Premier Fitness: Keeping Exercise Fun

“We’re the best part of our members’ day every day,” is the motto of , a health club located in Nanuet. It succeeds in this mission through its variety of fitness programs, its nontraditional exercise methods, and its emphasis on health and nutrition.

The club’s owners are registered nurse Ellen Goneconti and world champion power lifter Brian Fahrenfeld. They opened Premier Fitness in April 2002 and are coming up on the club’s ninth anniversary. “We try to keep exercise fun and interesting because we do believe it’s a lifestyle commitment,” said Goneconti. “It’s not just something you do temporarily to get into shape but something you do for a lifetime to stay healthy.”

Goneconti and Fahrenfeld constantly find new ways to keep people exercising. As an alternative to fixed machines, for example, Premier Fitness offers more functional exercises—such as kettle bell workouts, rope workouts, pulling weighted sleds, and hitting tires with a sledgehammer—that work multiple muscle groups and better mimic activities that people would do in real life.

Premier Fitness is best known for having over 100 group fitness classes every week. The group fitness director, Lorna DeVeaux, has been in the fitness industry for more than 25 years. She has worked with choreographers from Manhattan to the West Coast and has developed what, according to Goneconti, is one of the most comprehensive group fitness programs in the county.

The group fitness classes, which come with the memberships, include a group power class, Zumba dance workout, spinning, yoga, pilates, cardio kickboxing and heavy bag training. Premier Fitness also offers semi-private classes, including TRX suspension training, boot camp, and kettle bell workouts.

Additionally, Premier Fitness hosts AttackProof martial arts, a self-defense training program led by grandmaster John Perkins. The club also has a world championship power lifting team that trains together for weight training competitions and teaches exercises such as squats, bench presses, and deadlifts.

For two years, Premier Fitness has incorporated Going Vertical, a nationally recognized sports program that helps athletes increase their speed, power, and agility. Christine Marra, a soccer player, took the program between her junior and senior year of college. After completing Going Vertical, Marra took her team to the championship and became an All-American athlete.

One of the biggest things that the club  promotes, in Goneconti’s words, is that “proper nutrition goes hand in hand with exercise to maintain health.” Their lead nutrition consultant is Warren Fahrenfeld, who has helped thousands of people reach their weight loss goals. And their online nutrition program, DotFit.com, teaches smart food choices, proper portion sizes, and the importance of macronutrients.

To further incorporate health and wellness, Premier Fitness plans to bring in a chiropractor and build a spa. The club also works with ProCore Physical Therapy to acclimate patients to a fitness environment. According to Fahrenfeld and Goneconti, research shows that clients who continue personal training after physical therapy are 50 percent less likely to reinjure themselves.

Premier Fitness is located on 430 Nanuet Mall South; its website is premierfitnessny.com. It is open seven days a week and will be celebrating its ninth anniversary on April 12 with a sale.

“We’re proud to live in Rockland and serve Rockland,” said Fahrenfeld, “and [we hope to] continue serving Rockland for many years to come.”