Fitness on High brings hot workouts to Oxford
Fitness on High, a recently opened High Street business, offers classes for hot yoga, pilates, dance and more.
When Kerri Cissna moved to Oxford from the West Coast four years ago, she quickly realized a key part of her fitness routine was missing: hot yoga.
“I really wanted hot classes, and you have to drive like half an hour or 45 minutes to get to them,” Cissna said.
Now, four years later, Cissna has brought her workouts closer to home by starting Fitness on High, a High Street business offering hot yoga, pilates and more.
Fitness on High initially opened in March. Cissna, a visiting assistant professor of entrepreneurship at Miami University, launched the business at 13B High Street above Steinkellers with co-owners Tyler Storer and Jackson Trester, who also own OxVegas Chicken.
The studio relies on instructors, including many Miami students during the semester, who bring their own ideas for classes. Before the spring semester ended, Fitness on High was offering up to 70 classes per week, though the pace has slowed down to roughly 30 classes per week now that students are gone. If a class doesn’t have two or more participants sign up, it gets canceled.
Oxford has other fitness options in town, including Oxford Community Yoga and a CrossFit gym, but Cissna didn’t see her niche being filled. Fitness on High is open to everyone, but Cissna said most of the current attendees are women looking for the types of workouts the studio offers.
“I’m very entrepreneurial, so I really want the market to create this experience and this concept,” Cissna said. She’s taken suggestions from instructors who offered to teach classes ranging from dance to bar and added regular yoga and pilates options sans heat for others.
Pilates is one of the most popular options at the studio right now, particularly on the reformer, a piece of equipment with a moving platform. Cissna said she’s personally seen mental and physical improvements by using the reformer, though it can feel unfamiliar to people who haven’t seen one before.
“If you can stick with it and stay consistent, you do just see your body get stronger,” Cissna said. “Here, the women who teach … We start with intentions and empowering messages, because really, if you start to feel more confident, you start to make better decisions in life.”
Most classes at Fitness on High last 45 minutes and cost $20. Beyond serving the community, Cissna sees it as a launching pad for instructors. Five of her instructors who are Miami students landed jobs at fitness studios in their hometowns this summer, she said, and she hopes to franchise the brand someday.
Kristen Lavrinovich is attending classes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at Fitness on High this summer. She used to live in Seattle and went to a yoga studio there, and having Fitness on High has improved her workout regimen and sense of community in Oxford
Miami’s Recreation Center, the largest fitness complex in Oxford, doesn’t have reformers. When class is in session, Lavrinovich said it can feel off-putting to go to the Rec as an adult and not a student. At Fitness on High, though, she’s been able to connect with Miami students in a different way and build a sense of community.
“I love chatting them up,” Lavrinovich said. “I went to Miami, so it’s just fun to hear what they’re doing … It was sad when they left.”
Maggie, an instructor and customer who asked to be identified by first name only, agreed. She said the studio has helped her both meet fitness-minded people her own age and have more multigenerational relationships.
“I feel like they know I’m a mom,” Maggie said. “They kind of miss home. Whenever they talk to me, I’m in mom mode, but I always feel like they’ve felt the comfort of that.”
Maggie and Lavrinovich both said they appreciate the high-intensity offerings Fitness on High has, though there are entry-level options, too. Both said the studio is a supportive environment, and they’ve enjoyed having challenging fitness options and learning from their peers.
As the summer continues, Cissna said she plans to use it as a time to experiment with classes and find what works best for Oxford’s full-time residents. When Miami students return in the fall, she hopes the Oxford attendees will stick around and make new relationships like Maggie and Lavrinovich have.
Fitness on High posts its schedule and allows people to sign up online at fitnessonhigh.com. Offerings span seven days a week, with the earliest options at 6 a.m. and the latest at 8 p.m.
