Photo by Kyle Lutz Zeke O’Connell poses for a picture inside “The Real Gym.” The gym opened in December 2016.

WHEELING — Zeke O’Connell always wanted to open his own gym. On Dec. 10, 2016, his vision became a reality when he opened “The Real Gym” at 225 McColloch St.

“Opening a gym was always a huge goal of mine, however I had planned to do it later in life,” O’Connell said. “My daughter was born and I was in a position that I had to remain in the area and be the best father I could possibly be. One thing led to another and I took the plunge. Even if I was to fail I was going to open a gym.”

O’Connell, 24, is no stranger to the area. He graduated from Brooke High School in 2011 and continued his academics at West Liberty where he got a bachelor’s degree in accounting and minor in entrepreneurship in 2015.

At the end of his high school tenure is when he really started getting serious into bodybuilding. Now he is a three-time nationally qualified NPC Physique Athlete.

“Working out had always been a huge part of my life,” O’Connell said.

“But toward the end of high school I began lifting weights more frequently. Once I got to college I was dead set on doing it every day. And that’s when I began to get seriously involved and began competing.”

And the competitive bodybuilding led him to become a businessman.

It did not take long for O’Connell to find the buidling he was looking for to open his gym. In fact, it was the second building that he saw.

“I knew right off the bat that it was going to be the home of ‘The Real Gym,'” O’Connell said.

After a few months of renovating and getting the needed weight equiment, it was time for ‘The Real Gym’ to have a grand opening. On Dec. 10, the gym officially opened.

“The grand opening was awesome,” O’Connell said. “We had quite a huge turnout and everyone was really excited. The look on people’s faces when they feel the vibe was pretty surreal.”

The gym’s first floor has much of the basic equipment you would expect to find such as dumbbells, a squat rack, bench press, t-row bar and leg press. There also is rare equipment such as the belt squat machine and football bar.

The second level consists of the cardio machines and boxing bags.

“‘The Real Gym is a niche-market gym,” O’Connell said. “In other words, it’s not going to offer what large commercial gyms offer. It offers where they miss the mark … the atmosphere, the synergy, simply being in a place that is focused on one thing and that is becoming better. I tell everyone when they walk through the doors that they need to raise their expectations.”

O’Connell also is a personal trainer and offers one-on-one training sessions. He can be contacted at 304-914-5652 or via email at zekeoconnell@yahoo.com.