Millennium Fitness strengthens Lakeville’s exercise community

LAKEVILLE — “East Coast Fitness is alive again.”

That’s according to Jason Caldas, the owner of Millennium Fitness in Lakeville.

Formerly a Gold’s Gym and later East Coast Fitness, Millennium’s specific space in the industrial park at 155 Millennium Circle has housed gyms for 30 years. That tenure was in doubt earlier this year.

Former East Coast Fitness owner Keith Hancock died in April 2021, and the gym shut its doors in April 2022 as it explored its next steps. 

Caldas entered negotiations with the building owners to take over the gym before it closed this year. Competing with other fitness franchises, he eventually sealed the deal and reopened the space as Millennium Fitness on July 18.

“We were lucky that the gym had such a strong following,” Caldas said. “Everybody that’s a member has been here for 15, 20 years. They know all these machines and they don’t want to go anywhere else.”

Nearly 20 years ago, Glenn and Lisa Ducharme bought the space from Gold’s Gym, where they worked out and formed a large bodybuilding community, according to Caldas. Five years ago, the Ducharmes purchased the entire building and leased the gym to Hancock.

Caldas has experience in the field, currently owning Crossfit Dartmouth, Crossfit East Providence, and PlanIt Eats Raynham. The latter moved into the Millennium Fitness space to let members take home gluten-free prepared meals after working out. PlanIt Eats makes meals with local ingredients at the company headquarters in Fairhaven.

“It’s a different type of management, but this is my dream gym,” Caldas said, adding that he’s been a fitness enthusiast for the past 30 years. “I’ve always dreamed of opening a full-size gym, so this was a perfect opportunity.”

Millennium Fitness offers free weights, cardio machines, and other standard workout equipment on its ground floor. The gym also provides kickboxing, yoga, and spin classes. Caldas said they plan to add a room for Crossfit workouts.

New members receive a free 20-minute consultation which includes nutrition advice, instructions on how to work machines, and an introductory workout plan.

“We’re here to help you hit your goals, not just to check you in at the desk,” Caldas said.