Rome wasn't built in a day, but a new gym will be with a shout of coffee and some good energy.
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Partners in both business and life, Orange's One Strength gym owners, Raz and Lyle Davis were on the move this week.
Trainer and co-owner of Orange's One Strength gym, Lyle Davis was at Molong's emerging Downtown Fitness gym assembling equipment on Thursday. Picture by Heba Elkurdi.
But it's got nothing to do with them, their business or even their own clients - it's all about helping Molong's Downtown Fitness get safely off the ground.
"There's not very much I'm good at, but building gym equipment is one of them," Mr Davis said.
"Certain pieces are different and there's heaps to consider when you're setting up to get it all moving well, so I like to think of it as 'gym shui'.
"It's got to make sense to [gym-goers] and it's a pretty big task to knock over alone."
Record floodwater (literally) washed away Ms Elkurdi's lower Bank Street business away nearly nine months ago.
Molong's Downtown Fitness gym owner, Heba Elkurdi in the all-new and emerging Bank Street space. Picture by Emily Gobourg.
Word of her all-new gym site reached One Strength through a shared colleague, with the revamped space under the pump for its official August 11 launch.
On the Downtown Fitness doorstep at 10am on July 27, Mr Davis arrived with "a toolbox and two bags".
There's not very much I'm good at, but building gym equipment is one of them.
- One Strength's Lyle Davis helps Molong's Downtown Fitness gym.
In the midst of One Strength's own renovations back in Orange, he'd quietly assembled three key pieces of large equipment in Molong by lunchtime.
"Different gyms are good at different things and as a whole, the fitness community is just better when we all work together," Mr Davis said.
"Just speaking with Heba [Elkurdi], you can tell she's extremely passionate about what she does and no one deserves to be out of action like that for almost a year.
"The set-up here is going to be great, so we're just happy to even be one small part of it like this."
Molong's Heba Elkurdi stands in front of the all-new Downtown Fitness doors, with launch set for August 11, 2023. Picture by Emily Gobourg.
Ms Elkurdi said having safe, comfortable, and secure equipment is an invaluable help in the lead-up to launch, with the process forming a close bond between her and the Davis couple,
"Our values all align and it makes a huge difference when you've got people in your corner who just get it," she said.
"Even knowing how tough the set-up is and how much energy it takes, all Lyle [Davis] asked for in return was a coffee."
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