CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Two lifelong friends recently opened a fitness club inside Cincinnati’s iconic PNC Tower.

“I think downtown is becoming more and more residential,” said Eleven Fitness Club co-owner Nick Broerman. “They’re taking a lot of office buildings and converting those into apartments, so people need a place to work out. When we looked, there weren’t many options for people to go to. I think it appeals both to people living down here and working down here.”

The downtown skyscraper is one of Cincinnati’s most recognizable buildings. It was completed in 1913 and at the time, was the world’s fifth tallest building.

It is now being converted into nearly 300 apartments for the downtown area.

Broerman along with Ryan Davidson felt downtown Cincinnati could use a fresh approach to fitness.

Eleven Fitness Club’s group fitness classes feature high-intensity interval training.

The music is loud, the room is dark except for the neon accent lighting, and the training is efficient.

“It’s combining strength and cardio,” Davidson describes. “Where most classes in group fitness are focused on cardio, a lot running on the treadmill, a lot of rowing, we work the rowing in, the biking in sleds. So, you’re getting your cardio in short bites and we’re also adding in the strength component, which I feel is kind of lacking in group fitness.”

Broerman and Davidson say what is not in group fitness is the sense of community. Their club, they say, can offer a community that is broad.

“They’re going to find a really effective workout led by instructors who are trained to teach every fitness level,” Davidson says. “If you’re new to strength training or new to cardio or if you’ve been doing it for years and years and years, it’s going to appeal to both sets of people.”

Eleven Fitness Club also features an open gym, but these two fitness veterans say the group fitness classes may be a more effective way of spending your time.

“You come in here for an hour, you get a great cardio workout, you get a great strength workout,” Davidson explains. “You don’t have to figure out, ‘Hey, when am I going to fit in my run? When am I going to ride the bike,’ or whatever you like to do for cardio.”

Broerman and Davidson have known each other since elementary school, and now, the two best friends are business partners.

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