Post Avenue gym focuses on intense, personal workouts
Coming from the United States Marine Corps and the police force, Kevin Strong has a unique background and skill set for a personal trainer. However, after working in countless big-box and smaller gyms, he said he kept seeing the same thing: members, those of whom had time to get to the gym, struggled to find motivation and felt overwhelmed in large classes.
Strong wanted his own space in order to create what he believed to be the best and most efficient workout styles.
“Once I retired from the police department in 2013, I decided to start training people and testing out small group training in the park,” Strong said. “It was so successful that I opened up my own studio.”
Strong recently opened Stronger Body on Post Avenue in Westbury, a gym that specializes in short and small classes which, according to the Stronger Body website, are “30 minutes of high energy, non-intimidating, highly motivating and never overcrowded small group functional fitness for all levels.”
The small space, coming in at under 1,000 square feet, offers a more dedicated space for individuals to train, and that is what Strong wants to encourage and what he believes sets Stronger Body apart.
“You get that personal attention, accountability and support that you don’t normally get from the bigger gyms,” Strong said. “You never have more than six people in a class and people like that personal attention.”
The smaller classes and shorter, high intensity workouts appeal to busy professionals who may not have time to spend an hour or more of their day training. Stronger Body is thus an attractive option for those looking to get a lot out of a short period of time.
“I find it very productive if you work multiple muscle groups a certain way within that 30 minutes,” Strong said. “A lot of professionals love the 30 minutes; they’re in and they’re out. A lot of people feel they don’t have the time, but with the 30 minutes, they can see that they can still get a lot out of it in a short period of time.”
With Strong’s background in law enforcement, he knows how tight shift schedules can be for police officers and other professions, in particular doctors and nurses. Strong also recalls his time in law enforcement to remind himself that people workout for many different reasons, not just to lose weight.
While he appreciates those who workout to solely lose weight, Strong said exercise is not just about appearance.
“I don’t keep a scale in here, it’s much more than just body weight,” Strong said. “Some people get so focused and zoomed in on their body weight that they forget about all of the other benefits.”
“Everybody works out for a different reason,” he added. “For some people it’s stress reduction, some people want to lose weight, some people just want to look better and some use it for self-defense.”
Strong is planning to add a specific reality-based self-defense program to Stronger Body in the fall.
In addition to gearing his programs to busy professionals, Strong further emphasizes his smaller class philosophy by offering sessions exclusively for couples.
“A lot of people like to come with their spouse or just one other person they want to train with,” Strong said. “It’s only two people in the room, you and your accountability partner, and that is something that a lot of gyms don’t offer.”
Stronger Body’s motto is “go hard or go home,” reminding members that because they train for a shorter period of time, it is imperative to go your absolute hardest while you are training at Stronger Body.
“Thirty minutes is more than enough, if you workout the right way. High-intensity interval and functional training, I just call it training for life. It’s not a gym it’s more of a fitness studio or training facility,” Strong said. “It’s not so much about how long you workout, it’s more about how effective you are when you workout.”
Stronger Body is located on 320 Post Ave., Suite LL-1 in Westbury. For more information, visit www.mystrongerbody.com or call 516-987-7114.
