Harlem Is Getting A New Strength Training Studio

HARLEM, NY — Harlem locals with New Year's resolutions to get into fitness have a new workout option coming soon to the neighborhood.

The Harlem Method, a new fitness studio from the same team as the Harlem Kettlebell Club, is opening on West 129th Street near the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard in early February, with a soft-opening in progress for the end of January, owner Jah Washington told Patch.

The fitness studio will feature a robust schedule of workout classes, like weight lifting and high-intensity interval training, as well as sessions focused on stretching, mobility and recovery, and a roster of local trainers, Washington said.

"There are more benefits to strength training and getting in shape that don't necessarily have an aesthetic piece," Washington told Patch. "I think a weight loss goal is awesome, but at the end of the day, the reality is we're all going to get older. Bone density starts to decrease, and we can eliminate, or at least slow down, some of these ailments, by working out."

Consistency and a supportive community are the keys to getting results in fitness, Washington said, and the studio is designed with this in mind.

"At [Harlem Kettlebell Club], we've built a community that really wants to be around each other," Washington said. "I think it is very big — having somewhere that you feel like you belong."

For Washington, a lifelong Harlem local, opening the studio is part of a larger social mission. As an athletic child growing up on 131st Street and Lenox Avenue, Washington said he'd noticed a lack of accessible, affordable places to work out.

Washington worked for almost a decade in finance, but left in 2016 to pursue a fitness career to create the sort of studio he'd always wanted growing up.

"I worked in finance for nine years, before quitting in 2016 to pursue a passion, not only for fitness, but for helping people to improve themselves, mentally, physically, spiritually," Washington said.

The studio will also include a "recovery room" with various tools, like vibrating foam rollers and massage guns, from the brand Hyperice, he said.

Though the studio welcomes all people, he told Patch he is specifically gearing the space toward women of color.

"Being in the fitness space, it's just been a blessing to me to be able to give people a chance to prioritize themselves, take control of their fitness, and be in tune with their health," Washington said.

"It's for people of color, and more specifically, women of color, a place that they can call home. It's a place they can come and train with confidence and comfort and knowing that they are considered and they're thought of."

Washington grew up just two blocks from where his new studio will be, he told Patch.

Since 2016, Washington has opened four other fitness spaces in Harlem, including Harlem Kettlebell Club, which is still open and a local favorite. The Harlem Kettlebell Club holds group weight-lifting classes using primarily kettlebells.

The Harlem Method has not announced its official opening day yet, but more information will be available on its social media in the coming days. In the meantime, the studio is running a founding membership pre-sale.

The Harlem Method is located at 60 West 129th St., New York, New York 10027.

Know of a business opening or closing in Manhattan? Email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.