NEW Folding Treadmill: California Ripped Fitness muscles into San Jose fitness scene

California Ripped Fitness moves into San Jose to join a competitive gym market.

A growing Placer County-based fitness chain has chosen San Jose's Gould Plaza for its first location in the area, and it hopes to have more deals in hand by the end of the year.

California Ripped Fitness has signed a 22,000-square-foot lease at 1035 East Capitol Expressway. Nicholas Trosko, the company's director of operations, told me the gym intends to open in early October, with pre-selling beginning in mid-August.

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"We're looking to come in pretty aggressively and are actively looking for spots in other locations," Trosko said.

The arrival marks the latest entrant in the increasingly competitive world of fitness in Silicon Valley. Most notably, LA Fitness-owned City Sports has ramped up in the region, with a slew of deals signed last year. San Ramon-based 24 Hour Fitness continues to lock up new locations. And smaller players like Retro Fitness and Total Woman are also scouting for sites.

This is only California Ripped's second location, following its first beachhead last February in the city of Lincoln, near Sacramento. The company is led by Pat Accettura, a gym-industry veteran with experience with the Gold's Gym brand.

California Ripped will attempt to distinguish itself by offering memberships in the $15- to $20-range, but be a step above the bargain-basement chains. Personal training? Check. Group classes? Check. Tanning? Check. Also on tap: On-demand digital "instructors" for group classes (via giant video screens) when a live instructor isn't available.

"We're a gym for everybody - families, women, all ages," Trosko said. "Our model is to be a low-cost gym, but full-service."