Bungee Body offering one giant, gentle leap for Pueblo fitness

Puebloans who want to workout but avoid gyms that make them feel uncomfortable are giving the new Bungee Body business a try. 

“A lot of people don’t want to go to gyms because they feel like they are on display, so this is a good alternative to a regular gym,” said Lindy Morgan, who cofounded Bungee Body with the help of her sister Shelly Grotkop. “It's a more intimate place for people to come and you don’t feel like you are under a microscope.” 

The business opened Monday at 1400 Santa Fe Drive, Suite E.  

At Bungee Body, each participant is attached to a bungee cord with a harness. The cords are attached to a steel beam in the ceiling so as the class takes on leaps, squats or jumping jacks the bungees help alleviate up to 70% of the impact on the joints. 

For Morgan, who severely dislocated her right knee 20 years ago and still feels problematic twinges, the less impact on her joints the better. 

“It's a gentler way of getting back into exercise and it’s a great way to exercise for people like me. But it is also just fun for anyone,” she said. 

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'This is something totally different'

Among new clients trying the business Wednesday was Roger Wolther, 67, who jokingly referred to himself as the “token male” in the class. 

“This is something totally different than I've ever done, but I’ve spent my life running and hiking,” he said. “As I get older, I can’t go out and run 10 miles like I used to and this gets the weight off the joints.” 

Wolther said the class was fun, but harder than he anticipated in terms of trying to match instructor Nicole Clementi’s steps. Clementi told the class she used to be a cheerleader.

Wolther said he anticipates more men will try the class. 

“When I first got into yoga, it was 80% female and 20% males and now it’s probably 50/50. I see this going the same way,” he said. 

“It’s nice to see something new and people giving it a shot,” Wolther said. 

Morgan decided to start the business at the urging of a friend who convinced her it was time to open her own business. Morgan moved to Pueblo six months ago from the San Francisco Bay area of California where she worked with several startup businesses and on venture capital projects connecting business owners with investors. 

“When my friend suggested the bungee business, I thought she was talking about bungee jumping,” Morgan said with a laugh. 

But the new form of exercise, which has yet to take off in Colorado like it has in other states like Oklahoma, is comparable to water aerobics in offering a good workout without the jolting on the knees, hips and ankles. 

Bungee Body is offering introductory classes which participants can take for, “the rest of their lives,” or opt to move up into harder classes where moves are more complicated, faster and intense, Morgan explained.  

There’s never more than 10 people in a bungee class and classes are offered 25 to 30 times a week. So far, six instructors are trained and ready to lead the workouts. 

The team trained at a bungee studio in Utah and although the Bungee Body system is based off the setup there, “We’ve made it a little more fine tuned. Everything is double safety — there are two cords and two straps on the harnesses,” Morgan said. 

Morgan even offers bungee parties for those 18 and older, which include use of the lounge at the back of the studio. Morgan also plans to offer yoga and Zumba classes, senior classes, disco nights and more. 

Options include single classes for $25, packages of five classes for $89 or 10 classes for $149. Right now, customers can book introductory classes online at thebungeebody.com.

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Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.