Hometown Fitness

Bay Strength and Fitness is everything you want a local fitness center to be: locally owned, experienced, and comfortable.
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- By Lisa Monti

Bay Strength and Fitness is a popular hometown gym and fitness center, locally owned and operated, where you can get a good workout at your own pace and take exercise classes in a friendly, comfortable setting. The experienced trainers and instructors at Bay Fitness are ready to help members get in shape and stay motivated to reach their fitness goal.

Zach Carver is the manager and co-owner of Bay Strength and Fitness, which was formerly Rah’s Gym. Rah Boughton is still involved in the operation, which Zach took over in January 2021.

Working out has been part of Zach’s life since he was in his teens, and owning a fitness center is something he’d always wanted to do. After taking ownership of the St. John Street gym, he and his family put in plenty of hard work to freshen up and modernize the facility. Everything was repainted, he said, “to brighten up the atmosphere and inject new energy so it felt more welcoming to everyone.”

In addition to his experience working in gyms and as a personal trainer, Zach brings a world of experience to his Karate classes for young students. He started taking classes when he was 10 years old and was assisting teachers at the age of 14. He has earned two black belts, trained in Japan and won national and international karate competitions in such places as Australia and Germany. Karate is a family activity - Zach’s mom, Jackie, dad, David, and brother, Jordan, all hold black belts in the sport. Jackie and Zach taught karate together, and now she works the front desk in the evening as “den mother” while Zach teaches his classes.

Bay Strength and Fitness has what Zach calls an extremely diverse clientele profile. “I teach karate classes to kids as young as four, and we have 95-year-olds in some of our group classes,” he said.

The gym is a favorite of local students from Bay High, St. Stanislaus, and Hancock High. It’s not unusual to see 10 or 15 students all working out together on some evenings. The gym is open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Bay Strength and Fitness has two popular instructors who offer group classes during the week. June Ledet teaches aerobics and Pilates Monday through Thursday at 9 am, and Suzanne Cotter teaches dance aerobics on Tuesday and Thursday at 8 am The classes have anywhere from four to 12 people, depending on the day.
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Zach’s karate classes are offered five days a week. Classes for students from ages 3 to 7 are held on Tuesday and Thursday at 4:30 pm. Students eight and older attend classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:30 pm.

“We try to create an easy-going, fun-feeling gym experience by making sure everybody feels comfortable and at home and that they’re achieving their goals,” Zach said. The owners know all of their customers, and all are greeted personally when they walk in the door. “It’s a very friendly, family-type environment,” said Jackie. “We know everyone’s name and probably know their families, too.”

Bay Strength and Fitness offers a flexible membership agreement rather than a contract. That’s good news for members who are out of town for weeks, or for transient workers and snowbirds who are in town for a month and want to take advantage of the gym.

Bay Strength and Fitness also accepts those who are covered by Silver Sneakers and by Active & Fit insurance.

Bay Strength and Fitness has a 6,000-square-foot traditional gym filled with treadmills, elliptical bikes, a stair stepper, and rowing machines for cardio workouts and also weightlifting equipment.

A one-of-a-kind feature at Bay Strength and Fitness is its 2,500-square-foot enclosed outdoor facility where members can train to perform daily living skills safely.

The covered outdoor space also is a perfect place for power-lifting coaches, personal trainers, and group instructors to hold classes and drills such as rope-climbing and tire-flipping.

“Ours is the only gym with traditional indoor facilities and an outdoor area for functional training,” Zach said. Members have access to both facilities.

The outdoor exercises are helpful for older folks who want to gain better mobility, but they are also beneficial for everyone, he said.

Bay Strength and Fitness also offers a tanning bed for members and a smoothie bar in the main gym. The 20-ounce smoothies don’t have additives or added sugar and come in simple flavors with protein powder, peanut butter, and frozen fruit for $5.

The basic individual membership at Bay Strength and Fitness is $30 a month and $360 for a year. A two-person membership is $50 a month, and the family rate for three is $60 a month. The monthly rate for students, military and first responders is $20.

Bay Strength and Fitness is offering a special summer membership bundle during June and July which includes karate classes and gym membership, so the whole family can work out at the same time.

 
Zach said the biggest reason people don’t stick with exercising is that they don’t see results quickly. But if they stay with it, the results keep them motivated to reach their goal. One high school student he worked with at the gym lost 60 pounds in a year. Another member, in his 50s, shed 25 pounds. “I love seeing these new success stories,” Zach said.
 
Bay Strength and Fitness 
546 St. John Street, Bay St. Louis
(228) 467-0064
baystrengthandfitness@gmail.com
Open 7 days/24 hours

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