By Betsy Barnett
It’s been a dream of Chad Bell’s for a long time. The newly opened fitness center, located in the old Demitasse exercise space on Maine Street in Eads, is officially available for anyone who would like to get in shape, or at the very least, get healthier.
Some readers might not know who Chad Bell is. He is the guy married to Beth (Stavely) Bell who was hired in early 2023 as the new CEO of the Kiowa County Hospital District. Beth grew up in Haswell and graduated from Eads High School. She met Chad in Utah where they were eventually married and were raising their two boys, Henry who is now in Kindergarten at Eads Elementary School, and Hudson who is a busy toddler.
Chad is an electrician by trade but upon moving to Eads has taken up the bulk of the caregiver role while Beth learns the ropes at the hospital district. He has always been involved in weight-lifting—something he began in high school when he’d hang out in his uncle’s gym in Utah.
“I’d see these 60-something men in unbelievable shape and able to do anything they wanted and quickly understood that lifting weights and working out was keeping them younger—longer. Not only were they physically fit, but they were also mentally fit.”
Chad said when COVID hit, and the gyms were forced to close their doors, he built a gym in his basement. He said he never understood why people weren’t encouraged to work out during COVID as a strong body, in comparison to being obese, seemed to be the key to easily surviving the virus. So, he continued to work out and learned more about setting up and maintaining different kinds of equipment.
Then they moved to Colorado, and he was unable to really work out in the situation he found himself. Finally, the opportunity to lease the closed fitness center on Maine Street presented itself, and he jumped at it.
Chad Bell has spent the past few months getting the gym fixed up and updated with new flooring, paint, equipment upgrades, and additional equipment. The gym, or the Farm, as he likes to refer to it, is now ready to be used by a host of people from all walks of life. “I want to make sure the high school athletes and young adults know they can utilize the extensive equipment as part of their training needs. And, of course, there are many men in the community who might not have ever considered themselves as a candidate for weightlifting but who may really get into it if they give it a try.”
Bell points out that women usually understand the value of working out in order to improve their overall health, but the men tend to not think in those terms as they spend long hours at their jobs. Even the ones who do physical labor could benefit from a cardio or a weight-lifting program.
At any rate, there is something for everyone in the new Mudson & McGee’s Muscle Farm. That includes a varied collection of free weight options, 2 treadmills, stair step machine, cable machine, triceps machine, ab machine, leg curl machine, and calf machine.
The floor is new and the equipment that was there prior has been either overhauled or replaced. Many of the machine’s seats have been reupholstered.
There are two big screen TVs and a good sound system in the gym. New lighting has enhanced the use of the free weights area in the back room.
Chad is also developing a square website where supplements such as protein pre-workout or creatine can be purchased. In addition, he hopes to soon have healthy drinks and snacks available in the gym.
Chad says he’s not an expert in fitness and he is not licensed to give any workout or nutrition advice. The only thing he hopes to do is to provide the community with an opportunity to utilize the gym’s equipment in order to better their individual health. How they get there is up to them, but the Mudson & McGee’s Muscle Farm is conveniently available to help them meet their health goals.
Mudson & McGee’s Muscle Farm is a membership only facility. Membership is extremely affordable and convenient. Adult memberships run at $35 per month and youth ages 12-18 memberships are $20 per month. Membership involves a gym agreement and a credit card agreement whereby an automatic debit will come out of your account each month for the membership. Members receive a phone app that is used to access the gym during business hours.
Mudson & McGee’s Muscle Farm is open daily from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm.
In order to sign up for a membership to the fitness center contact Chad Bell at 801-739-3984 or you can email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The fitness center also has a Facebook page where users or interested people can find more information.
A fitness center in Eads, easily accessible, affordable, and maintained by a dedicated businessman is a huge bonus for the community. As we all know now, after going through the pandemic and maybe having to deal with more viruses to come, the main medicine we should all be taking is a 30-minute workout at Mudson & McGee’s Muscle Farm.
And, oh yeah, you might be wondering who Mudson or McGee is? Well, according to Bell, those are nicknames he and wife Beth use for the two boys. “The names just have a way of sticking with us.”
This new endeavor by the Bell family is truly a family affair and we at the Independent hope you’ll consider going down to the Farm and start using some of that “farming equipment.” That kind of work will pay off huge in good health and wellness.
