Workout facilities can sometimes be bland. Most of the time they don’t completely meet the needs of those searching for a gym. At Athletic Edge, they’re looking for more ways to reach every demographic of people in the Washington area, which is why they are undergoing renovations and will have a new building next door within the year for new activities if all goes according to plan.

Athletic Edge is already a very large facility. However, the plan is to make it even bigger. The building coming up next door will feature a full basketball court as well as volleyball, baseball, softball, pickle ball and wrestling.

“When we first opened, we focused mainly on just sports,” Laura Horton, the owner of Athletic Edge said. “The (workout room) used to be a place where parents could work out while their child was doing their sport, but the fitness part has exploded. We’re constantly getting new equipment, so now we’ve run out of room.”

Horton also talked about adding more classrooms to the facility.

“We want to be able to have more classes than we offer now. We have a spin classroom with boxing bags, and we have classrooms upstairs for yoga and several other fitness classes,” Horton said. “What we also want to do is tap into the senior market. We’ve not been able to get the senior citizens in our classrooms, but now we will be able to do that with a more controlled environment.”

Athletic Edge hosts many clinics and camps throughout the year. This week, they hosted a volleyball clinic and are hosting a baseball clinic on July 20.

The back part of the facility is laid out with turf. Batting cages, a pitcher’s rubber and home plate are featured for their various softball and baseball activities. However, when renovations are finished, they’ll move that to the building next door. In its place will be a cross-training sports performance area where athletes will be able to work on speed, agility and strength, as they encourage teams to come and work out together during their off-seasons.

Athletic Edge is also building a protein shake and smoothie bar at the front of the facility so members can come in and prepare for their workouts or rehydrate after they’ve finished up, according to Horton.

Horton said she and the rest of the Athletic Edge staff put an emphasis on helping out the community. They hold events such as carnivals for special needs children every March that features more than 275 kids and volunteers that assist the kids in the activities.

“We have a big space, so we want to be able to give back to the community and do things for it,” Horton said.

The facility offers several membership options. They have day, weekly and monthly passes as well as 12-month memberships. They also have individual, dual and family membership packages.

“Memberships includes most of the fitness classes and 24-hour access,” Horton said. “We team with Beaufort County schools, so any staff member gets a huge discount, as well as military and law enforcement.”