MR Personal Training Celebrates Grand Opening

Township officials and fitness buffs came out Saturday morning for the Grand Opening of MR Personal Training fitness studio, located at 155 Maplewood Avenue. Housed on the building’s second floor, the all-purpose studio is owned by Jim Papeika, a master certified fitness trainer and sports conditioning specialist.

The fitness center officially opened its doors on April 1.

Helping Papeika during the Grand Opening ceremony were his wife, Tracie; Mayor Vic DeLuca; Township Committee members Jerry Ryan and Marlon K. Brownlee; Village Alliance Board Members Lorraine Labonne-Storch and Ellen Davenport; and Village Alliance Manager Julie Doran.

“I think it’s great that they’ve opened here in the Village,” said Mayor DeLuca. “It’s a beautiful space. A fitness studio is the kind of thing that people are looking for because it fits in with healthy living. People who are recovering from injuries or getting in shape will use their services. So I think it will do well.”

Born in Orange, Papeika grew up in Maplewood and has been involved in sports since he was seven years old. He played baseball, football, basketball and lacrosse at various times during his teenage years. “I started lifting weights when I was 12, so I was always into body building,” said Papeika. “I also took fitness certification courses right after high school.”

He decided to open his fitness studio after working for five years at Bally’s as a head trainer. His work with the organization and a degree in Business Management from Jersey City State college helped prepare him for this new venture.

"Business has boomed more than I thought it would," he said. "Going into sports performance and physical training was an easy fit and it’s something I love to do."

MR Personal Training offers everything from kick boxing, Pilates and weight training to sports conditioning, boot-camp training and massage therapy.

To learn more about MR Personal Training, call (973) 580-0633 or visit www.MRpersonaltraining.com.