ALMA, Colo. — In North America's highest town, owner of the newly opened Alma's Gym, Cody Lefever says his gym might be small but it holds a big distinction.
“The elevation of this gym is at 10,361 feet and that makes it the highest gym in North America,” said Lefever.
When a person works out in Denver, they’re pumping iron at an elevation that’s about one mile high, but in Alma, people working out are doing it at nearly two miles high, which is why Alma's Gym has an oxygen lounge.
“There’s a few that tap out early for sure and we just direct them to the oxygen lounge,” said Lefever.
Since they opened, word has spread about the high elevation gym. People from all over the world come to Alma to test their strength in the thin air.
"Just last week we had people from zero elevation England come and train," said Lefever. "They wanted to see what they could do at elevation.”
Local memberships have grown as well with the gym becoming a social hang-out in the small town as much as it's a place to stay in shape. Alma's Gym is open Monday through Saturday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and is closed Sunday.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: 9NEWS Mornings
9NEWS+
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.