Training
Tim Merolillo offers
a unique gym
experience at Elite
Custom Fitness.
E
are some things you can’t teach people how to do. And you can’t
lite Custom Fitness isn’t your typical gym. There are
teach somebody how to jump up on a 52-inch box.”
no mirrors on the walls. There are no ellipticals or
Since then, Jones has been training five or six days a week, and
treadmills. There’s no locker room or sauna or lap pool.
he also has his own clients at Elite Custom Fitness. All that hard
This gym is a world-class training facility with a tight-
work has paid off—Jones can deadlift 600 pounds.
knit community of members dedicated to fitness and health. Oh,
Merolillo notes that one of the biggest misconceptions of
and a trainer who happens to be one of the top powerlifters in the
powerlifting is that you have to be a big, elite athlete to train for
country—Ross resident Freddie Jones.
the sport. “Passion, dedication and the ability to learn is all you
Tim Merolillo started Elite Custom Fitness in 2011 after
need,” he says. He also adds that women often shy away from
strength training in college, getting his master’s in exercise
powerlifting because
physiology at
they don’t want to get
Indiana University
bulky, but that’s just
of Pennsylvania, and
simply not going to
working at other gyms
happen: “We train for
around Pittsburgh.
performance and we eat
His passion for
for leanness. If you think
strength training came
about that and train like
after multiple knee
that, then you’ll never
surgeries and lots
have any issues.”
of physical therapy
Elite Custom Fitness’
to recover. “I was
approach to powerlifting
originally going to be a
is unique among other
physical therapist, but
gyms. The trainers
then I went to college
help their clients focus
and found strength
on decompressing
training. I wanted to
the spine. “We are
make people stronger
able to train without
so they didn’t get hurt
a barbell on our back,
instead of rehabbing
decompress our spine,
people who were
and get stronger as
coming off of surgery,”
Elite Custom Fitness’ Dynamic Duo: Tim Merolillo (left) and Freddie Jones.
we’re doing it. That’s the
Merolillo says.
name of the game if you
Elite Custom Fitness
want to stay healthy and continue doing it for a very long time,”
has about 80 members, ranging in age from 8 up to nearly 70.
Merolillo says.
Members can come for open gym hours, group classes, and one-
Elite Custom Fitness is located at 1025 Mount Nebo Road. It is
on-one training.
open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Stop by for a free consultation
Merolillo first met Jones at La Roche College. Jones was a
and to learn about personal training and group classes.
student in two of Merolillo’s classes: Theories of Weight Training
Membership starts at $50/month. For additional information,
and Conditioning. Merolillo says one day the students wanted
contact Tim Merolillo at [email protected] or call
to learn how to box jump. So he brought out a 6-inch box to start
412.302.2128. n
and gradually increased the height of the box until just Jones
remained. Merolillo recalls, “He jumped up on a 52-inch box.
When I saw that I thought, ‘Oh, I have to train this kid.’ There
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