[Editor's Note: The story has been updated with more details on the management of the facility.]
The Atlantic Club, Manasquan, New Jersey, and Cooper Wellness Strategies, Dallas, are partnering to provide prevention and wellness programming at the Manasquan location of The Atlantic Club, the organizations announced on April 12.
The Cooper Wellness Center will open at The Atlantic Club on April 26, offering wellness and medical fitness programming and fitness testing to optimize health through prevention or chronic disease management.
The center at The Atlantic Club is 2,500 square feet, which includes 1,300 square feet of studio workout space plus 1,200 square feet for office space for the registered dietitians and wellness team as well as a conference center.
The space for the wellness center was created just prior the health club shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The Atlantic Club didn’t have an opportunity to fully maximize the space and started from scratch finding the best programming solution that would fit its members’ needs, according to the company.
Use for the space became clearer after an October 2021 REX Roundtable meeting held at the Cooper Aerobics Center campus in Dallas where The Atlantic Club COO Kevin McHugh met the Cooper Wellness Strategies team. Cooper Wellness Strategies is part of Cooper Aerobics, which was founded by Dr. Kenneth Cooper. At the time, it was clear that the two groups shared a similar vision on preventive care and the partnership began, according to a spokesperson for The Atlantic Club.
Even though Cooper Wellness Strategies manages fitness and wellness programs and facilities around the country, The Atlantic Club staff will operate The Cooper Wellness Center at The Atlantic Club, working with the Cooper team for all staff trainings and programs. The Atlantic Club will pay Cooper Wellness Strategies for each program it uses, according to McHugh. The programming The Atlantic Club will offer includes Cooper Tracks, Cooper Quest, CooperFit and Move.Laugh.Connect.
The Cooper Wellness Center at The Atlantic Club is the first partnership of its kind for Cooper Wellness Strategies, but the company is open to opportunities of additional wellness centers at other facilities, according to a spokesperson for Cooper Wellness Strategies.
The Atlantic Club has been offering wellness programming since 2011.
“The vision and leadership of Pat Laus, owner of The Atlantic Club, was the guiding force that allowed The Atlantic Club to not only introduce but launch medical fitness programs in 2011,” McHugh said. “The transition from being strictly a commercial club to successfully launching medical fitness and preventive care programs over the past decade has provided The Atlantic Club the opportunity for this outstanding strategic partnership with Cooper Wellness Strategies.”
The Atlantic Club, Inc. is a member of the Medical Fitness Association and is one of 45 facilities worldwide that holds the MFA Facility Certification. The club’s medical fitness area is staffed with fitness professionals as well as registered dietitians. The company’s Medical Advisory Council consists of 11 physicians.
This Cooper programming will replace The Atlantic Club’s current wellness offerings, according to The Atlantic Club spokesperson.
The Cooper Wellness Center at The Atlantic Club Partnership equips The Atlantic Club’s medical fitness team with the expertise and power of The Cooper Wellness’s research-based programming and assessments that address all key areas of the population, according to The Atlantic Club.
After working out new processes, gaining feedback from both program participants and coaches, as well as working closely with the Cooper Team on any adjustments needed, The Atlantic Club may expand the program to its club in Red Bank, New Jersey, according to the spokesperson.
The first series of Cooper Tracks programming to be offered at The Atlantic Club will be Post COVID-19 Recovery (Long Haulers), which starts in late April. In May, the companies will add Active with Arthritis and Health and Wellness 101. In June, Diabetes, the Heart and Well-Being will launch. In October the center will expand its offerings to include Cooper Tracks Cancer.
Each Cooper Tracks program lasts eight weeks and consists of pre- and post-program health assessments, with two small group exercise classes and education sessions per week. Exercise tracking tools, social support and accountability are provided by trained instructors throughout the eight weeks to create a positive impact and provide solutions for those in need of lifestyle change.
The Cooper Wellness Center at The Atlantic Club will also offer Cooper’s Move.Laugh.Connect. (MLC) Parkinson’s programs in October. MLC is a balanced program for total well-being for adults that addresses physical, emotional and social dimensions in a group setting, with a focus on extending functional years. The program was created for older adults with limited mobility, stability and other health issues but is also available for anyone wanting to improve brain health and fitness.
Another component of the Cooper Wellness Center at The Atlantic Club is CooperFit testing. CooperFit is a cardiovascular fitness test providing an accurate prediction of a person’s fitness level, based on more than 50 years of research and fitness testing at Cooper Clinic. CooperFit measures an individual’s predicted max VO2—the body’s ability to consume oxygen (aerobic capacity)—to determine their fitness level.
“Having Cooper Wellness Center at The Atlantic Club allows us to partner with one of the premier fitness centers in the country mirroring health and wellness assessments and programs Cooper is known for,” said David Evans, vice president of Cooper Wellness Strategies. “The integration of our wellness programming, starting with Cooper Tracks, provides The Atlantic Club members, health care professionals and the surrounding community with a world-class solution for preventive care as well as chronic disease management.”