WORCESTER, Mass. - The Worcester Senior Center debuted their new state-of-the-art fitness center Tuesday.

It was funded through a sponsorship with Blue Cross Blue Shields and city funds, allowing free access to senior center members. Worcester Fitness was picked by the city to run the facility daily, offering one-on-one training and fitness classes.

The senior center's Amy Waters said they did a lot of research before opening and purchased the equipment they found would best serve seniors. 

"Some of them are hydraulic as opposed to you having to bend down and pick up a weight," Waters said. "To make a change you just press a button. So folks that may have a little trouble bending in certain ways still can exercise those parts of their bodies."

Waters said there has been a big need for a facility like this for some time. The city and Worcester Fitness stress the importance of staying active at all ages. 

"A lot of our seniors, some of them are at home, they can't be as mobile," acting city manager Eric Batista said. "They don't have the family or the support system to move them around and take them to the gym and take them to these places where they can walk. They can enjoy themselves and be a little bit more healthier."

"You got to keep your body healthy and eat well, exercise," co-owner of Worcester Fitness Tim MacDonald said. "From your being a kid up to when you're older when you have to exercise and stay in shape. It's just important."

Currently the gym is only available to senior center members, but eventually city employees will also be able to use it as well. Batista said they're working on a schedule.