When you discover your Club, you discover your confidence at the gym and whole new way to live.

“I planned to just hide in the treadmills.” Emily discovers confidence at the gym through community.

After Emily Hannah delivered her second child, she dealt with intense postpartum depression. Her therapist recommended among other treatments, joining a gym and making exercise a part of her daily routine. She was ready to try anything, but did not have confidence at the gym.

“I took her advice, but I was still nervous to walk into a gym,” says Emily. “I had never considered myself a gym person and lacked a lot of confidence. I planned to just hide in the treadmills and not talk to anyone.”

She thought her mental health may improve, but only at the high cost of low energy and sore muscles. “The opposite turned out to be true!”

“I had more energy than ever…” Emily discovers confidence at the gym through guidance.

Emily joined just before the start of Courthouse’s regular fitness challenge, 31YOU. 31YOU incentavizes members to move consistently, improve their eating habits, and jump into one Courthouse two training formats, Spartan and Performance.

“Training is where I discovered I actually was a gym person,” says Emily. Her experience with Trainers and other members dramatically increased her confidence at the gym.

“When I first started, I couldn’t do a push-up,” she says. “But they had a step-by-step plan for me and slowly and surely I continued to improve, get stronger, and find my confidence.”

And rather than losing energy, Emily actually gained it by consistently moving. “I have more energy than ever now that I’m exercising. I can chase my two boys and even find myself thinking of new ways we can all be outside together, having adventures. I would never have done that before!”

“Gym time is my time.”

“As the parent of NICU baby, you are very terrified to even let them leave the house,” says Emily. “So, when I thought about trusting my kids with the staff in Kid’s Court, I was pretty nervous.”

It was vital for Emily, though, to have time she could devote to improving her own health. And even though she was nervous to let them go, Emily’s two kids are actually eager for their time in Kid’s Court. “Once we get there, they both say peace out, Mom and run in,” she says.

“I know how scared and nervous I was,” Emily recalls. “But now I am always trying to get to where I am, because I feel so good and I want to everyone to feel that way.”

From Courthouse President Drew Baker…

I was raised on the Western Christian high school campus, which meant I had unlimited access to a basketball court. Basketball was my favorite sport, so I played it as often as possible–organized teams, random pick-up times, and games of HORSE and knock-out. After I graduated high school, I got a job at the front desk at Courthouse and continued to play as much as I could. 

But by age 25, I already had three kids and a position with more responsibility and time commitments at Courthouse. My days of playing basketball were behind me. 

Or so I thought. 

As the world reopened in 2020, I was more anxious than ever to find ways to do stuff. I needed to make something happen. So I texted every friend I had (and even some basic strangers) and started a new group of older guys (mostly dads) who run the court at least two to three times a week. The group of thirty or so players has changed over time, but the game has been running consistently for almost four years. 

On that same group text thread, we half-jokingly confirm the next day’s game by saying,, “Ball Is Life.” 

Why do I tell you this? Even though I joke that the ball is life, the real value of this four-year experience has my community with my fellow players. Human connection is life. A study out of UC Berkeley states that “ social connection is so hard-wired into human behavior that it makes sense that our relationships (or lack thereof) significantly influence our well-being. In fact, connection and community can be just as important to physical and mental health as exercise and healthy eating.”

I’m a part of many small “clubs” within the larger Courthouse Club. I’m in an Old Dude Basketball Club, a Cycling Club, a Squash Club, a Weigh Lifting Club, and more. Wherever community exists and people are connecting, that is a Club, and it is immensely valuable. 

I’m most proud of one of the things we do here at Courthouse: We facilitate clubs, which are how people get and stay connected. 

If you need to discover your club, we can help. 

Since 1977, Courthouse Club Fitness has been the home for simple and fun in Salem and Keizer. Our five health club locations serve thousands of individuals and families living all around the Willamette Valley, with high-quality, welcoming facilities and programs like pools, childcare, swimming lessons, strength equipment, sauna and steam rooms, jiu jitsu, coffee, and the widest selection of group exercise classes of any gym in the area.

View Courthouse membership options.

Our First-Ever Tournament for the Courthouse Pickleball Community

The pickleball community continues to grow at Courthouse. We decided it was about time we hosted our own set of tournaments. One tournament will be for beginner pickleballers and another will be for advanced players.

To make this first-ever event even most enticing, we’ve included lunch from West Salem’s own Xicha and drinks from Oregon Beverage Services.

Pints and Paddles Pickleball Tournament

April 6th at the West Salem Courthouse: $30 per team

Free Drop-In Beginners Pickleball Clinic: 9:00AM to 9:30AM

Beginners Division Tournament: 10:00AM to 12:30PM

Advanced Division Tournament: 1:30PM to 4:00PM

At Courthouse, we love see people come together to enjoy fun and simple activities. Pickleball is perfect because it so accessible for new players. Plus, it gives players opportunities to compete, grow, and improve. If you have ever looked into our court areas on most mornings, you know the range of ages, skills, and temperaments in extremely wide within the Courthouse pickleball community.

An event like Pints and Paddles has been years in the making as the sport in general and the Courthouse pickleball community in particular has grown.

If you cannot make it to the Pints & Paddles tournament and would like to venture into the the Courthouse pickleball community, we have dedicated open-play times at numerous Courthouse Club Fitness locations. You can view our schedule here.

See you at Pints & Paddles!

Since 1977, Courthouse Club Fitness has been the home for simple and fun in Salem and Keizer. Our five health club locations serve thousands of individuals and families living all around the Willamette Valley, with high-quality, welcoming facilities and programs like pools, childcare, swimming lessons, strength equipment, sauna and steam rooms, jiu jitsu, coffee, and the widest selection of group exercise classes of any gym in the area.

View Courthouse membership options.

People avoid confusion. That’s why Courthouse embraces simple fitness.

How do we eliminate the guesswork for living a healthy life? How do we make fitness simple?

At Courthouse, we have what we call our company’s one-liner. It is a short phrase staff at all levels of the business can quickly recount. It goes something like this…

“Everyone wants to look and feel great, but following an exercise is hard. We make fitness simple and fun so you can reach your goals.”

The benefits of exercise are obvious. Improved overall health. Lowered risk of disease and injury. Better energy, mood, and mental health. But, for many, fitness seems complicated.

Should I start with cardio and go straight to the weight room? Do I need to exercise everyday? For how long? How much rest do I need? What diet should I follow?

For anyone starting a fitness journey (or even for experienced exercisers) the sheer volume of fitness and lifestyle advice is overwhelming. Good habits either stall out or never start because everything looks so complicated.

So, how do we make fitness simple?

• We make it simple to show up. The hardest part of any workout is often the drive to the gym. At Courthouse, we make fitness simple by creating spaces, programs, and classes members are excited to be at. We place smiling faces near the front door, supportive staff in each Club, and energetic group exercise instructors in each class.
• We make it simple to get a great workout…every time. Exercising alone seems simple, but it is actually enormously complicated for most people. Most of us do not have the time to come up with our own workout routines and do not want to be buried with advice from internet fitness gurus. That’s why our gym focuses so much on guided exercise through our dozens of group classes and small-group training formats. We keep it simple: show and follow long. Amazing workout guaranteed.
• We make it simple to try new gym activities. We encourage consistency. But once our members establish an exercise routine, we then encourage variety. Courthouse Club Fitness makes high-variety fitness simple by offering so many mini-Clubs. Jump into pickleball. Go for a swim. Take yoga, Power, or R30. Challenge yourself in Spartan or Performance.

We believe people avoid things (even good things) when they become too complicated, which is why we make fitness simple.

Since 1977, Courthouse Club Fitness has been the home for simple and fun in Salem and Keizer. Our five health club locations serve thousands of individuals and families living all around the Willamette Valley, with high-quality, welcoming facilities and programs like pools, childcare, swimming lessons, strength equipment, sauna and steam rooms, jiu jitsu, coffee, and the widest selection of group exercise classes of any gym in the area.

View Courthouse membership options.

Look for Oregon Blackbears players in the Clubs during their upcoming season.

We are excited to announce Courthouse will be partnering with the all-new arena football team, the Oregon Blackbears. The team will player their home games at the Salem Pavilion Arena which can host nearly 7,000 fans. The Blackbears will be part of the nationwide Arena Football League.

According to the Portland Tribune, ownership of the new franchise is led by former Oregon football star and current New York Giant Kayvon Thibodeaux. 

“Oregon is renowned for having a rabid football fanbase, so we’re absolutely thrilled to bring a new franchise to this market,” AFL commissioner Lee Hutton said in a press release. . “There’s no better person to lead the Oregon Blackbears than a true Oregon star like Kayvon who understands the fans’ insatiable appetite for success.”

Thibodeaux had a hugely successful career at the University of Oregon where he was named the Pac-12 (RIP) Defensive Player of the Year, snagged the Morris Trophy, and was voted a Unanimous All-American. The Blackbears will be lead by Head Coach Chuck Jones. Jones played college football at the University of Kansas and spent over a decade playing indoor football with numerous pacific northwest clubs.

The Arena Football League is scheduled to return in April of 2024 with a sixteen-team league who will play a 10-game regular season.

During the season, we will be excited to welcome the entire Blackbear roster into all five Courthouse locations where they will work out, recover, take classes, or even jump into a pickleball game.

Since 1977, Courthouse Club Fitness has been the home for simple and fun in Salem and Keizer. Our five health club locations serve thousands of individuals and families living all around the Willamette Valley, with high-quality, welcoming facilities and programs like pools, childcare, swimming lessons, strength equipment, sauna and steam rooms, jiu jitsu, coffee, and the widest selection of group exercise classes of any gym in the area.

View Courthouse membership options.