SIOUX CENTER—Pulse 712 Fitness has found a new home, tucked among the surprising number of businesses that now call the 712 Storage Place home northeast of Ver Hoef Automotive in Sioux Center.
This move is a sign of the popularity of the fitness classes ever since Pulse 712 first opened its downtown Sioux Center location at 309 N. Main Ave. in November 2024. When business owner Kristen Plueger was getting ready to open this second business location — the first opened in Rock Valley in March 2021 — she wasn’t sure how the community would respond but has been pleased to see it take off.
“We needed more space. We had big classes and with it all just being one big, open area in the other building, the transition between the classes was kind of chaotic,” Plueger said. “We only had our one room, whereas in Rock Valley, we have three separate spaces, so we wanted to bring that to Sioux Center also, to have the training room, the hot room and the ride room. We were only able to have our core classes.”
With the move to their new spot at 280 23rd St. NE, Unit 39, they have a new, purpose-built 5,000-square-foot facility with three levels to host different fitness classes.
As of Aug. 1, Pulse 712 Fitness has a new home. The fitness studio moved from its downtown Sioux Center location to 280 23rd St. NE, Unit 39 at 712 Storage Place where it has three floors to host its many classes.
Six instructors lead the Sioux Center classes, which include the strength training course Burn; the high-energy yoga class Sculpt; the Pilates, barre and yoga fusion class Tone; the energizing, flexibility, balance and strength-focused yoga class Flow; and the rhythm-based indoor cycling class Ride.
A list of classes, times and prices can be found at the Pulse 712 website, https://pulse712.com.
On the main floor is the lobby area, showers, bathrooms and cubbies, as well as a cardio workout area and a gym. Soon, people will have the ability to sign up for just the use of the gym.
The second floor houses the hot room and offices, and the third floor has the regular training room and indoor cycling room.
There is some work left to do at the new building. The gym’s HVAC system has some issues to sort out and then it can be properly organized. Also being planned is a retail space up front where people will be able to purchase supplements, protein mixes, protein snacks and Pulse 712 Fitness apparel. Eventually, a recovery room will be added as well.
As part of the construction process, Plueger took special care to insulate the building both for the sake of sound dampening and for heat retention for the hot rooms.
“We took insulating to the extreme. If we’re having class on the third floor, we don’t want you to hear that on the second floor and into the lobby or gym area. They did the maximum amount of insulation possible,” she said.
The hot room is equipped with small infrared heaters that crank up the heat to between 90-95 degrees for a workout experience like no other. Plueger plans to soon replace the heaters with panels that will be suspended from the ceiling.
Utilizing infrared technology for hot workouts is meant not only to help people work up a good sweat but also to improve blood flow, improve muscle recovery and reduce inflammation.
From Plueger’s observations so far, the Burn classes and hot classes have been big hits with the community; the latter even have wait lists in place. She’s also pleased to see the cycling class gain traction with the public.
“A lot of people have been intimidated by the cycling because it’s a whole new thing. It’s tough,” she said. “We’re going to have a few one-on-one classes coming up where it slows things down and we go over the basics of everything. I think that’s going to be huge for people who aren’t fully comfortable just jumping into a class. They can do this one-on-one class and get to know everything a little bit more before they go straight into a full class.”
That the community has embraced these fitness classes is good news, as she knows well the benefits and fun dynamic that come with exercising in a group. Similarly, she encourages men to give these classes a try.
“You don’t have to be a female to come here and do classes. I think there’s a big stigma tied to that, especially in this area. If you to Sioux Falls or any other city, so many men are there, too,” Plueger said.
Working out in classes can bolster motivation and consistency, encourage you to give it your all and create a sense of community.
“If you’re in that class setting, you’re motivated. You’re here, you showed up, you maybe got out of bed at 4:30 for the day, so you’re going to work hard, and most people really enjoy that once they give it a go,” Plueger said.
Part of the fun is the mix of ages present.
“It’s funny because say you have someone who’s 50-plus. They’re like, ‘Oh my goodness, it’s all these college girls.’ But I’m like, they’re looking up to you. You’re setting an example for them,” Plueger said. “The 50-plus group is like, ‘I have to keep up with the young girls,’ but the young girls are like, ‘I’ve got to keep up with them.’ I always explain that and I’m like, you guys are both pushing each other without even knowing it, and it’s really cool to see that.”
Dancer to teacher
Plueger has always been active; she started dance classes when she was 3 years old. Growing up, she stuck with dance and began teaching dance by the time she was 15 or so. She started to branch out when she was asked to be a group fitness instructor for the Hegg Health Center in Rock Valley.
“Gym classes weren’t super big back then by any means,” Plueger said. “I started going to different fitness studios in Sioux Falls. I went to a kickboxing studio and a hot yoga studio, lots of things like that. I thought Rock Valley could use this. It’s something we didn’t really have in the small towns around here.”
This led her to approach her sister, who owns a dance studio of her own, and asked if she’d be interested in bringing something new to Rock Valley. The rest is history.
