Mehlville Man Opens New Kind of Gym in Arnold

A Mehlville man has opened a new gym in Arnold called CrossFit 636, but you won't see any of the typical exercise machines there.

Arlen Castenada, a Mehlville resident and co-owner of the gym, says he wants to keep people fit, but he isn't willing to turn over their training to a bunch of exercise machines that will only provide a workout for one part of the body or another.

Instead, Castenada and his business partner, John Powers, favor a whole-body approach, using compound movements where people are getting fit by working on multiple things at the same time. It's something he calls "functional fitness," designed to replicate typical everyday movements that provide a fitness level for the entire body.

Castenada has taught everything from Olympic-level weight training down to exercise regimens for beginner clients. His current clients range from 12 to 73 years of age. Typically, his customers are from 25 years old to their mid-30s. He says the exercises he uses "constantly vary," but the intensity level of each increases as each client becomes more fit.

"Business is better than I would have imagined, Castenada said. "It's growing every day."

CrossFit 636, located at 2144 Ridge Dr., opened in March behind Applebee's Restaurant in Arnold. For more information on the gym, visit its website or call 314-210-2518.