Profile: Vineyard Fitness Center

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Cardio, aerobics, weight training, body conditioning: Vineyard Fitness Center (VFC) has it all.

“I’ve been involved with fitness since I was 19 years old, and I’ve been training since I was 22,” said Brad Hill, owner of VFC. “I enjoy training with the weights and teaching people how to exercise the most. And the atmosphere here is great; we have ages ranging from 10 to 80 and everyone gets along great here. We’re like one big family.”

VFC is located in the space previously occupied by Triangle Fitness. “I bought the gym two years ago, and I used to own the Vineyard Fitness Center in Vineyard Haven. That one used to be called Fitness Firm, before I changed it to Vineyard Fitness Center and moved down to Edgartown,” Mr. Hill said.

VFC also offers many diverse classes for all levels of experience, including yoga, kick boxing, jiu jitsu, cardio, and more. “The most popular class is my high and low impact with weights every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,” Mr. Hill said.

VFC is also the home for other trainers and class instructors, such as Nisa Counter of NisaFit. “NisaFit and Vineyard Fitness Center are separate entities, but NisaFit operates through the fitness center,” said Ms. Counter. “The gym is clean, bright, and the people are just fantastic and the energy is really good and happy. I just recently moved there from the Mansion House, and Brad and I couldn’t be happier about working together.”

NisaFit offers cardio and aerobics classes through VFC. “We do vacation retreats, we work with yoga instructors, and personal training for groups and individuals, so we pretty much cover all facets of fitness,” she said. “My body conditioning class is the most popular, and starting June 1 I will be offering my NisaFit class. Brad covers the gym side of the center and I cover the aerobics side of it. It’s a good partnership.”

“Nisa and I have known each other for about 20 years. I’m glad that she’s here now. It’s about time, in my book,” Mr. Hill said. “We work great together, and she introduced me to my wife.”

The will to be fit often comes from personal goals, inspiration, and motivation. “It’s very natural for me to teach people. I like the feeling of helping people so that they can live longer, getting their confidence up, and motivating them to make life easier for themselves outside of the gym; because when they get confidence here they can use it when they leave,” Mr. Hill said. “My family is my inspiration: I have two beautiful girls and a wife. My wife is currently the regional high school’s girls JV basketball coach.”

As for future ambitions, Mr. Hill said, “I’d like the gym to grow more. I would like to buy a bigger space for everything that we offer.”

VFC is conveniently located at the Triangle in Edgartown. It offers one-, three-, and six-month rates, yearly rates, and special rates for seniors and students. For more information, call 508-627-3393, or go to vineyardfitness.com.

VFC Rates:

1-month: $75, students $65

3-month: $195, students $165

6-month: $375, students $300

1-year: $650, students $550

Caitlyn Clark, a senior at the MVRHS, is an intern at The Times.