A New Hyde Park native and his business partner are aiming to get people moving in and around the village.
Warren Kelly, 29, of Lakeville Estates and Bellerose resident John Francois, 36, have filed an application with the village to open a personal training and rehabilitative fitness center at 125 S. Eighth St.
They’re hoping to bring a unique brand of fitness training to a wide range of local clients — especially youth, who often don’t exercise as much as they should, Kelly said.
“We see a lot of issues in younger kids mechanically, a lot of shoulder issues, posture issues, because they don’t really get out as much anymore,” he said.
The center, tentatively named REP Strength — for “Recover, Evolve and Perform” — will also offer rehabilitative training, corrective exercise, conditioning and weight loss training in one-on-one and group settings, Kelly and Francois said.
“We just wanted to promote health to a wide range of kids, adults, adolescents — whatever it is, we just want everyone to get moving,” Francois said.
The pair have known each other for about three-and-a-half years, Kelly said, and currently work at Siege Athletics in Mineola.
They have built a strong client base in the New Hyde Park area, Kelly said, and often work with youth sports teams. They each do about 100 training sessions a month, he said.
Kelly and Francois will have two other trainers joining them at the center, Kelly said.
A unique service they’ll offer is fascial stretch therapy, a special stretching regimen that helps injury prevention and recovery, Kelly said.
Few other training centers in the state offer fascial stretch therapy, he said.
Kelly studied sports science and nutrition at Queens College and has previously worked at New Hyde Park’s UFC Gym.
His family has been in the fitness business for more than 30 years, he said, and his uncle, Paul Prescelis, runs gyms in New York City and is helping Kelly and Francois “spearhead” their center.
“I love fitness, I love strength and conditioning, and there’s no better feeling than helping people as your job,” Kelly said.
Francois has a background as a personal trainer, stretch therapist and other fitness specializations, he said. He also said he’s previously run his own home health business.
Kelly said he’s looking forward to providing personalized one-on-one training in a setting smaller than his current gym, which has about 8,000 members.
“It’s hard for people to focus,” he said. “There’s a lot going on, there’s a lot of interruptions.”
In addition to encouraging exercise among youth, Francois said they aim to help young athletes work toward college athletic scholarships to alleviate the cost of their education.
“We’re just hoping to be able to make a mark in the neighborhood and in the area,” Francois said.
The two-story, 1,500-square-foot building at 125 S. Eighth St., currently a construction garage, won’t require much modification before the facility opens, Kelly said.
He and Francois also looked at spaces near Marcus Avenue and Union Turnpike, but found they were located too far north, he said.
“There’s not much work to do, so we’re definitely excited about that,” Kelly said.
Kelly and Francois’ application is set for a March 9 hearing before the Village of New Hyde Park Board of Zoning Appeals and a March 15 hearing with the Board of Trustees.
They’re asking for a special-use permit and a variance for a village parking regulation, according to their application.
If they get the approvals, they hope to have the center open by June, Kelly said.
