Elite Lifestyle Initiatives opening soon in Henlopen Junction

After years of high-level junior and then Division I college hockey, Elite Lifestyles Initiatives owner Eli Lynn said he’s been around a lot of coaches who thought cracking the whip was the best way to motivate. However, he said, that’s not his approach.

“I want to motivate people by getting them to enjoy working out,” said Lynn. “If people don’t enjoy the workout, they won’t make it a routine and they won’t come back.”

Lynn has been providing in-person, at-home training for clients in the Cape Region since he founded Elite Lifestyle Initiatives in 2019. He said he got his client base by offering classes at a number of local senior centers. Since then, it’s just continued to grow, he said.

Now, roughly two years after starting the business, Lynn is opening a studio in Henlopen Junction off Rehoboth Avenue Extended, just outside downtown Rehoboth Beach. It gives him a spot to hold private and semi-private workouts with clients who would prefer to get out of the house when working out, he said.

“I’d been looking for a place all summer, but the available space around here is limited. One day, my parents were driving by and saw the for rent sign,” said Lynn. “A couple of weeks later, after some negotiations, the lease was signed.”

Lynn said he’s trying to open his new shop by the end of November. He’s still waiting for the rubber flooring and turf to be delivered.

“I have all the weights and other equipment. I could open the shop now, but then I’d have to move everything again to install the flooring,” said Lynn. “I’d rather just do it right the first time.”

Originally from Pennsylvania, Lynn graduated from Stonybrook College, majoring in business and minoring in nutrition. He said he and his parents always vacationed in the Cape Region while he was growing up, so he decided to follow them down here when they relocated six years ago.

Lynn, 27, said he got into training because he never had too much interest in getting a desk job.

“That just doesn’t fit my lifestyle,” said Lynn, adding that’s why he competed in a half Ironman in 2019. “I like the adrenaline rush.”

Lynn described his workout style as functional fitness. There are a lot of dumbbells, kettlebells, bands and body weight involved, he said. To date, most of his clients are older, but he said with his background in high-level athletics, he’s fluent in training for young athletes too.

For more information on Elite Lifestyle Initiatives, 37385 Henlopen Junction, Unit 1, Rehoboth Beach, contact Lynn at elitrained@gmail.com, 570-317-7686 or go to elitrained.com.