Jake Allyne brings bodily health to purchasers with developmental disabilities

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F.Exercising can be challenging for the average person, but for those with developmental disabilities, the pursuit of wellness at the gym comes with a plethora of additional considerations.

Allyne

A new gym in Hartsdale called Breakthrough Fitness Co. offers a distinctive fitness program for special needs under the supervision of Jake Allyne, a personal trainer who has grown to be an expert in this niche in the fitness world.

Allyne had previously not considered opening its own business until the Covid-19 pandemic forced its employer to temporarily close its gym.

“I haven’t returned to my regular job,” he said. “I turned when the pandemic hit and worked virtually. And I’ve had a large customer base in the community with special needs, including customers with autism and cerebral palsy. “

Allyne was introduced to this customer base during his college years while working on a special needs fitness program on Y 92nd Street in Manhattan. His popularity in the field grew rapidly, and during his major fitness gigs he became the preferred trainer for clients with special needs.

When the pandemic restrictions eased, he met with his clients in parks and later in his garage, which he turned into a training room. To his surprise, these customers were looking for him more during this time.

“They increased their frequency because so many other things were being cut off and that had a huge impact on them socially,” he said.

But for a post-pandemic environment, Allyne realized he needed something that could serve a growing customer base.

“I realized I couldn’t do it on my own,” he said. “I had to get out of my garage and into a real room.”

Allyne worked with the Westchester County Office of Economic Development’s Launch1000 program. The result is a new gym that will be ready for a soft opening in late July, with a grand opening in September.

In approaching the training plans of clients with developmental disabilities, Allyne stated that an in-depth analysis of individual needs is critical to planning a successful strategy.

“I usually take an hour or two to hang out with them and see how their bodies move, what makes them tick, what they like,” he said. “And then we start with simple everyday movements and coordination – some work better within a movement level, some work better with patterns.”

Allyne plans a combination of individual and group training. But he is also aware of creating an environment that does not interfere with his clients’ focus on training. For example, the typical gym design with a seemingly endless number of monitors and screens on machines and walls would work against a 13 year old customer obsessed with video images.

“When you put 200 screens in a room, it’s very difficult to get him to focus,” he said. “But when we took the screens away, it blossomed.”

In fact, he went beyond blooming – Allyne added that he had received news that his young client recently took first place in the 200m sprint at a Special Olympics tournament.

Allyne also highlighted a customer with autism who took advantage of the pandemic period to increase her exercise frequency, resulting in a 40 pound weight loss.

Allyne also maintains a base of able-bodied customers, and he emphasized that an important instruction that applies to all of its customers is the value of maintaining a wellbeing.

“I think that daily exercise and a moderately balanced diet can reduce many of the health risks we take as a society,” he said. “This is especially beneficial for the special needs community.”