Meet Your New Neighbor: Jaguar Strength & Conditioning Opens Second Location in Lemont Downtown
Each year, we resolve to become better people than before. For most of us, that includes a new fitness and wellness program. However, it can be hard to find the right program that challenges us yet, adapts to our current abilities, and allows us to find community with others.
Lemont Downtown is a wellness wave this year, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome another gym to the pack! We sat down with Matt Powles, founder of Jaguar Strength & Conditioning which just opened its second location in Lemont. As always, we couldn’t wait to sit down with Matt and learn more about Jaguar Strength.
Lemont, join us in welcoming your new neighbor!
KG: Welcome to Lemont! I know this is your second location in the Chicagoland area. I’m curious about how it all began. Can you tell me a little more about what inspired Jaguar Strength & Conditioning?
MP: Well, we opened in Chicago in December 2019…
KG: Oh no! I had a baby around then so I know where this is going.
MP: Yes! Perfect time to open up a gym. What could go wrong? However, we thankfully made it through Covid!
I didn’t have a background in the industry. I started CrossFit in 2013 which totally reshaped my view of physical fitness. I loved the challenges and the strength you can build. Everything was going great until I had multiple injuries. Once I was healed a bit from that, I started working out solo at East Bank Club – your standard gym with lots of equipment. You come in, do your thing, and go. I was working out on my own and after a while, I was bored. I started studying strength sciences and realized that it wasn’t part of CrossFit. I wanted to create a gym that combined strength sciences with a powerful community and trainers that were able to adapt workouts to help people meet their goals and adjust to their abilities.
KG: That’s a great way to make sure people don’t get injured and the community keeps them coming back!
MP: Exactly. For every new client/member that joins our gym, we set up a one-on-one consultation with myself. We’ll talk about your workout goals – which can be anything from weight loss, bench pressing 200 lbs to just gaining more strength and more endurance to get through your day and your life as a parent. We’ll review their skills, comfort levels, and review equipment. From there, we put you on a path to focus on where you want to be.
In addition to that focus session, we have a 4-session on-ramp which gives you all of the tools that you need to succeed in class. You’ll receive individualized attention which covers all of the movies, posture and positioning, and sets you up for success.
KG: Very nice! That’s a great way to avoid injury for someone who may be new to the gym or to benchmark someone who is hoping to advance their skills.
MP: Right on. In each of our classes, we have coaches who are trained to work with multiple people in one space. They know how to create a modification for every activity so that everyone in class can get a great workout in a really motivating, community setting.
KG: What kind of classes do you offer?
MP: We have personal training. Sometimes people will do that 4-week on-ramp and decide that’s a perfect route for them to work intensively one-on-one with a trainer. Beyond our cornerstone Strength & Conditioning class that’s built to offer challenging and fun workouts to athletes of all ability levels, we have a Pump & Sweat Bootcamp class that will be a woman-focused class offered in Lemont. We’re also excited to offer an Athlete Lab for student-athletes who are interested in increasing their athletic capabilities (coming late fall). It’s great for off-season and cross-training for kids and gets them into the world of a professional athlete in a supportive environment.
KG: That’s a great class schedule. When is the gym open?
MP: The facility is open 24/7. We’ll have a coach around from 4:30AM - 6:30PM and that’s when classes are offered. In the evening and early morning, members can drop in, work on whatever they want, and go. It’s great if people have alternative work schedules. We have a security system that allows us to see what’s going on and we’re happy that it works for our members.
KG: What else does the gym offer?
MP: We offer nutrition coaching out of our Chicago for our members in Lemont! The best part about Jaguar is that it’s for everyone and every goal. We’re focused on working with people who have goals and want to meet those. You’re ready to shop up, work hard, and push yourself to the next level. We have coaches that are ready to help you get there.
KG: Why Lemont for your next location?
MP: We’ve lived in Chicago for 10 years. My wife is from Plainfield and Lemont was always the great hangout spot with friends. With having our first kid soon, we wanted to be closer to family. I still go down to the Chicago location. Lemont is just so dreamy, with a community that has a diverse set of interests, we’re so happy to have our second location here.
KG: It’s the best community!
MP: Community is the root of everything. I’m happy to know everyone’s name in the gym. I know what they like to do and don’t like to do. We host a ton of events in and out of the gym which allows for members to get to know each other in and out of class.
When you’re in that hard workout or you are working towards your goal, it’s important that you can look at your coach or the person next to you and feel that motivation.
KG: That’s wonderful. Okay, last but not least, what is your favorite thing to do in Lemont?
MP: All of it! My wife and I are making an effort to try everything. We love Pollyanna Brewery for a quick drink, Wooden Paddle for date night, Corner Stone Tavern, and Folklore Coffee became my ‘office’ when we were renovating the building.
KG: All classics! Happy that you’re able to work your way through it. Where can someone go if they’re looking to get started?
MP: Visit www.jagfitchicago.com/ to set up a free consultation. We’ll have a chat and get you on the schedule for your one-on-one assessment!
