This Saturday, June 6, Breakthrough Fitness Co will open in New City at 88 N Main Street, a building which has been vacant for 17 years. This will be the second location for the accessibility-driven gym after five years of success at their Westchester location.
The location is 5,000 square feet and free standing, making the gym much bigger than the Westchester location at 3,200 square feet. The opening is especially sentimental to Jake Allyne, President and CEO, who grew up in New City. “When the opportunity came to come to my hometown, it all fell into place,” Allyne said.
The debut on Saturday will be at 5 pm and will feature local Rockland businesses, including Titanic Deli and Coffee Shop, AMS balloons for decoration, and Philly Pretzel Factory in New City. For Philly Pretzel specifically, Allyne said, “I saw them doing a pretzel class with some girls who have down syndrome who attend the [fitness] classes, which is why I reached out.” Breakout Fitness Co is passionate about bringing people together throughout the community through accessibility.
Allyne’s advocacy for accessibility stemmed from having a hard time socially in high school. “I was bullied and picked on, and I was always taught to take the high road. I did that, which connected me to people who may have been different or misunderstood.”
According to the Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, studies in the UK and the US suggest that individuals with an intellectual disability have an average life expectancy 16-20 years shorter than the general population. Additionally, the National Center for Health Statistics states that Obesity estimates for adults with disabilities range from 25% to 31% compared to 15%–19% for adults without disabilities. These stats drive the need for accessible exercise, and as Allyne shared with the RCT, “We want to meet people where they’re at and get them 1% better every day.”
Allyne entered the world of adaptive fitness after spending eight years working in the fitness industry as a trainer on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. He loved working with the people he met, but realized that many fitness spaces were not accommodating to individuals with special needs. “When I worked in the city, everyone was nice, but then someone came who was ‘different’, and people started to react differently. You see their true colors,” he recalled.
After moving to Tarrytown during COVID, Allyne’s met his neighbor-turned-Co-CEO Stephen Goodman after Goodman saw Allyne hauling equipment around for virtual sessions. Goodman had experience volunteering for the New York Special Olympics, an altruistic heart equal to Allyne’s, and, luckily for Breakthrough Fitness, a finance background. The two then set out to embark on their accommodation entrepreneurship.
The gym itself contains brand-new machines including a dozen cardio pieces, kettlebells, core machines, cable machines, resistance bands, and dumbbells that go up to 100 lbs. Many of the pieces of equipment are modified to promote accessibility; for example, arm bikes that have sliding seats for a wheelchair to slide in.
There are also Touch Charts, which allow for participants to point to areas of a drawn out body to communicate to trainers physical boundaries or injuries, as well as Communication Charts for nonverbal participants to select their workouts with visual aid. “We had a speech pathologist help us revamp the [communication device] to make a virtual digital fitness plan that users can interact with. They could click a button on a plank and see one of our trainers doing a plank, and add it to their workout,” Allyne said.
Allyne also emphasized that individuals of all abilities are welcome, from people who are coming off of medications that cause weight loss to someone who struggles to walk. “We want to see a more inclusive world and let people know that there’s hope, that they don’t have to be isolated and alone,” Allyne said.
All of the trainers have their Personal Trainer licenses, First Aid certification, and are routinely educated about accessible fitness. Alex Kim, who shadowed closely in Westchester prior to the New City unveil, will be the manager of the Rockland location.
Many of the staff are also Occupational and Physical Therapists, who have obtained Applied Behavior Analysis certifications and that Breakthrough is “very particular about who we hire.” The gym frequently coordinates with participants own PT and OT teams to “…create a cohesive experience,” shared Allyne.
The programs available include Able Athletics, which feature inclusive sports, personal training and small group fitness classes Monday through Friday, Swim Angelfish, an adaptive swim lessons and water safety instruction, and Diet & Nutrition with Suzanne Dudek, a clinical nutritionist offering comprehensive diet and nutrition plans. Each workout plan is uniquely formulated for each individual’s needs.
The process to renovate the old space was a tricky and lengthy endeavor. “This was a gut job. There was zero plumbing, zero electric work, zero water. Everything with Veolia and Rockland had to be from scratch. They actually had to dig up the road for water,” Allyne said. It was originally estimated to be finished in late fall, but is now opening in June.
Going forward, Allyne and Goodman are hoping to have their gym grow even further, as they know of people from Long Island, Bergen County, and even Virginia reaching out and sharing a need for accessible exercise.
If you or someone you know may be interested in signing up for personalized accessible fitness classes, visit their website at breakthroughfitco.com. A 60 minute session is $130, a 45 minute session is $105, and the 30 minute session is $58. Depending on your situation, classes can be covered by governmental aid through Self Direction services, and the gym also has a Breakthrough Fund which they provide for people who may already not have those services covered. “The Breakthrough Fund exists so financial barriers don’t prevent people from accessing health and wellness,” Allyne said.
Come and support this grand opening on June 6th from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at 88 N Main Street in New City. Enjoy music, dancing, food, and most of all, welcoming a fantastic new business to our area.
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