Cedar Lane Business Offers Workouts Without the Gym

A Teaneck-based personal training studio is eyeing expansion after seeing a flood of clients looking to take advantage of the center’s 12-minute workout program.

Express Fit, on Cedar Lane, offers an option for those looking to get fit without the hassle of time-consuming workouts and often expensive gym membership, founder Wesley Powell said. With just the 12-minute per-week session, Powell said his clients develop lean muscle mass often believed to come only after hours-long workouts.

“The important point is the workout is only once a week. People don’t believe the 12-minute part until they actually come and do it,” he said.

Hundreds of studies have shown the benefits of High-Intensity Interval Training, Powell explained.

“That gives you the most response in the least time commitment although the actual effort while you’re doing it is quite intense,” he said.

Lengthy cardio workouts may show results within a few weeks, but ultimately the body adjusts and the workouts begin to do more harm than good by burning away muscle, according to Powell.

“Contrary to popular belief, spending an hour everyday on the treadmill really isn’t that good for you,” he said. “It’s activity for activity's sake.”

Although such a short workout program might sound more like marketing than fitness, Powell said clients quickly realize the effectiveness of the program.

“Some people have difficulty walking out,” he said. “Nobody has ever said ‘oh gosh I wish it was longer.’”

Express Fit’s certified trainers take time to adjust the program for specific people and use high-tech Nautilus One machines and FlexTech technology to monitor a client’s progress, he said.

Powell said he first learned of the high-intensity strength training exercise after visiting a Teaneck chiropractor’s office. The ex-information technology security consultant had been struggling to get in-shape and injured himself with traditional, lengthy workouts, he said.

In talking with the chiropractor, he learned about the “Body By Science” 12-minute workout program developed by Dr. Doug McGuff. Powell took the idea further in opening his own fitness center with completely personalized services and detailed tracking of a client’s progress.

“When you're in here, you’re in here by yourself or with one other person. You are with a personal trainer at all times,” Powell said of his Cedar Lane location.

Before a workout, trainers take various readings from clients including blood pressure and body weight, he said.

Business has been brisk at Powell’s first location at 409 Cedar Lane, he said, adding he is looking to expand around Bergen County and possibly open a location in the Riverside Square Mall. Even with the expansion, the workouts would remain personal and free of a busy gym environment.

Clients range from 20-somethings looking to build muscle to senior citizens, he said.

Powell said he opted to open first in Teaneck after studying marketing data showing Bergen County had the highest per-capita spending on personal fitness in the nation.

“People are spending more here on personal fitness than they are even in Manhattan,” he said.

An introductory session costs $20 while individual sessions are $49.95.