Commit, Train, Live: New fitness studio opening at LFHS

LIVERMORE FALLS – The motto of the owners of Training Floor Fitness, who will hold a grand opening at their new location Saturday, is “commit, train, live.”

According to owner Betsy Mancine, the third word is the important one.

“Fitness is not your life,” Mancine said, standing in the partially-renovated space inside the Livermore Falls High School’s old shop class. “We want people to feel success at whatever they do, and then the point is to go out there and live.”

Training Floor Fitness tries to keep things simple. Thirty minute classes, offered all day to fit around different schedules. A wide variety of programs including Les Mills workouts, TRX suspension training and Zumba.

“There’s a place for everybody here,” Mancine said.

Mancine co-owns Training Floor Fitness with her husband, Dominic Mancine. The two are working to renovate the LFHS’s old shop room at 25 Cedar Street, a project they largely expect to complete this weekend.

“You wouldn’t believe what this place looked like,” Betsy Mancine said, looking around the 2,500 square foot space. When they first arrived, she joked, they had no idea the floors had been painted red.

After signing the lease, the Mancines had just five weeks to turn the property around. Thankfully, they could call upon family and friends to help. They’ve been running classes at a much smaller space in Jay for the past one and a half years and have an extremely loyal clientele; out of one class of 22, Mancine noted, 15 showed up to help renovate the new space.

The sawdust has been swept out, the new floors arrived Thursday and the stage is going in next. The Mancines are looking to retain some of the old shop and woodworking class accoutrements to create an industrial theme to pay homage to the space’s original use. They said they were looking forward to having extra space for classes, which they and another eight instructors teach.

“We’re looking forward to taking everything we’ve learned and bringing it together,” Betsy Mancine said.

They’ve learned quite a bit: Betsy has more than 20 years of experience in teaching fitness. She worked through college at the University of Maine at Farmington at the fitness center, the American Lung Association and led Les Mills International programs. She eventually began working for the New Zealand-based fitness program, doing marketing research.

Dominic Mancine is an electrical engineer. After Betsy and Dominic married, he attended a conference on fitness programs with her and got hooked. They opened Training Floor Fitness in Jay 18 months ago, moving the Livermore Falls High School after they outgrew their space.

Training Floor Fitness offers a wide variety of programs for customers that range from beginners looking for an early morning workout to experienced fitness vets. They have a number of Les Mills offerings–BODYPUMP, BODYATTACK, CXWORX, GRIT and BODYVIVE–as well as TRX suspension training programs that utilize ropes and webbing. Another popular offering is the Zumba dance fitness program.

Those interested in the program don’t need to have a specific plan, Betsy Mancine said; part of Training Floor’s job was to fit would-be customers into the correct program. Many classes are about 30 minutes, running from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m., and meeting an average of two or three times a week.

“The point [of fitness training] is to enhance whatever it is you do,” Betsy Mancine said. “It shouldn’t need to take over your life.”

Training Floor will be offering free classes this week, running up to its grand opening event on Saturday, Oct. 29. It’s recommended that attendees signup to reserve a spot, and they will need to sign a waiver prior to working out.

The grand opening will run from 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., concluding with a potluck BBQ which will be free and open to the public. The Training Floor instructors will be on hand to provide demonstrations and there will be giveaways.

Training Floor can be contacted by either calling 207-578-4421, emailing them at dbmancine@gmail.com or visiting their Facebook page, located here.