Ditch the Memberships: Fenom Fitness
With all the conglomerate “mega” gyms popping up in the county, Aresh Mohit decided to focus on a segment of the fitness market he thought was lacking: the family. So, last November, he opened Fenom Fitness, a 12,000-square-foot facility tucked away on a side street in Harrison. Mohit says Fenom utilizes more of a “private school” mentality—meaning a more individualized focus on fundamental skill-building and overall fitness.
Fenom’s offerings make it clear that families are its focus. While kids participate in, say, a private sports lesson (during which certified coaches work to teach children the fundamentals and skills of baseball, softball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, rollerblading, or bike-riding), parents can work out in the cardio deck, where there are treadmills (fitted with screens that offer visuals of different terrain), cycles, and elliptical machines, or in two separate weight rooms, each equipped with iPod docks and surround- sound speakers. Then again, families can always work out as a group during Family Fusion, where families work together on obstacle courses and fitness games.
For children, there are also after-school “mash-ups,” which combine sports and fitness in a group setting; personal training; and even a new “Brainergize” program, offering both academic coaching and physical fitness instruction in one session. And, for adults, there’s Zumba, spin, yoga, Pilates, and Surfset.
Even Fenom’s turf area, which can be used as either batting cages or golf greens, is proof of its wide-reaching focus. Best yet, there are no memberships—classes and workout sessions are all pay as you go.
Fenom Fitness
67 Grant Ave, Harrison (914) 732-3000; www.fenomfit.com
—Scott Simone
Ditch the Machines: Athletes Warehouse
Opened in July, Pleasantville’s Athletes Warehouse specializes in strength and conditioning, a training method designed to maximize the output of a workout while limiting injury potential.
“It’s mainly bodyweight and free-weight training,” says Al Piascik, the facilities manager at Athletes Warehouse. The programs—taught by certified specialists—don’t use machines at all, opting instead to use training tools like kettlebells and medicine balls. There’s also a large turf field for additional cardiovascular training.
Athletes Warehouse divides its programs into two age brackets for its clients. The younger age bracket (ages 5 to 11), which is called Athlete in the Making, uses evaluation software to fully analyze young athletes and then creates a program scientifically designed for their developmental needs. The second program—called The Athlete, for ages 12 and up—also takes into consideration the athletes’ biological, training, and psychological ages to pinpoint areas of weakness to work on.
Both age brackets have one-on-one, small-group, and team training and are guided by a model Athletes Warehouse hopes will redefine youth training: Training Progression Triad (which encompasses strength and conditioning, recovery, and psychology).
Athletes Warehouse
220 Tompkins Ave, Pleasantville (914) 741-1802; www.athleteswarehouse.com
—Amanda Domo​
