Inclusive fitness center opens in downtown Wilkes-Barre

The Citizens' Voice - 5/14/2023

May 14—The owner of Chakstone Indoor Climbing Gym in downtown Wilkes-Barre has opened a fitness center that offers individualized exercise programs for young people and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities.

James Barrett recently opened Chakstone Inclusive Fitness on the third floor of the rock climbing gym at 102 S. Main St.

Inside the new Chakstone Inclusive Fitness, 10-year-old Blake Hildebrand recently exercised with instructor Kristie Swetts. He swung a rope, jumped over hurdles in a mini obstacle course and practiced bending and squatting.

Swetts said the exercises are aimed at strengthening movement in everyday life.

"We cater to the clients themselves," she said. "We show proper squatting, proper lifting and pushing and pulling exercises. We do a lot of agility and coordination. We want them to translate this back home whether it's bending down to pick up a box or picking up toys."

Hildebrand, who has autism, especially enjoyed climbing the rock wall after his exercises in the new fitness center on the third floor.

His dad, Shane Hildebrand, said he loves climbing and it "definitely helps him."

"He's a very active boy. He just needs something to focus on," he said. "It's helpful for parents who are worried about their kids who are on medications that cause them to overeat."

Barrett said the goals of the exercise programs are to improve the overall health and quality of life for neurodiverse young people and adults while enhancing their independent performance of activities and daily living.

The fitness center includes warm up activities like an exercise bike and small trampoline and offers yoga as well.

"It's conventional exercise that translates into the real world," Barrett said. "I haven't seen anything like this in the area."

Young people and adults do most of their individualized exercises on the third floor but they also have the opportunity to climb rock walls on the first and second floors as part of their gym sessions and wellness activities, said Barrett, an avid climber who purchased and opened Chakstone Indoor Climbing Gym in 2020.

The gym formerly was owned by Mike Miscavage, who owns Top of the Slope ski shop next door.

Barrett said the rock climbing business has been doing well. He plans to expand and open a rock climbing gym in Scranton but he said he could not identify the location yet.

The Wilkes-Barre location offers more than 4,000 square feet of indoor rock climbing and the Scranton location will be much larger, he said.

"This is the only rock climbing gym in the area so it does well," Barrett said.

Pricing, hours and more information can be found on chakstonegym.biz or by calling 570-824-7633.

Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com, 570-821-2115, @CVAllabaugh

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