Partners in War and Peace

By Colleen Gundlach

They attended Botelle School together. They both served in the U.S. Army, with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the 82nd Airborne. Now Matthew Harrington and James O’Brien have joined forces as business partners and owners of Fitness Pantheon, situated on Water Street in Torrington. Doors opened on October 12 and business is booming.

The dictionary defines pantheon as a place of heroes or the collective gods of a particular mythology. It is a fitting label, literally, for a business run by two of our country’s heroes, and figuratively for a business dedicated to helping clients reach complete physical fitness. “We want people to become tougher and stronger by coming here,” O’Brien says. “It is also a place to gather with comrades.”

Harrington has a Bachelor’s degree in sports management and a Master’s in education from the University of New Haven. After earning a Master’s degree at UConn, O’Brien became a practicing physical therapist. Together they provide a unique combination of skills and experience that offers a wellness environment where clients can advance at their own pace. They say that it has “an old school feeling but with new school fitness.”

“As a physical therapist, I work with people whose injuries could have been easily prevented through strengthening,” says O’Brien, quoting the adage, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Harrington agrees. “We want to instill good movement patterns and proper techniques while still having fun.”

Fitness Pantheon employs Functional Strength Training [FST], a method that uses every day movements to increase stamina and build muscle mass. Unlike most gyms which are characterized by nautilus-type weight machines, the Pantheon space features rows of punching bags, kettle balls, medicine balls and free weights. Think of Mighty Mick’s Gym in the “Rocky” movies.

Harrington and O’Brien want to provide the means for their clients to become proactive in their own fitness and to work to resolve certain issues through exercise. In O’Brien’s physical therapy practice he found that therapy measures would help the patient feel better and temporarily resolve the issue, but that the problem would eventually recur. He believes that body strengthening can help reduce pain and improve overall musculoskeletal function, so personal fitness training is a big part of the Fitness Pantheon experience.

On any given evening, several familiar Norfolk faces can be seen. Clients at the gym are of all ages, male and female. “No one is too old to start,” says Harrington. “We assess each person’s limitations and goals so we can set up a regimen best suited for the individual.” That might include FST, Olympic power lifting and weight-loss consulting.

Anyone can take advantage of a free trial visit to the gym, as well as a free FST session. Memberships are available on a monthly or yearly basis and day passes are also offered. To register for any service, visit FitnessPantheonct.com. The gym is open Monday through Saturday.

Photos by Bruce Frisch.