Loma Ammar, a clinical geriatric pharmacist, has a passion for helping people lead healthier lifestyles.
It’s that passion that led her to establish CycleBar Windermere in Edmonton – the brand’s first upscale indoor cycling studio in Western Canada.
The Edmonton location, in about 3,000 square feet, will open March 26.
Ammar said the studio will have 51 stationary bikes in the cycle theatre.
“Essentially what we offer is high intensity, interval training on a stationary bike in the environment that is very similar to a nightclub. It’s dark. Loud music. There’s lights in there and it’s essentially a different way to get a workout in,” says Ammar.
“The benefits of cycling is that number one it’s excellent for cardiovascular activity. Very, very low impact . . . And on top of it all, it’s fun. The music. The fact that there’s 50 people in a room sweating it out together, feels like you’re in a concert then you’re done. Essentially it brings together all these different elements that working out in a regular gym or working out on your own you don’t typically get. There’s something about group fitness. You feed off the energy of those around you.”
CycleBar has more than 150 locations in North America.
“They’ve branched out into areas even overseas, Dubai and Great Britain, and we are number two in Canada. The first location was in Toronto and that opened last year,” says Ammar.
