Al Sabedra was in his mid-twenties, working for Ford Motor Company, raising one son with his wife when he realized what his true calling was supposed to be.
It happened one day walking into a new gym on his way to sign up for a membership.
“I honestly believe it was a God moment,” he claimed.
He realized he did not want to join a gym, instead he was going to own one.
“This is what I’m supposed to do,” he realized. “I had never had that before. I just knew at that moment.”
In 1995, Sabedra opened Classic Bodyworks Gym, located in the Meadows Shopping Center in Portage. Since day one, the gym has provided babysitting services, group classes, cardio, and weight machines. From day one, the gym has remained the same. The Zumba workout may be new, he said laughing, but Classic has remained just that, classic.
Sabedra moved his family to Chesterton from Chicago when he was 28. Within two years of opening the gym, he had an established a body building mecca, focused on the clean, old-school way of working out. As a bodybuilder himself, Sabedra knew what he wanted for his business.
“I pretty much stuck to bodybuilding, weightlifting, some powerlifting. We were always just basic and that has worked for us,” he said. “My beliefs are about bodybuilding being for health and longevity. You are taking care of your body, not harming your body and that’s where weight training started.”
Walking into the gym, black and white photographs of the pioneers adorn the walls. Each one is a picture of the weightlifters, the track stars, the boxers: athletes doing nothing but sporting their passion.
When he started there was no Cross Fit, no Zumba, pilates or yoga sessions. Even personal training was non-existent till about 20 years ago, he explained. Sabedra has made two large renovations to the gym, one quadrupling the cardio and weight equipment and expanding the gym by 2,000 square feet, and the other, made in the past month, was a complete renovation of the locker rooms. Now, trainers are pushing members to the next reps and instructors are yelling out moves for the HIT class.
It is still the health-focused, “brotherhood of irons” weight gym, but with a modern touch.
“We are in a good spot now, but we will always try to make good improvements to the gym,” he said. “We’ve got goals. All the time I’ve got a list of goals I’m shooting for.”
One goal, an easy one and the most important for Sabedra, is to uphold the gym’s concept, the same concept it was written that day in 1995.
“To be honest, I believe it has always been the same: ‘Friendly, clean, good customer service, treat members right, and members always come first,’” he said. “It sounds corny, but it is true.”
In addition to physical fitness, Sabedra offers mental and spiritual training with his weekly Friday night service. Hizstrength, a short worship service, began about eight years ago and is led by Sabedra.
“We welcome everyone. It is about giving glory to Jesus Christ,” he said. “It is small, genuine, and come as you are. People come in workout gear or off the street.”
As the owner of a gym, Sabedra notices the people who are struggling with something, trying to ignore the problem for an hour on the treadmill.
“It hurts my heart when people are struggling,” he said. “Divorce, addictions, losing a job, I have seen it all. God has put it on my heart to reach out and let them know there’s hope.”
In 1995, he didn’t know down which path the dream of owning a gym would take him, but today, he looks back and realizes that it didn’t matter.
“Now I know God had it all planned. All along he had my path laid out and I just needed to follow,” he said.
Each week, he comes to the gym, working alongside his son Lucas Sabedra, the operational manager and talks with his wife who manages the billing and fees.
He welcomes the newcomers and high-fives the ones he sees everyday, building a healthier lifestyle in his gym.
“My heart and soul for Classic has never changed,” he said. “I have always believed in this gym. The love and passion I have for this business is the same as I had day one, now just 21 years later.”