LONGMONT — Buoyed by the city’s population growth and Longmont members who use its Boulder clubs, Pulse Fitness Centers is jumping into the fitness market here.

Pulse, long known for its two Boulder locations, opened a “pre-club” on Dec. 1 at 1801 Lefthand Circle. The temporary location gives members a place to exercise while a permanent facility is built in an as yet undisclosed location in southwest Longmont. The “pre-club” has new weight training equipment and the same programs and offerings as the Boulder clubs, says Scott Woodard, co-owner of Pulse Fitness Centers.

“What we really saw is that we have a lot of members in the Boulder facility who either work or live in Longmont; people who are current members in Boulder who want to upgrade to the multi-access memberships,” Woodard says.

The new health club, expected to be finished this spring, will offer 15,000 square feet of Spinning, Life Fitness strength machines, free weights, cardiovascular equipment, aerobics, yoga, martial arts, child care and outdoor volleyball. The “pre-club” is about 7,500 square feet.

“We don’t see the clubs in Longmont as our competition because we do things a lot differently. We’re a lot more service-focused than people are used to. We will have three studios and a lot more class offerings,” Woodard says.

At least two Longmont health clubs say they won’t be affected by a new fitness center.

Ricky B’s Body Shop, a Longmont weight-lifting institution, has a more intimate feeling than most health clubs, says Matt Bevington, a Ricky B’s employee.

“We won’t lose customers because people come to the gym, here to us, because we’re just a gym,” Bevington says. “Once I worked here, I really like it, because it was like a place I worked out at in Pennsylvania. It was a little different than the other gyms I’d worked out at —

it was more like my space than a big room with millions of people in it.”

Longmont Athletic Club has a different orientation than Ricky B’s, but the same philosophy.

“We’re very different facilities. We’re a full-service club with and indoor and outdoor pools, tennis, and racquetball and squash in addition to other facilities,” says Liz Murray, general manager. “And the bottom line is, competition is good. I wish the Pulse the best.”

Pulse will offer multi-access memberships, meaning members can work out at one of the two Boulder locations or in Longmont, all for the same price, corporate and senior memberships and individual and family programs. Call 774-8888 for more information.