New Gym to Open in Mineola

Mineola residents will have a new place to work out as the village board unanimously approved an application from Personal Training Institute to move into a space on Jericho Turnpike.

The business will be located at 460 Jericho Turnpike, the former location of Creative Lighting, which .

The gym is built around an individual and personalized approach to exercise and nutrition according to Jeffrey Amengual, co-owner of the , the franchise’s current location.

Amengual is planning to “occupy first” by putting in new carpeting, paint and equipment as they consolidate the locations in both Garden City and New Hyde Park into one in Mineola.

“New Hyde Park actually had to close its doors so we’re trying to accommodate clients as quickly as possible,” Amengual said.

The gym is billed as a “small box facility” designed to have about 20 clients and trainers as opposed to a “big box” gym where one uses equipment independently. The only time a session would not be personal would be during “spin classes” where a class of 15 people and one instructor use spin bikes.

“For us baby boomers, this is really ideal because it allows us to get in there, exercise in an abbreviated fashion, but in an intense fashion,” he said, noting that most of the gym’s clientele fall between the ages of 45 and 65 years of age.

The gym would operate between Monday and Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., on Friday from 6 am. until 7 p.m., and on Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. Amengual says the gym’s busiest hours are weekdays between 6 and 8 a.m. for people coming in before work. Music would be played in the gym, but the door would be closed. There would be no additional construction but Amengual anticipates renovating they gym in the future by adding showers.

The personal trainers are certified by the Personal Training Institute in one-to-one training  for both cardio and strength based exercises. company has about 20 branches on Long Island.

“They give them advice as to healthy food, calorie intake and proper portion control,” Amengual said. “We don’t recommend particular brands of food, what we recommend is caloric intake and types of food.”

The gym only sells heart rate monitors as well as its varying levels of gym membership. The gym charges $299 for “basic” membership which consists of eight training sessions per month and two nutrition consultations, and $399 for “pro” level of 12 training sessions per month and four nutrition consultations. All training sessions and nutrition consultations are done by appointment.

“Anybody coming into our facility will work with a trainer or see the nutritionist,” Amengual said. “They can work on the cardio without a trainer but all of the strength equipment and nutrition is done with either a trainer or nutritionist.”

Because of its one-on-one training methods, there would be approximately 20 employees on the site at any one time at maximum. There are a total of 20 trainers, one receptionist and a part-time nutritionist. Amengual stated that “theoretically we could” have 40-plus people in the building, but the gym is only designed to handle about 200 members “over a 30 day period.”

There are approximately 50 parking spaces in the rear of the building and in the area, and Amengual anticipates using about 26 of them. In response to concerns from a resident about patrons parking their cars near homes, Mayor Lawrence Werther asked Amengual if a notice could be included in new membership packages to park either in the rear lot or on Jericho Turnpike.