years:

MORE ROOM.

Looking around today, it might be the biggest transformation our main gym has gone through since we became 7:24 Fitness.

And we’re not finished improving it.

So today’s post is especially for someone who USED to be a member…

If you left 7:24 over the last few years because it felt too crowded, the free-weight area was too small, or you simply felt like you needed more space…

COME BACK AND TAKE ANOTHER LOOK. 👀

You don’t have to sign up for anything.

Stop in, say hi, walk through the gym and see what’s changed.

Because if it’s been a couple years since you’ve been inside 7:24 Fitness…

You might not recognize the place. 💙

And current members, tell us below 👇

What do you think has been the BEST part of the expansion and new layout?

09/24/2026

Yesterday we shared how COVID pushed our group training classes out of our tiny class area inside the gym and down to the riverfront.

But that was only the beginning.

As our classes continued to grow, we realized we needed something bigger and more permanent.

So began the 7:24 Fitness group training tour of the Sauk Valley. 😂

➡️ From the small class space inside the gym…

➡️ To workouts on the riverfront…

➡️ To a dance studio in Sterling…

➡️ To the Wheelock building…

➡️ And finally, in 2024, to our current studio on the south side of the building.

Every move happened for the same reason:

We needed MORE SPACE to help MORE PEOPLE.

Moving into our current studio was a huge step for us.

Not only did it give our group training program a space of its own, it also allowed us to move all of our classes out of the main gym and open up more room for our 24/7 members.

And when we look at our classes today, it’s pretty cool to think that this part of 7:24 grew from a handful of people squeezing into a little room, and eventually working out on the riverfront, to what it is today.

But our favorite part?

Some of you followed us through ALL OF IT. 💙

Different buildings.
Different setups.
Different seasons.

Same community.

So this is for our group training crew…

👇 Where did YOU first take a 7:24 class?

Main gym? Riverfront? Sterling? Wheelock? Or our current studio?

Drop it in the comments, and if you’ve followed us through multiple locations, we definitely want to hear how many! 😂

And if you’ve never tried one of our classes, maybe Year 7 is the year you finally come see what they’re all about. 💪

09/23/2026

Not exactly how you draw it up when starting a gym.

Not long after making the transition from Anytime Fitness to 7:24 Fitness on the Rock, COVID hit.

Gyms were shut down.

For 2 MONTHS, nobody could walk through our doors to work out.

As a small business owner, there were a lot of unknowns.

How long would this last?

What would happen to the gym?

Would everyone come back?

But sitting around waiting wasn't going to help anyone.

So we adapted.

Our group training program was still relatively small at the time, and the class space inside the gym was VERY limited.

So when we were able to start getting people together again, we took the workouts OUTSIDE. ☀️🏋️

We loaded up equipment and headed down to the riverfront.

And something pretty cool happened…

Our group training started to GROW.

What started as a solution to a problem ended up helping shape a huge part of what 7:24 Fitness would eventually become.

Looking back 7 years later, that season taught me a lesson that applies to a lot more than just business:

Things aren't always going to go according to plan.

Sometimes the obstacle forces you to find a better way forward.

And those riverfront workouts were just the beginning…

Because pretty soon, we were going to need A LOT more room. 👀

👇 Were you part of one of our riverfront workouts during COVID?

Drop a 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️ below or share one of your favorite memories from those workouts!

And if you have an old picture from one of those days, post it in the comments. I'd love to see how many we can dig up!

09/22/2026

🍎 RUN FOR A REASON! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

The Sauk Valley Apple C***r Run is back, and this year every mile helps support mental health in the Sauk Valley. Nick Pepper from 7:24 Fitness on the Rock and Andrew Jackson from Sinnissippi Centers join Nathan Stahr on Along the Rock to talk about the 5K, half marathon, Hope Series, and the Sinnissippi Centers CARES Fund.

📅 October 10
⏰ 8 a.m.
📍 Selmi's Greenhouse and Farm Market

Find out how you can run, support a great cause, and enjoy some fall fun! 🍎

Listen here: https://theradar.online/along-the-rock-s3-ep-189-run-for-a-reason-the-valley-apple-cider-run-supports-mental-health-in-the-sauk-valley/

***rRun

09/22/2026

09/22/2026

Before the expanded free-weight area…
Before the studio…
Before Red Light Therapy…
Before all the group training classes…

This was Anytime Fitness.

7 years ago, we took a pretty big leap and turned Anytime Fitness into 7:24 Fitness on the Rock.

It wasn’t just about changing the name on the building.

We wanted to create something that was OURS.

A local gym built around helping people get results through training, nutrition, accountability and a community that actually knows your name.

And like any big change, not everyone knew what to expect.

Some people stayed with us and have been here ever since. 💙

Others decided to move on during the transition.

But what’s crazy is that the 7:24 Fitness you see today is completely different from what we were able to offer back then.

We’ve learned.

We’ve grown.

We’ve added equipment, expanded our services and continued finding ways to create more space.

And we’re STILL working to make it better.

So here's my question…

👇 WHO REMEMBERS THE ANYTIME FITNESS DAYS?

Drop a 🙋‍♂️ or 🙋‍♀️ in the comments if you worked out here before it became 7:24!

And if you were a member back then but haven't stepped through our doors in years, this is your invitation to come back and check us out.

No pressure to join. Just stop in, say hi and let us show you how much this place has changed in 7 years.

You might not recognize it. 👀

09/21/2026

This month, 7:24 Fitness on the Rock officially turns 7 YEARS OLD!

And when we look around the gym today, it’s pretty crazy to think about just how much has changed since we started.

7 years ago, this was Anytime Fitness.

Since then…

We changed names and started building something of our own.

Not long after opening, COVID forced us to close our doors for 2 months.

We took our group workouts outside to the riverfront.

As those classes grew, we bounced from location to location looking for more space.

In 2024, we moved all of our classes into our current studio.

And this year, we knocked down another wall, expanded into the old Verizon space, created a MUCH bigger free-weight area and added Red Light Therapy as another way to help our clients with their health, performance and recovery.

There have been a LOT of changes over these 7 years.

But our mission has always remained the same:

Help people become stronger, healthier and more confident while giving them the tools, support and accountability to get results.

Over the next 7 days, we're going to share more of the story of how we got from where we started to where we are today, including some pictures that might bring back a few memories. 😂 7 posts for 7 years built on the Rock!

But today, we want to hear from YOU…

👇 How long have you been part of 7:24 Fitness?

Whether you’ve been here since the Anytime days, joined us somewhere along the way, or haven't been through our doors in years, drop a comment and tell us when you first started!

And if it’s been a while since you’ve been here, consider this your invitation to come back and see what 7 years of change looks like. 💙

7 years down, and we’re still building.