VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — John Wareing opened Wareing’s Gym at the oceanfront in 1960, and six decades later, the family-run workout spot remains a neighborhood fixture.
“He was a strongman, a boxer and he got a small pension from the military and just wanted a spot to show up and continue to exercise and invite friends,” said his grandson and CEO Jake Wareing.
Beach resident Jim Sykes has been a member since 1978.
“I would say he was instrumental in getting fitness going in the whole Hampton Roads area," said Sykes. “John had a television program back then. He appeared many times on TV promoting fitness. He had a children’s TV show and he had the gym."
The city commissioned a statue of Wareing on the boardwalk, and the gym is well-known among athletes and celebrities. Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker, Evander Holyfield and Justin Timberlake worked out there when they were in town, the family says. The Wareings also call it the oldest still-operating gym in the country.
Today, the gym on 19th Street is run by grandson, Jake Wareing, and his mother, Jackie. Jake said the gym still feels like a second home.
“We’re just working out with friends, and that’s what encourages you to come back — that social connection,” he said.
Longtime members like Sykes agree: “It was a special place and always has been,” he said. “It still has the feel of John Wareing and the core group of guys that were really into fitness back in the ’70s and even earlier.”
Sixty-five years later, Wareing’s Gym continues to lift up the neighborhood and is positively Hampton Roads.
For more information on Wareing's Gym, click here.
