Fitness pairs with mobility at Longboat Key Fitness | Your Observer
Fitness pairs with mobility at Longboat Key Fitness
All the way from Hong Kong, Chris Watts has joined Longboat Key Fitness to lead Longboaters in stretches
- ByS.T. Cardinal
- | 5:00 a.m. August 14, 2026
- Longboat Key
- Business
Longboat Key Fitness has grown, not just in terms of space but also in offerings
Owner Petar Sibinkic’s gym split the suite next door with Reed Medical Group when it became available. On the Longboat Key Fitness side of the wall sits massage tables, a stretch cage, a skeleton model, a diagram of the muscular system and two private massage rooms. The Olympian owned-business’ expanded space is largely a space for stretching
Enter, from across the globe, Chris Watts
“Trust me, nobody has this skill,” Sibinkic said of Watts. “There was a great idea for him to come on board full time, and for stretching you need a little more secluded space. It’s got to be a little quieter, a little more isolated. That’s why I took over the next-door space and made it to be a designated stretching area, and people tend to really, really like it.”
The accent is hard to miss, but it only tells a sliver of the Chris Watts story. Born in England, Watts moved to Switzerland when he turned 18. After a stint in Honduras, he came to Sarasota in 1995 where he trained and learned the techniques of stretching and integrated manual therapy from his mentor, Aaron Mattes, who pioneered the “active isolated stretching” technique
After two years in Sarasota, Watts flew 8,800 miles to Hong Kong to open an active isolated stretching clinic. His business, Motion Dynamics Limited, grew from there as he added clients that included CEOs of major companies
Now, after nearly 30 years in Hong Kong, Watts is back on the Gulf Coast
“I was always into an adventure. Even being here at 69 years old, this is an adventure for me coming here,” Watts said. “I just love the idea of doing something that gives me a little bit of a new dimension.”
That new dimension comes with a new clientele. Watts said that, with an average age of 70 on Longboat Key, many gymgoers have limited mobility. With a “modality, stretch and align” technique, Watts aims to extend the active lifestyle of fitness-minded residents, even for those who have had major surgery like hip replacements or spinal fusion
“There’s a common denominator between all the people that come in here. They’ve all got lots of money, lots of time, lots of wherewithal, but they just don’t have the inherent understanding of what happens to your body if you continue to use it in a misaligned fashion,” Watts said. “It’s wear and tear. Your body should last 120 years. That’s what all physiologists are saying today. There’s no reason for wear and tear. It’s how we deal with everyday things like sports and things that wears our body out.”
Hips, knees, back and shoulders take the brunt of the wear and tear, and Watts aims to reduce pain and the chance of injury, as well as extend people’s healthspan
“They all want to play pickleball because this place is set up for golf, tennis and pickleball,” Watts said. “So they look to me to help them prepare for physical activity with that structural limitation that they have with all these orthopedic interventions.”
Manual therapy sessions are charged by the hour at Longboat Key Fitness and start with an initial 15-minute assessment where posture and range of motion gives Watts an initial clue to underlying issues. The one-on-one sessions with Watts have been popular among the clientele of the gym, Sibinkic said
“Everybody loves it. I guarantee you when you leave this session, you’ll be lighter, you’ll have greater range of motion, you will move with ease, your golf is going to get better, your tennis is going to get better,” Sibinkic said. “You’re going to decrease risk of any injuries.”
That’s the point, Watts reiterated, reducing injury risk
Sibinkic describes Longboat Key Fitness as a personality-driven business where conversation and camaraderie are as integral to the business model as the weights and personal training methods. Now, there’s another personality at the gym with a new catalog of expertise
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