Yorktown is seeing exciting development, with new restaurants, fitness facilities, and more restaurants popping up. Tucked away in the Lourdes Plaza shopping center on Main Street in Jefferson Valley is a fitness studio that, while not new, is so worth checking out.
Fused Fitness, originally known as Cycle 6, rebranded in 2017, and under the ownership of Alina Pedraza, now offers killer exercise classes that can challenge even the most able-bodied of athletes.
Pedraza, a former college cheerleader and current certified spin instructor and TRX-certified coach, creates exercise classes that are physically demanding, offered in a supportive (and not intimidating) environment.
The most popular offerings at Fused Fitness are the small group training sessions, HIIT FIT class and Power Pump classes. (You’ll very likely leave Power Pump feeling winded!) Classes incorporate body weight exercises, free weights, a squat rack, rowers, and medicine balls, focusing on functional movements.
Pedraza says, “What makes our programs different is the way we combine different elements of fitness like powerlifting, combined with movements you would see in physical therapy to develop strength, and functional movements that correlate to what you are doing in your everyday life like walking up the stairs, and then a metabolic burn in one workout.” She adds, “Our workouts are efficient, effective, and fun. And they’re not complicated and complex to follow.”
The space is intimate, (but can accommodate a robust class size), and is decorated with vibrant, hip murals on the walls. During class, the energy from members is palpable, and partner work helps facility a sense of camaraderie.
Pedraza says Fused sets itself apart by the facility’s vibe: “We encourage a positive community among members and coaches. We get to understand our members and the problems they face, without judgment. We do our best to learn what has worked for them in the past and what hasn’t and we encourage patience as we help them through a shift in lifestyles from poor habits to healthy ones,” she says. She explains, “We don’t condone and encourage judgment or gossip, it’s simply not a part of our culture. Instead, we approach each other with an appreciation for one another, which leads to endless support.
Fused offers a holistic approach to health, by offering nutritional guidance, in additional to their physical fitness classes, to help members fuel their bodies properly. In addition to in-studio fitness classes, Fused offers complimentary workouts on YouTube that require minimal to no equipment.
Pedraza’s goal is to help inspire confidence in all her members: “Physical exercise has amazing aesthetic benefits but fitness is deeper than what meets the eye. Physical exercise creates confidence. The confidence you achieve when you make the time for yourself and do something that your body has never been able to do, and the confidence you achieve when your mind is able to push you to a new threshold is so much [more meaningful] than the 10 pounds on the scale. [The confidence gained from fitness] affects your relationships with others. It’s a ripple effect that I get to be a part of.”
Pedraza says, “When someone leaves Fused Fitness, and they can bring happiness and confidence to their relationships — including the relationship with themselves — that’s what I hope to bring to the Westchester community.”
